Ballroom Essentials

Dance at Bougival	Dance to the Music	Ballroom Dancing

 

presents
Ralph E. Kenyon, Jr

Want to join the fun? No experience necessary. Learn the basics here.

Ballroom studies

• Studied with Eileen Spadaro 1994 -1999
  Cha Cha, East Coast Swing, Foxtrot, Hustle, Mambo, Quickstep, Rumba, Samba, Tango, Waltz
• Studied with Steve Dessereau 2000-2001
  Cha Cha, Foxtrot, East Coast Swing, Hustle, Samba, Tango, Waltz
• Workshops and private lessons with Remo Di Marco of Montréal, Québec
  Paso Doble, Quickstep, Samba
• Studied with Esther & Irving Mindlin
  Bolero, Quickstep, Rumba, Waltz, West Coast Swing
• Studied with David Levesque (Dancin' David)
  Hustle, Salsa, West Coast Swing
• Workshops with Bob Englert
  Cha Cha, Hustle
• Workshops with Pierrette Chartier of Montréal, Québec
  Bolero, Cha Cha, Rumba, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Samba, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Waltz
• Workshop with Hershell Allen
  Bolero
• Currently continuing to study more advanced style and technique with Dan DeBenedetto (ongoing)
  Cha Cha, East Coast Swing, Foxtrot, International Foxtrot, Paso Doble, Quickstep, Rumba, Samba, Tango, Waltz

  Practicing lessons in style at Danceland under Dan's watchful eye.

Ballroom Dance Teaching Experience

• Taught monthly group lessons for Singles connections - introductory level - over a two year period 1995-6
  Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Hustle, Merengue, Rumba, Swing, Tango, Waltz
• Team taught weekly at Bennington College with Charlene James and Danny Michael over two academic years. 1999-2002
  Mambo, Fox Trot, Hustle, Quickstep, Rumba, Swing, Tango, Waltz
• Team taught weekly with Charlene James, Ethan Plunkett, and Kerstin Jager at the 2000 Williams College Ballroom Dance Free University Winter Studies program
  Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Mambo, Rumba, and Polka
• Hosted weekly practice sessions and taught various dances and steps over a two year period 2003-5
  Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Hustle, Mambo, Quickstep, Rumba, Swing, Tango, Waltz
• Volunteer Taught group lessons for Quintessential Dance - 2006, 2007
  American Tango, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Salsa, Samba, Hustle, Rumba, Waltz
• Opened Ballroom Essentials Studio in June 2006 with an emphasis on technique and style in basic and intermediate levels.
  Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Hustle, Mambo, Merengue, Quickstep, Rumba, Samba, East Coast Swing, Rumba, American Tango, Waltz, West Coast Swing.

History

A couple of nights before the Eighth Grade Welcome Dance at Chester High in 1955, Shirley Libardi, the older sister of one of my classmates, taught me the basics of the Waltz to the Blue Danube.  After I joined the Navy I frequented the EM club dances during the fall of 1961 and in the spring of 1962.  During the following year I was occasionally able to go to the dances at the Navy YMCA in Newport when my ship was in port. In those days I did "slow dancing" and "fast dancing", but much of my slow dancing would be called "Society Tempo Foxtrot" now-a-days.  There were a few partners I remember with whom dancing was as natural as birds flying.  One was from my freshman year - Patricia Morrison - She moved away after the dance, and I never saw or hear of her again - and a couple more, whose names I never learned, were from my Navy days.  Those were the days...

A long time passed - a Navy career - moves to five different areas - two marriages - without any dancing that I can recall.

After my second marriage ended, I frequented club and singles dances from the fall of 1981 through the spring of 1984.  It was more of the same - slow dancing and fast dancing - which ceased when I began a relationship that lasted until 1992. On my own again, in 1993, I ventured out to the Singles Outreach Services singles network dance and was once again reacquainted with the pleasure of dancing.  It was fast and slow dancing again.  But there were some ballroom dancers at these dances, and they looked more and more interesting.  In 1994 I decided to try it, and I took a lesson.  I was captured by the muse, and I haven't been the same since.  Ballroom dancing became my new passion.  Two years later I had progressed rapidly, taking lessons and dancing 6-7 hours every Friday, and more on other days. I started taking more advanced lessons, and I attended all the ballroom dances I could find. It was then that I met my lovely Lena, who did not have any ballroom experience.  The next years were spent teaching Lena and taking more lessons together with her. Dancing has become her passion as well now. We continue to dance at dances and lessons from two to four times per week.