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Ballroom Dance How Can You Dance During a Pandemic? "Dancing with the Stars" is on TV again. Are you feeling the urge to get back on the dance floor? Our monthly dance parties are unlikely to reopen before the end of the year. Why not dance by yourself at home in the meantime? There are many ways to start. Polishing the basics is always essential for ballroom dancing. I recommend checking out www. youtube.com videos with their wide range of dance instruction, from smooth ballroom to Latin styles. Searching for videos is easy - simply type critical words into the search form. For example, the "Cha-cha-cha Basic Step Technique" is an excellent choice for learning the basics of Cha-Cha-Cha or "Waltz Basic Steps" to learn how to dance the waltz smoothly. We are seniors. Our goal is to have fun. Dancing also improves our health, mentally and physically. Dancing is much more enjoyable than sitting around! Not everyone was born for dancing, but practice will improve everyone's technique. And ballroom dancing requires coordination between you and your partner. If you don't have the individual steps down, how can you smoothly dance as partners? Meet Sonja Itson: While Sonja has never danced professionally, dancing has been a good part of her life. She danced from junior high school through her freshman year at college and graduate school (where she studied geology). Then Sonja became busy with her family and career, and dancing was placed on hold. She looked for adult dance classes for non-professionals. But it took until her daughter Erica was in high school and traveling the world in her own dance troupe for them to discover the San Diego Civic Association Dance Program (through the City of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department) where Sonja and Erica performed in several shows together. Sonja continued with the Association for a number of years while working for the County of San Diego. Sonja recalls that it was fun to have colleagues and members of the public ask, "was that you that I saw on stage last weekend?" When Sonja retired she relates that she just wanted to become a dance bum! Since retirement, Sonja has danced with the Carlsbad Senior Center Hawaiian Group and Spotlighters from the Carlsbad Women's Club. And this is where Sonja met Sharon Lair who also lives in Ocean Hills and is a part of our Dance Troupe. In 2005 Center Stage was formed as a performing group. There was not a designated instructor, but that allowed every dancer the opportunity to choreograph and teach dances to the group. Sonja and Sharon became members of the cast, and they currently remain so. Sonja met Yvonne Jessen, our Ocean Hills Dance Troupe instructor, while taking classes at the Encinitas senior center. It was from this that Yvonne added a group of seniors to her studio productions. Eventually they arrived at Ocean Hills and became members of the Ocean Hills dance troupe. Now Joe, Sonja's husband, who always said that he had two left feet, has joined Sonja in performing as a member of the Dance Troupe. Sonja has closets, boxes, and bags full of costumes. (Does Sonja dress each Halloween as a dance performer?) Over the years she has danced ballet, tap, jazz, folk, Hawaiian, Tahitian, belly, hip hop, and flamenco, and she reports that this has kept her young. She is looking forward to the day that COVID restrictions can be lifted so that she and all of her dance buddies can get back on the stage in all of their glorious sequined costumes and perform for all of us at Ocean Hills! 14 | OHCC LIVING | DECEMBER 2020 | Ocean Hills Dance Troupe Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.

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