Ballroom dancing is a fun, lively way to enhance your body, mind, and spirit.
About nine years ago, Larry Johnson, DDS, decided he needed something new to relieve stress and keep fit. Recently widowed and tired of the same old exercises, he took a bold step and waltzed into the world of ballroom dancing. Once there, he found two new loves of his life.
Larry, who lives in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, and practices dentistry in Massachusetts and Connecticut, began his journey by taking some lessons at a studio in Worcester, Massachusetts. After a few months, the studio asked him if he'd like to take his dancing to a new level and try a competition in Newport, Rhode Island. Although a bit reluctant, he accepted the challenge—and won, finishing first in a tango and a swing dance. Not bad for someone in his mid-50s who had just taken up ballroom dancing only a few short months before. Still, the best was yet to come.
Finding a partner
Not long after the competition, Larry attended a dance in Cranston, Rhode Island. There he met an accomplished competitive dancer named Cheryl Calvano. He asked her out, and the two struck up a relationship that blossomed into a partnership both on and off the dance floor. The two were married six years ago. Now, they dance four or five times a week, and travel around the U.S. to cities like Chicago, Miami, and New York to compete. And they've done quite well.
"My kids used to tease me about it until we brought some trophies home," Larry says. "Now they don't tease us so much."
Healing powers
Like Larry, Marc Bertrand embraced ballroom dancing after his life took an unwelcome turn. Marc owned and trained horses when he injured his back in a car accident. After his doctor told him he wouldn't be able to ride for six months to a year, he needed another activity to fill the void. So, one night, at the urging of a friend, he went to the dance studio where she danced. He had a lot of fun that evening and stuck with it. Soon, his back started to get stronger.
"My doctor was actually surprised my back recovered so fast, and it probably was due to the dancing," Marc says.
Marc loved dancing so much that he turned it into a career. For over 20 years now, he's been a ballroom instructor, and he competes as well. Currently, Marc teaches, coaches, and choreographs at the Arthur Murray studio in Johnston, Rhode Island. Two of the dancers he works with there are Larry and Cheryl Johnson.
Making exercise fun
Larry, Cheryl, and Marc are wonderful examples of how taking up an enjoyable, entertaining activity like ballroom dancing can improve your health and well-being.
Ballroom dancing is filled with elements that can challenge your body and mind, such as continuous movement, intricate steps, spins, and dips. Marc says it can improve everything from your flexibility and balance to your cardiovascular fitness and strength. "You dance a couple of nights a week, and you can definitely feel the difference in your shape, your stamina, and how well you can keep up," he says.
And, if that's not enough, Marc says it can also keep you looking young. "I have this woman I've been training since 1990. She's 85, and let me tell you, she has so much energy and she looks amazing," he says. "When people ask me how old she is, they say 'no way.'"
"Dancing is something that you learn and enjoy for a lifetime," Marc says. "It will keep you in shape for the rest of your life."
