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Peggi L. Morrow
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is the manager and owner of the Portsmouth Ballroom Dance Studio. She
started
her ballroom training with a Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Columbia, SC, in
1981. Certified in their Bronze Syllabus, she taught several years there
attending & competing with her students at regional and national
competitions. Her jazz training has added to her understanding of
movement, especially in the Latin dances. After several years with the
Astaire system, Peggi taught social classes at the University of S.C. for
their evening program and the Physical Education Dept. Upon moving to
NH, Peggi taught Latin classes with the Continuing Education Dept. of UNH.
She joined the Portsmouth Ballroom staff in 1995, and has been teaching
social dance there ever since.
In 1996, she started a dance camp -
Ballroom Vermont
- for dance enthusiasts, which continues to grow each year.
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Luis Nagle
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started dancing at an early age, taught by his parents who were both avid
social and amateur competitors. Although he started with ballroom, his
formal training is Philippine cultural dances, a dance genre with very
strong Spanish influence, the result of the Philippines more than 300 years
of close historical connection with Spain. A member of the Philippines Folk
Dance Society, he toured with a dance company and performed in Spain,
Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore. In 1992 he joined
the Filipino American Friendship Society of New Hampshire as its cultural
director. During his term, he trained a core group of instructors and
formed a dance troupe and performed in the Bayside Expo Center and the
Shell in Boston during Massachusetts cultural week in 1993. He came full
circle in his career when in 1995 he came back to his ballroom roots and
joined the team at the Portsmouth Ballroom.
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Robin Shaw
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is a dance
instructor from York, ME. She has been dancing for many years and was a
dance major at the Boston Conservatory of Music, which included ballet,
modern, & jazz. After receiving a music degree from the University
of New Hampshire in 1975, she taught music in the public school system
and has sung with several seacoast choral groups for the past two
decades. Through the years she has enjoyed ballroom dancing, and when
she took it up as a course of study, she made a goal to become a
ballroom dance instructor. Robin has studied privately with national
competitor Ed Simon, and Esther Don who authored the U.S.I.S.T.D.
American Style Bronze Manual and is a well known competition organizer.
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Amy Pruszenski
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Amy has been an instructor of beginner level ballroom dance at the
Portsmouth Ballroom for three years.
She particularly enjoys working with wedding couples on their first dance!
Amy began taking ballroom dance lessons over seven years ago instead of joining
a gym. "I figured dancing would be more fun than walking a treadmill - and it is!
It is also fun to show off when out at clubs or at weddings,"
Amy says. Amy hopes to see you in one of her Monday night classes
or at the Friday night dance socials.
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Joanne Voltaire
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Joanne has been teaching beginner level dancing at the Portsmouth Ballroom
for three years. She started dancing about ten years ago at the
PBR but
since then has taken a variety of smooth, swing, and latin classes in Maine
and Massachusetts. If only her shoes could talk! Her
personal favorites
are waltz and west coast swing. "Dancing is one the the best things that
ever happened in my life. I love the music, the
energy, and the friendships
that come with dance. The frosting on the cake is sharing my passion for
dance through teaching."
Carpe Saltatio!
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Jocelyn King
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Jocelyn has been involved in ballroom dance and
teaching for more than 15 years, albeit intermittently. Her training background
began in the southwest and included Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire
studios. Teaching competetive and social dancing, Jocelyn
chose to pursue the social ballroom track. She has studied with such luminaries as Joe
Bennetti , Eddie Simon and currently, with Ron Gursky. She especially enjoys building a firm foundation
for both new and experienced dancers, sharing her passion for the beauty of
two people moving together harmoniously.
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Tom Mitchell
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is a resident of North Hampton and active with community arts,
dance and choral groups. He has been teaching dance for three years.
As an avid social dancer, he has hosted many MASSABA dances as well as
our Portsmouth "Senior Friends" organization dances.
Tom says "Becoming a dancer opens the door to so many dance venues,
such as elegant and romantic ballrooms,
sizzling salsa night clubs or swinging in bluesy pubs.
Dancing is one of my passions because it is the synthesis of human
expression; worldwide, past & present, expressed in movement & music."
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| Ron Gursky (Guest Artist) |
| has taught dance in the Boston area for more than 25 years and
has trained many of the area's fine amateurs and professionals. He is on the
faculty of many professional training conventions locally and nationally. In
addition to the current fashions in partner dance, Ron also has an extensive
background in Historical and National dance. |
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