Rhapsody Ballroom Helps Beginning Dancers

Holly Jackson, 16, concentrated as she and dance instructor Hector Quiles glided across the dance floor one recent Tuesday evening.

“Triple step. Triple step,” Hector repeated, enunciating each syllable for the three steps in the swing dance they were practicing.

When it was time for Holly to take a break, she didn’t want to leave the dance floor.

“I like to dance,” she said.

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Holly, of Temple Terrace, spends every Tuesday evening with Hector, a professional dance instructor who co-owns Tampa DanceSport with his partner, Lyudmila Orlova. He’s one of nine independent instructors who rent space at Rhapsody Ballroom, which is owned by ballroom dance champions and performers Richard and Laurie Collett.

The Collett’s bought the facility in October 1992 and transformed it from a gym to a ballroom.

“Laurie and I have been ballroom dancing for 24 years,” Richard said, “and we just wanted to share it with other people.”

In addition to private instruction, the facility has group classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, as well as on Saturdays. There are also public dances Wednesday and Friday evenings, as well as the first, second and third Saturdays of the month. For a complete schedule and list of the styles of dance offered, visit the Rhapsody Ballroom website.

“We’ve found that (dancing) is not only a great way to socialize, its also great exercise,” Richard said. “The best part is you don’t even realized you’re getting exercise because you’re having fun doing it. Plus, the fact that husbands and wives can do it together.

“We want everyone to have fun.”

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And having fun is one of the reasons that Holly enjoys her weekly trips to Rhapsody.

“She wakes up on Tuesday mornings looking forward to ballroom lessons,” said her mother, Kelly Jackson.

Holly is a special needs child, but her condition is difficult to define, and Kelly said she doesn’t talk about it often. However, she did share that she adopted Holly from China, where Holly was forced to live in conditions unsuitable for typical early childhood development. Her maturity level is behind that of an average 16-year-old.

But you’d never know it by watching her on the dance floor. She floats gracefully with Hector, twirling past the ballroom’s mirrored walls and city skyline backdrop.

“The waltz is my favorite,” she said.

Holly began taking ballroom dancing lessons about four months ago. She plays and asked her mother if she could add dancing to her extracurricular activities.

“It’s never anything I ever considered before, but once we started coming here, the pieces started falling together,” Kelly said. “She’s a smart girl, but very quickly, her math has bumped up two levels. Everything she’s doing (on the dance floor) is feeding her brain.”

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Kelly said ballroom dancing is helping Holly academically, physically and socially. She’s getting the stimulation of sound and movement, and using lots of concentration. Her brain also has to transition from one dance to another, which sharpens her mind.

“When you do something that involves physical, as well as mental, you have to think while you’re moving,” Hector explained.

Richard said he’s seen Holly on the dance floor.

“She just loves being out there,” he said. “She doesn’t miss a beat.”

There’s also a boy with Tourette syndrome who is learning to dance at Rhapsody and loves being there, he said.

“But not only is it a great therapy for kids, it’s great for adults, too,” Kelly added. “I’ve never ever danced before until Holly started coming here, and now I do, too. It is working wonders on lowering my stress level and helping me feel great about myself.”

Kelly began taking lessons from Hector soon after Holly started.

“Our world has just blossomed,” she said. “If it’s this good for us, it’s this good for a lot of people.”

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Hector, of Temple Terrace, teaches all types of partner dances to kids and adults.

“We like to do the one-on-one because we think that’s the best way for people to learn,” he explained.

Hector began dancing 10 years ago while he was in college. He said he’s seen increased interest in ballroom dancing due to TV shows like ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

“It’s ‘cool’ to do ballroom again,” he said. “Anybody can do it. It’s never too late to start.”

And Holly said she’s glad she started taking lessons.

“Mr. Hector’s my best teacher ever,” she said.

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What if you’d like to dance but have two left feet?

“We put you with someone that has two right feet,” Richard said.

Joking aside, Richard said Rhapsody Ballroom is a friendly, wholesome atmosphere that encourages beginners. There have been people who don’t want to get on the dance floor when they start, but by the time they take a few lessons, they want everyone else to get off the dance floor so they have more space.

“We’d love to have everybody take part,” he said.

For Holly, participating in ballroom dancing has become a special treat.

“It’s a really beautiful hobby,” Kelly said. “This is the thing she loves the most.”

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Holly and Hector went back to the dance floor and performed the cha-cha as if they were the only two people in the whole facility.

“Great job!” Hector said when the dance was over.

Holly gave him a high-five, laughed and eagerly waited for the music to start so she could dance again.