| 2010 Board Members | Let’s meet them up close and personal |
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President - Linda McCaig I have always enjoyed music and dancing.
I grew up in the suburbs of New York where I took tap and jazz lessons
as a child, won a twist contest in the 60’s and even won “best female
dancer” at a ballroom dance class in 6th grade. After that, I did
not dance much until 2003 when I took a group swing class, got hooked
and have been dancing ever since. I take lessons at the Dance Club
with Jeff Bill and have enjoyed |
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meeting
so many wonderful people in the dance community. I love dance because
it makes me feel happy, young and alive and I could kick myself
for not having done this years ago! In my other life, I am a nurse
at University Hospital and listen to audio books in my Mini Cooper
to and from work. I love to travel, go bird watching and enjoy the
arts. My proudest accomplishments are raising two lovely daughters
and being a grandmother. |
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Vice President - Pamela
Howard - I'm sure I came into this planet dancing! I
tapped my way through scouts at age 6. My parents entered me into
jitterbug contests at age 12. I boogied around a version of American
Bandstand at an Indianapolis TV station WLWI (?) in the '60s. .
. . and then on to ballroom in my twenties. I'm sure of one more
thing, I was born to dance. It's just that marriage, family, work,
etc. etc. derailed
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the gift.
No more. After a 15-year hiatus during which I entered Architecture
studies at Univ Cincinnati DAAP, I began dancing again three years
ago and I will NOT stop again. I will dance to my grave and my family
have been given strict instructions to have a dancing wake when
I leave. Following an October, 2006 auto collision that injured
my vestibular (inner ear) balance system, my balance/dizzy physician
formally "prescribed" dancing as the "perfect" rehabilitation exercise
and said to "get out and dance 4-5 times a week." There you have
it dancers; Ballroom dance is great physical therapy! The good news
is that there is another little dancer rising through the family
ranks. . . my beautiful grandaughter, Sophia. When asked recently,
what she liked best during her school day, her reply was, "Mimi,
we danced today! and I like that the best!". Then she let me teach
her some east coast swing steps. Mary Cook at A-marika watched her
practice some rumba steps during one of my private lessons recently
and sent her home with her very own little pink tutu. So now, folks,
you know we gotta keep this USADance Cincinnati Chapter going! The
kids will need a place to dance! |
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Treasurer - Karen Schulte - Learning a box step in Waltz in
my 4th grade gym class, swing dancing with the girls in junior high
(since the boys lined the edge of the gym!), and dancing with my
father at my wedding were my only exposures to ballroom dancing
until 1997. Even with such limited opportunities, I loved to dance,
but did not know how or where. Then I saw an ad offering a few introductory
lessons at a local studio. |
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With
gentle arm-twisting, I dragged a dear friend to those lessons, and
both of us were hooked after our first lesson with Mike Brusky.
While I ski (water and snow), play volleyball, sail, travel, and
garden, my passion is dancing. Whether my partner is more experienced
than I or is a newcomer on the dance floor, it is simple joy for
me. Although I enjoy all the dances, the Latin rhythms are my preference.
The energy and playfulness of Samba make it my favorite. |
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Advertising & Promotions
- Gordon Huntress - I grew up in the New York city suburbs in
Suffern NY. College - Lehigh; Dental School - Columbia ; Prosthodontics
- Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I came to Cincinnati in
1974 to join the department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery
where I provide oral and facial prosthetic rehabilitation. I met
Linda, a speech pathologist in the same department. We married in
1978 and have two grown |
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children, Mark and Diana.
Linda and I started ballroom dancing in 2003. After a short stint
with a franchise studio we found Doreen at Step-N-Out where we take
lessons regularly. Between full time professional practice(see GordonHuntress.com),
dances, lessons and routine chores, there is only occaisional time
left over for me to commit golf. |
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Decorations - Mark Naegel - Born in Deaconess Hospital, Cincinnati,
Ohio during the long, hot summer of 1949, the year that Broderick
Crawford starred in All the King's Men, I began life in Clifton
and was brought home to Oakley where I spent the first several years
of my life. A few years latter and we were "movin' on up" to Price
Hill. Our Church frowned on "dancing," and thus began a life-long
fascination. My next real exposure (to dancing) |
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came during my teenage
years at Western Hills High School. West Highhad
dances called "canteens" in the Girl's Gym after football and basketball
games. We danced 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 social 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, which was a little more structured, I discovered that my dance moves left something to be desired. After 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, local instructors. 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 band, in which Jerry played the saxophone. After work, we hung out at Lucy in the Sky's and Tomorrow's. Once our daughter, Diane was born in 1980, our time to dance was restricted, and remained so 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 DanceCincinnati dances at St. Nicholas' Church in Finneytown. It is my pleasure now to serve on the DanceCincinnati Board with my more youthful pal, Scott Peterson, Valentine Boehm, and the lovely Marianne Beard, who recognized my artistic side and exploited my talent in table decorating. I have always valued the friendships made in the world of ballroom dance and look forward to dancing as long as I can still twitch and sway. |
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Membership - Registrar - 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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WebMaster - Scott Peterson - I started dancing in about the
4th grade at a thing called "Party Wagon" taught by the
O'Neil's in Mariemont. You know, little boys with their ties and
little girls with their white gloves. In my early twenties I started
dancing again this time taking lessons from Hagerty Dancing and
even danced on the Hagerty Dancing Formation Team. I have rediscovered
dancing and am having the time of my life. My profession is a Network
Engineer for Smilin' Bob, you know... the direct response TV marketing
company. |  |