Slow Dancing--Not Just for Retirees

Did you bomb out on Valentine’s Day? There is a way to recover, especially if the problem was two left feet.

That’s right, learn how to romance that special someone with a slow dance in the dark.

Waltz. Fox-trot. Cha-cha. Or something a little hotter. Mambo. Samba. Salsa. Merengue. The Long Beach Ballroom Dance Assn. is willing to show dancers how to shift their feet competently, from rank novices to Fred Astaire wanna-bes.

Every Friday this group holds a dance lesson and party at the Long Beach Dance Center. And if you thought ballroom dancing was a pastime strictly for retirees, think again, Loren Kalin said.

On a recent Friday, the group of about 25 people who showed up to learn to polka--that’s right, polka--were closer to age 25 than 65, said Kalin, 38, owner of the Dance Center.

“I think young people are tired of discos and bar scenes with all that smoking and alcohol--not that I have anything against smoking and alcohol,” Kalin said. “Everybody says the younger generation is going to hell, but I believe they want to go back to a cleaner time--to the simplicity of a man holding a woman in his arms and a woman holding a man.”

Fridays begin with a lesson at 8 p.m., taught by instructors from Kalin’s studio. Some weeks it’s a waltz, other weeks it’s swing or tango or mambo.

After the one-hour lesson, instructors help out the confused during the 9 to 11 p.m. dance. Some people show up late, just for the two-hour dance--especially if the dance du jour is swing, Kalin said.

“The key to success is not the group lesson, but what happens afterward, actually dancing,” Kalin said.

The Long Beach Ballroom Dance Assn., which was formed by Dance Center students about five months ago, began with monthly dances, escalated to every other week and now offers the lessons and dance every Friday. The crowd averages about 25 people, from 19 to 55 years old, but the center could hold about 60, Kalin said.

This Friday, the association will have three or four teachers on hand to teach the waltz. Students will dance to “Tenderly,” made famous by Nat King Cole, and Anne Murray’s “Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life?” among other romantic tunes.

Admission is $5 and refreshments are served, which keeps the event “absolutely nonprofit,” Kalin said.

The Long Beach Dance Center is located at 690 W. Willow St. For information: (310) 595-6776.