Heating up the Arizona dance floor E-mail
Friday, 08 August 2008

It was hot outside, but it was even hotter inside.

With the outdoor temperature hovering at 100 degrees, dozens of people in colorful fabrics and black outfits twisted, turned, arched and glided, heating up the grand ballroom at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort on Saturday.

At the fourth annual Summer Dance Expo, organized by Studio West School of Dance, dance teachers and their students performed for judge Ron Montez, a seven-time undefeated U.S. Professional Latin Champion, who critiqued dancers by speaking into a recorder for them to listen to later.

 

The event featured a morning session of smooth dance, which included steps such as the fox trot, the tango and the Viennese waltz. The afternoon session featured Latin-style dancing such as salsa, rumba and triple-time swing.

Linda Lowell and Dr. Henry Hudson were among the dozens who came to have their performances critiqued by champion dancer Ron Montez during the fourth annual Summer Dance Expo at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Saturday.

Taped music played in the ballroom as salsa instructor Christine Daughenbaugh went over some steps with student Mark Saunders. Saunders concentrated on his footwork while the two sashayed through the reception area, dancing between tables and chairs, as the sun peeked through the windows in the background.

"It's no more stressful than a sporting event," Saunders said, breaking into a grin.

Inside the ballroom, Jim Morrison watched the dancers from the back of the room, absorbing the dancing moves that seemed to impress him.

"I'm no Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, but dancing is fun and good exercise," said Morrison, who took up dancing in his late 60s. "It keeps your joints moving."

In tight black pants and shirt, a buff Roger Fiederlein said he enjoys ballroom dancing for lots of reasons.

"I used to be athletic, but my wife didn't work out with me. But with dancing, we both can do it and stay in shape," said Fiederlein, who is 55. "You do ballroom dancing for an hour, and it's a great workout."

"It's also cheaper to take dancing lessons than to go to a movie," he added.

A winded but happy Theresa Emos, in a black dress with colored sequins and tights that gave her long legs a silver sheen, rested at a table after dancing the cha-cha with her dance partner, Alan Daughenbaugh.

"I get to dress up and feel good," Emos said before promptly hitting the dance floor again.