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Board Members
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Let’s meet them up close and personal |
President - Mark Naegel - Born in Deaconess Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, during the long, hot summer of 1949, I began life in Clifton and was brought home to Oakley where I spent my first several years. By 1953, we were "movin' on up" to semi-rural Price Hill. Our Church frowned on "dancing," and thus began a life-long fascination. My next real exposure (to dancing) came during my teenage years at Western Hills High School. We danced
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in circles to live music played by a seemingly endless string of garage bands. When a slow song came on, you asked a girl to dance, put your arms around her and swayed. The girls seemed to like it, I was crazy about it! Then there was the Prom. My heart beat so, it scared me to death! College at the University of Cincinnati, brought dances after games, fraternity parties, formals, and road trips, not unlike that seen in the movie, Animal House.
I met my wife, Sarita, when I was in law school, as my career of club dancing and hard partying was drawing to a close. The plexiglass dance floors with flashing colored lights and the twinkling lights and disco balls overhead of the night clubs were fast becoming things of the past. At our wedding, I discovered that my ballroom dance moves left something to be desired. When we returned from our honeymoon we began looking around for "dance lessons." We started with group classes at the Westwood Town Hall and University YMCA taught by Pat and Jerry Hagerty. Pat and Jerry taught us a lot of ballroom, fox trot, swing, waltz, cha-cha, rumba, tango, and more. For several years, we attended dances at the old Mergard's bowling alley on Knowlton Street in Northside and at the Winton Place Vet's Hall, which featured the Bruce Brownfield Trio, Paul Dixon's TV Show band, in which Jerry Hagerty played saxophone. After work, we hung out at Lucy in the Sky's and Tomorrow's.
Once our daughter, Diane, was born in 1980, our dance activity was ended by the responsibilities of parenthood, and remained in suspense until our son, Mark, Jr., entered college in 2004. Sarita and I began to get back into dancing, attending a few classes at Step'N Out in Covington and resuming attendance at the Musician's Ball and the Dance Cincinnati dances at St. Nicholas' Church in Finneytown. It is my pleasure now to serve as President of Dance Cincinnati, a chapter of USA Dance, Inc.. I have always valued the friendships made in the world of ballroom dance and look forward to dancing from this life to the next!
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Patricia Buck - Vice President Patricia was raised in Cincinnati
and graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. She joined American
Airlines as a stewardess, but later came home to work in the design
field. She married and had five children, four boys under four years
and the girl three years later. They all are married and have given
her twelve wonderful grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter. She
lived in Florida for twenty |
years
and in 2001 took up ballroom dancing. She started on the East Coast,
and then moved to Sarasota, to keep up the dancing and competitions.
She moved back to Cincinnati in 2008 to be with her children and
sisters. She is so happy that Cincinnati has so many dance venues
and such great teachers and friends. |
Barbara Alvarez - Secretary - Advertising - Promotons - As a
Native of Cincinnati I have always been an Eastsider, growing up
in Oakley and later moving to Hyde park after Alex and I married.
We now reside in Anderson Township.
I was a young teen when American Bandstand made it's TV debut. My
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sister and I would dance in our basement and emulate moves.
We would attend the weekly dances at the oakley Recreation Center
on Friday night and summer dances at Oakley Park. I have always
loved music and dancing but didn't have formal training until Alex
and I were encouraged by friends to join them at a ballroom dance
party. We began ballroom dance lessons and we loved it. I remember
that we initially purchased a package of 10 lessons and thought
we would know everything after 10 lessons.
I have many other interests and two granddaughters that keep me
busy, but what I love about dancing is the great friends we have
made. Also, it's great that you can be involved as much or as little
as you wish. It's like riding a bike, once you learn a dance you
don't totally forget.
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Treasurer - Cathy Lang - I did most of my growing up in El Salvador, where Latin Dancing was popular. After coming to the United States, I did not dance until about 7 years ago, when I found ballroom dancing in Cincinnati. I started as a beginner and now am on the Board of Directors of Dance Cincinnati. I maintain the membership and email lists, assist with mailing out newsletters and help out at the admissions table
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at dances and balls. I thoroughly enjoy dancing and have met many new people who have become friends. I am a retired teacher and taught 5th grade for most of my carrer at Jane Hoop Elementary. I am currently working as a bookkeeper and tax preparer. In addition to dancing, I spend my time knitting baby caps for the hospital, working on counted cross stitch projects and enjoy attending theater events and craft shows.
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Scheduling - Vivian Cosio - I was born in Cuba in June
4, 1956. At a very early age, Salsa, Rumba, and Bolero were danced
during the early Castro’s Regime in the streets of Cuba at
beautiful and exotic carnivals. To dance was a way of life. I don’t
ever remember not ever dancing some type of dance. In high school,
I learned to square dance. In college, the disco scene won me a
stereo set for showing off how limber I could be. Now, In |
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my 40s
a new more sophisticated and artistic style evolved within my scope
of dancing. We call it ballroom dancing. It has become an addiction
of insurmountable heights. I have been a financial and retirement
planning advisor since 1982. I love my work and the opportunity
it offers me to learn and grow with my clients, who soon become
long-time friends. WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE THIS IS.
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