"You're never too old to take up ballroom dancing," one of our chapter's enthusiastic new members Faye Henderson told me.

Faye first heard about Ballroom Dancing when she was looking through the newspaper. She found one of our USABDA dances in the events calendar and decided she ought to try it. " I went on a whim, I did not know anyone who would be there and I was lonely," Henderson says.

Henderson arrived at one of our dances at the Willamalane Adult Activity Center towards the end of summer 2000. She came with no prior exposure or experience in Ballroom Dancing. Faye was blown away when she found out there was such a dance community in Eugene. She said, "it warmed my heart the way they welcomed me, even before I knew anything about Ballroom Dancing." Soon after her experience with us she enrolled in a course at Lane Community College.

Faye dances because ballroom dancing gives her the privilege to meet new people in a different social environment outside of work. She also feels that if it were not for the endurance, patience, and kindness of the dance instructors she might not be continuing with her dancing. The instructors encourage Faye in her dancing, telling her she can do it even though she is not twenty years old anymore.

Faye looks forward to the USABDA Ballroom Dances because it gives her the opportunity to "get gussied-up, meet new people, and talk to the people I met at the last USABDA dance."
Henderson plans to take private ballroom dancing lessons this summer, when her schedule opens up.

When asked what she would tell a non-dancer about ballroom dancing in the fewest number of words she gave me these answers: "exercise, posture, entertainment, social, non-smoking, and alcohol-free?if I can learn to do it, anybody can."