It’s never too late to dance!

Written by Frank Li

Early in 2015, I, at age 55, started taking dance lessons. It has turned out to be the best thing happened to me over the past decade! I enjoy dancing thoroughly, from lessons to competitions. Most importantly, dancing has restored youth in me, by 10 years at least!

1. Introduction

It all started around Christmas of 2014. As our elder son was to get married on May 23, 2015, my wife and I decided to take some dance lessons for the wedding. Soon it became apparent that dancing is something we both enjoy. So we put a lot of effort into it. As a result, not only did we dance remarkably well at the wedding, we continued to dance afterwards …

2. Getting in shape

I am competitive. It soon became obvious that in order to dance reasonably well, I must lose weight, fast. So I starved myself for three long months, shedding some 30 porky pounds as a result! Furthermore, with sustained effort, I am now down to my college weight, as evidenced by the two photos below.

3. Results and progression

I am result-oriented, demanding an “easy but fancy” routine from my instructor for every dance (e.g. Waltz and Rumba) and timing it to a major milestone.

Now, let me highlight my progression in four major milestones.

3.1 Studio showcase (May 30, 2015)

3.2 Studio showcase (August 22, 2015)

The rumba video is temporarily unavailable.

3.3 Harvest Moon Ballroom Dancesport Championship (October 9-10, 2015)

This was my first competition. I danced 30 times and finished either first (11 times) or second (19 times). For the full result, visit: chicagoharvestmoon.com. Below are some highlights.

Day 1 (Rhythm – Rumba and Cha Cha)

Day 2 (Smooth – Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot)

3.4 Studio showcase (December 12, 2015)

Now, how much work was there in my Paso Doble? Three private lessons a week (50 minutes per lesson) for seven weeks! Additionally, self-practice for about 40 hours!

4. My instructor and dance studio

In case you are wondering about my beautiful dance partner, her name is Lauren Byrnes. She is my instructor, a good teacher and a great dancer (and a former U.S. national champion)!

I dance at DeSarge Danceworld, which offers the best value in Chicagoland!

5. Closing

Dancing is expensive, requiring both time and money. But it’s a good investment for folks like us – With the children out, it’s time to invest in ourselves, finally and again!

Dancing is my new passion – I will dance well into retirement …