Local couple enjoy ballroom dancing as pastime by Barbara Hootman

Photo by Jim Hootman photographer Photo by Jim Hootman photographer

Patsy and Fred Connelly, well known Black Mountain residents, enjoy the pastime of ballroom dancing along with hundreds of other people

"We've been taking lessons and dancing weekly for six years," Patsy Connely, said. "We started taking lessons, because I needed an exercise program to help me cope with arthritis, and Fred just loves to dance."

"I think it is great exercise," he said. "Think about it. You dance for three hours every Friday or Saturday night, and then you take a lesson once a week. Also, I think it is great for the mind. You have to think and concentrate. You have so much fun, you don't even know you are exercising. I love dancing, and it is something you can do until you die. I know one gentleman in his 80s, and he can jitterbug with the best of them."

People dance for many reasons, including having fun, to move to music, to find mates, to show off, to compete or to have a reason to wear classy attire. Some people say their mates or significant others dragged them to class. With the Connellyss, they decided to pursue ballroom dancing for the sheer love of it.

Fred says he and Patsy have danced together for years, but decided to take lessons to learn how to dance right.

"I was working as a soda jerk and Patsy was working in a department store when we met," Fred said. "When she would come in the shop where I worked, they wouldn't even let me dip ice cream because it would melt. When we were dating we did all the dances of the time, but we didn't really get into ballroom dancing until we started to take lessons."

"You meet a lot of interesting people when you dance," he said. "The range in professions from carpenters to surgeons to students and housewives."

Fred is known throughout the Swannanoa Valley Community from his 34 years of service as a pharmacist. He is employed at CVS in Black Mountain. Patsy retired from Owen High School at Christmas with 30 years of teaching family and consumer science.

Ballroom dancing appeals to all age groups.

"Even students from UNC-A attend some of the dances that we go to," Fred said.

For the Connellys, ballroom dancing is a family affair, with their son taking to the floor when he was a student at Chapel Hill.

"Our son started taking lessons, and then convinced his wife to do the same," Fred said. "They used to be better than we are, but I think we have passed them now."

Dancers have to learn around 20 different dances to enjoy an evening at a ballroom. Although there are many different dances, most are related. Ballrooms provide a variety of different types of music, requiring dancers to know a variety of dances.

The Connellys are proficient in at least 15 different dances, including waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha cha, rumba, samba, hustle, swing, and polka.

Ballroom dancing can trace its roots back to around 1581 when men wore swords. Most men are right handed, so it was conventional to wear the sword and scabbard on the left-of the belt, to facilitate the drawing of the sword with the right hand. If a man put his arm around a lady's back, she needed to be on his right, or she would keep tripping over the sword.

The Connellys take lessons from Foster Lampert, a well-known dance teacher who moved to the Asheville area from Chicago. He describes himself as a boy who grew up on a farm in central Illinois and grew up to teach dance for 40 years. Lampert began his dance career in 1955

"My brother talked me into helping him with dance instructions," Lampert said. "I spent 19 years in Bloomington, Illinois. I believe in dancing for the love of it, and not for competition. It is really fun to watch the students grow and learn. I had more than 100 students in Illinois who had been with me for over 10 years. I think a couple who dance together become closer personally.

Partner dancing can help people improve balance, coordination and efficiency of motion. However, couples do work up a sweat most evenings.

A night of salsa or swing dancing is definitely good exercise. Most ballroom parties typically alternate slow dances with fast ones, and couples don't necessarily dance to every song, so dancers are not in continuous motion. Researchers agree dancing does make participants feel better than sitting on the couch.

"Dancing is good for people," Lampert said. " It gives them exercise, they make friends, they learn, and it always gives them something to look forward to. I feel all my students are my friends. I moved to the Asheville area because of the good weather and the friendliness of the area.

"I teach only group classes. I do not teach private lessons. My classes are relatively inexpensive, costing only $91.25 for 12 weeks. This comes to 18 hours of instruction for about $5 an hour. You can't find that kind of fun for those prices anywhere else."

"Fred is a lot better dancer than I am," Patsy said. "He enjoys it, to begin with. I enjoy the choreography of the dance. You and your partner design the dance together. A good dance flows."

The Connellys say they could dance every night of the week, if they wanted, but Friday or Saturday night is enough. They continue to practice and learn new steps weekly at class.

"I have a more of an extroverted personality, and Fred is more of an introvert, so we compliment each other well," Patsy said.

Fred's favorite dance is the waltz.

"It is the best of romance," he said. "It is the most beautiful of all the dances. People can say what they want about chocolate and flowers. They aren't in the same category with the waltz."

Patsy saw her mother wind up in a wheel chair due to arthritis, and she works at keeping her joints as pliable and loose as possible daily with exercise. Dance adds enjoyment to her exercise routine, which includes aerobics and walking.

The Asheville area hosts numerous dance clubs, assuring those whom want to dance a place to go at least five nights a week. The Connellys enjoy dancing frequently at the Asheville Ballroom and Dance Center in the I Wanna building on Sweeten Creek Road.

"Patsy and I are planning on dancing for a long time," Fred said.