Move, Bond and Thrive

Kaye and Rick Baumgartner’s love of dance was inspired by her parents who took them to dance clubs in Denver, Colorado. When they moved here in 2006, Kaye saw an ad for the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club and thought it would be a good activity they could do together. The club was much smaller than it is today, and their first teacher was the piano tuner for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra who was a good dancer, but a strict disciplinarian. “He had us line up against the wall and would call out the steps,” Rick recalls.

Rick and Kaye have enjoyed taking various classes, but their favorite dances are the Hustle and the West Coast Swing. Rick got involved as a substitute DJ, filling in for a regular who got sick. Back then they had two speakers, a CD player and a bag of CDs. It wasn’t the sophisticated system we have now with playlists on cellphones. “Sometimes the Club brought in professional DJs who claimed to know what ballroom music was, but often times they played anything but ballroom,” Rick laughs.

After all these years, Kaye and Rick continue to enjoy the friendships they’ve made and sharpening their dance skills as they keep their minds and bodies in shape. Kaye is quick to point out, “We think what Dale and Ann Pizzitola have done in forming the Novice classes has added greatly to the Club’s stature. Novice partners graduate from these classes with knowledge of several dances and afterwards feel comfortable attending our dance events.”

Off the dance floor, Rick is an avid tennis player, and Kaye gets added exercise walking their two small rescue dogs.

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Dottie and Harry Adams began dancing when they were invited to a Unit Christmas party at the MountainView Ballroom in 2008. Soon, the dance bug bit both, as Dottie joined line dancing classes and Harry didn’t want to be left behind, so, he joined too. Then, they discovered the SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Club. At that time, Harry remembers, “It was strictly [only a] ballroom! There were no Latin dances, no line dances, no evening classes, no Country Western dances and no Chuka Chuka, all of which we fortunately have today.” The Chuka Chuka, a cultural dance started in Africa, is Harry’s favorite because it gets people up out of their chairs, onto the dance floor and having fun.

Throughout their membership, Harry and Dottie have taught classes to other members. They recently taught beginning and intermediate classes in the Bachata. Dottie has also taught classes in Cha Cha, Fox Trot, Salsa and the West Coast Swing. For four years, Dottie served as club treasurer, and she comments, “It was very rewarding, and I got to know all the new members right away as I was the one who processed their membership forms.” After all these years, Harry and Dottie continue to enjoy dancing in our club because it keeps their minds and bodies working together, and they maintain several strong friendships they’ve made over the years.

When they’re not dancing, Harry volunteers each month for the Tri-Community Food Bank, providing food to approximately 450 less fortunate families, while Dottie still enjoys line dancing and playing Mah Jongg.