Ever since I was a child, I've loved dance, but it wasn't until I was almost 40 years old that I got my break. That's when I met Betty. We met in Berkeley, California, at a YMCA dance, and have been dancing together since. When we moved to Hawaii, we took lessons as keen amateurs from a variety of dance teachers and coaches beginning with Judy Athens, moving on to Albert Franz, who gave us our first taste of competition dancesport, and, while recovering from a knee injury, continuing our exploration of competitive dancesport with Anne Ho, who encouraged us to do a performance a few weeks ago. We did a short segue from Fox's Trot to Murry's Magic Step to the English Two-Step ending with an International Slow Foxtrot. I had forgotten how much I love dance and especially dancing for an audience. 


More recently we had the pleasure of taking a lesson from visiting Japanese professionals Yoshihiro and Tomoko Miwa, and now I'm really wired. With a combination of carefully designed warm-ups, an occasional knee supporter, lots of ice afterwards, Betty's knee massages, and an incredible amount of inspiration from people like Betty, Albert, Anne, Yoshihiro and Tomoko, I'm once again feeling the pull of the spotlight. 

Last week Betty and I chose a 1920's foxtrot and began working out a performance routine, Betty bought a new dress, and I've begun dusting off my top hat and tails. 

There's nothing in the world like the thrill of dance and no one I enjoy being with more than dedicated dancers. Thanks Yoshihiro and Tomoko for infinitely more than a lesson. Now I can't wait to polish our routine and get back on the competition floor.