Saturday, December 02, 2023

Ballroom Dance Reminiscence

Through some oversight, I had never watched Baz Luhrmann's "Strictly Ballroom," (1992) so I fixed that tonight. No one loves Dancesport like the Aussies! 

It reminded me of my days in ballroom dance. In 1982, I was a poor graduate student, but through the generosity of my instructor, Margaret O'Hanlon, I was able to hover at the edge of Tucson's Desert Terrace Dance Studio, and enjoy the brilliant, upcoming dance talent. 

 One instructor in particular stood out - Rick Valenzuela. He was chosen to play the role of Vanessa William's tyrannical dance partner in the 1998 film, "Dance With Me." That film was a dance monument, and featured a number of the top dancers at the time, including Liz Curtis and Natalie Mavor. 

Here, Rick and Vanessa dance:

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