Newmarket residents Silas Tucker and Sandra Holliday-Tucker have sought ballroom dancing in the recreation program guides since their class was cancelled by COVID-19 in March 2020.
They have been married for 11 years and have been dancing together for eight years. It started as a date night activity for the pair.
"It’s a lot of fun to be dancing with your wife. You’re learning something new all the time and you see yourself progressing from when you first start with two left feet and then you actually start coming to complete rhythms in the dance itself,” Tucker said.
Through the town class they learned 10 different styles of ballroom dancing. Sandra's favourite is the waltz while Silas said he loves the quickstep.
However, the two have not been able to take to the floor in two years as the town hasn't offered ballroom dance as part of their recreation programming since the pandemic began.
They said they're very eager to get back into it.
“We’ve been looking for it every time the Newmarket manual comes out to see whether it’s included or not,” Tucker said.
Their teacher is John Yuen, who has been teaching dance through the town for more than 19 years. He said he has taught thousands of Newmarket residents over the years.
Silas and Sandra aren't the only ones who are itching to get back out there. Yuen said he has heard from a number of his students recently who are really craving partner dancing.
“They just want to dance,” he said of his students. “They want to dance with their partners one on one.”
The spring program from Newmarket included line dancing as the only social dancing option. But that doesn't satisfy ballroom students. One of them, Loretta Alexander, normally dances with her husband Gary, has been doing the line dancing classes, but said it's not the same.
“I hope the town announce classes soon,” she said. “We just want to socialize and get our physical exercise through dance.”
Although those classes are not coming for spring, Rob Wilson, town manager of culture and community events, said they are planning for a return in the fall.
"We did not have a ballroom dance instructor on staff ready to teach this spring. We are excited to resume our ballroom dancing lessons in the fall," he said.
Some students have been turning to the private studio scene to fulfill their need for dancing. While the increased cost compared to the town's dance classes doesn't appeal to everyone, nearby studios said they have seen an influx of clients coming in.
Anastasia Trutneva is an instructor at Artistica Ballroom Dance Studio in Aurora.
“People seem to want to do this a bit more. Everybody has been cooped up inside and now that they finally go out and do these things a lot of people are looking for activities to do,” she said.
She said a lot of their clients are couples, many of whom are getting ready for wedding season.
“We have a lot of wedding couples returning to us that had their weddings postponed when all of this started. They’re coming back in because everything’s getting rescheduled again,” Trutneva said.
She said there has been an influx and the business is getting busier.
“It’s nice to feel that after all the years we had,” she said.
Meanwhile, dancers awaiting municipal classes will have to wait until the fall before they can strap on their dancing shoes once more.
“The people suffering most are couples," Yuen said. "Married couples who love dancing because of the intimacy. Facing your partner, 18-inches away, seeing their face, smiling, laughing."
He said he looks forward to getting back to smiling, laughing, and dancing with his students.
