|
|
Peggi L.
Morrow
|
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.
|
|
|
Luis
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Robin
|
|
has been a
dance instructor at the Portsmouth Ballroom Dance Studio since
2002. 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, 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
an instructor. Robin thoroughly enjoys teaching ballroom dance and
has studied privately with national competitor Ed Simon, and Esther
Don, a well known competition organizer.
|
|
|
Amy
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Joanne
|
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!
|
|
|
Jocelyn
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Tom
|
|
is a resident
of North Hampton and active with community arts, dance and choral
groups. He has been teaching dance since 2001. 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."
|
|
| 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. |
| | John | has
been dancing for thirteen years. He and his wife are (still) students
of Peggi, and take classes with a group that has been together for
those years. John has been a Teachers Assistant for Luis, Tom,
and Joanne, and has been taking on classes of his own for the last
year. He enjoys sharing his knowledge, and helping others realize that
yes, they can dance. John blames his dance addiction on his wife,
who made him come to their first class. Once he realized how much
he enjoyed the mental and physical challenge, there was no
going back.
|
Kate (more to come on our new Instructor, we will update as soon as we can)
|
|
|