Combinations that should be avoided at all cost by people over 50.

A nose ring and bifocals.
Spiked hair and bald spots.
A pierced tongue and dentures.
Miniskirts and support hose.
Ankle bracelets and corn pads.
Speedos and cellulite.
A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar.
Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor.
Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge.
Bikinis and liver spots.
Short shorts and varicose veins.

Call it Club Swing, 4-count Swing, Merengue hustle or 4-count hustle, it's all the same swing or hustle steps done one step per beat. If you're doing it hustle-style, stay in the slot.

All of us have different motivations to go dancing. To meet old friends and make new acquaintances? To dance for the sake of dancing? To feel alive and active? Dancing satisfies many of our most basic physical and emotional needs.
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The evolution of dance

Swing anybody?

Want to know more about the Texas Whip - http://www.ssqq.com/stories/whiphist.htm

Dancing helps Parkinson's patients
Doctors can't explain it. But Parkinson's patients who dance are normal again once they are on the dance floor. Click HERE to see the video clip.

Burn those calories.
I just did a little calculation. Assume you're dancing for about 1 hour. You're dancing foxtrot the whole time. That means you are taking 4 steps to every 6 beats of music. Foxtrot is played at about 120 beats per minute, which means you're taking about 80 steps a minute. This adds up to 4,800 steps an hour.  That in my view is a very impressive workout, particularly if you consider that dances such as cha chas require 7 steps per six beats, and  triple step swings requires 8 steps for every six beats.

But dancing is not just good for the body. According to the latest research, it is equally as good for your mind.

The proof is in. Dancing is good for body and mind.
Did you know that 90 seconds of Latin competitive dancing requires the equivalent energy of running an 80 meter dash?
We all know that dancing is a good physical exercise. But unlike other activities, ballroom dancing also stimulates your brain cells. Medical studies show that ballroom dancing is far superior to many other physical activities in preventing dementia, such as alzheimer's.
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Men, listen up! Ballroom dancing can reduce the symptoms of prostatism.
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, a noted expert on male urinary problems writes this in his publication 'Nutrition and Healing':

BPH symptoms (frequency, urinary urgency, nocturia, decreased size of stream, etc.) may not be caused by an enlarged prostate at all.

Instead they may be caused by a condition known as prostatism, which is related to the muscles in the prostate and the neck of the bladder. These smooth muscle cells are under the control of the sympathetic nervous system, and they tense up and contract just like all other muscles. The feelings that occur mimic the symptoms of BPH.

The key to relieving prostatism is adopting a treatment program that includes something that will relax your muscles. I had one patient who could only empty his bladder completely after a night of ballroom dancing. The motion of the dancing and the social atmosphere relaxed him sufficiently enough to regulate bladder function.

This web site was first aired in mid-January 2003 with the goal of providing ballroom dancers with accurate and current information on ballroom dance events in Alabama, with some emphasis on events in and within driving distance of Montgomery. Since then, the website has grown in size and scope, with a dance calendar of events that includes dances in several states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Many of my dance friends tell me that they do not travel without first checking my website for places to dance at their destination. Today, the calendar of events lists more than 300 dance events every month in 7 states.

Many of  you are regularly visiting this site for an average of more than 30 visits every day, or a total of more than 77,000 visits as of October 2011. This is far more than I ever expected. My sincere thanks to all my web visitors. I hope I can keep the content interesting and relevant. My special thanks to Murray Echols of Birmingham for providing me with valuable information, much needed encouragement,  and sound advice from the very beginning.

My thanks to ballroom dancers, ballroom club organizers, ballroom dance bands and suppliers of ballroom dance products for their support and help. Without them, a non-commercial web site such as this would not be possible.

My thanks also to web masters throughout Alabama, neighboring states and from other places in the U.S.A. and abroad who have kindly provided a link to my web site for their visitors.

Special thanks to those tireless people who regularly compile newsletters containing dance information for their particular area. Without them, it would be extremely difficult for me to keep up-to-date on dance events throughout the Southeast.

And finally, thanks to all the ballroom dance enthusiasts who visit my site, send me encouraging e-mail, and talk to me at dances. I sincerely value their encouragement, ideas and suggestions.

René Zgraggen
Montgomery, AL