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COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018 81Community is TrustCommunity is LocalCommunity is CoastalMain Office2302 Church Street, Galveston, TX 77550409-765-6067 • 800-256-0831Fax 409-765-9853La Marque Branch6708 Gulf FreewayLa Marque, TX 77568Galveston Branch6811 Stewart RoadGalveston, TX 77551Caring for this Community since 195782 COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018Caron Muntzel(409) 939-7063Nina Sinibaldi(409) 539-0001Terri McCrory(281) 382-5996Jennifer Torres(713) 775-5191Deb JamailBroker/Owner832-671-0998Looking For Your Special SpotWe Can Help YOU Find IT ! 409-935-9156www.neptunetx.com COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018 83Going Coastal2018Coastal FloorsVisit us on FacebookCustom BathsCustom KitchensBaths • Showers • DoorsCountertops • IslandsWATERPROOF CABINETSSEVERAL STYLES, MANY COLORSKITCHEN • ISLANDS • VANITIESSUMMERFASHIONHost your next social event at Aqua located inside The San Luis Resort. Speak to one of our fashion consultants today.HYDRaFACIALPAMPER YOURSELF WITH OUR NEWRemove dead skin cells and extract impurities while simultaneously restoring skin hydration with cleansing and moisturizing serums. The exfoliation will enhance the overall health of your skin leaving it more supple and vibrant. Call 409.740.8603 and book your reservation.5222 Seawall Boulevard | Galveston Island, Texas 77551 409.744.1500 | sanluisresort.com84 COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018Texas two-steppingIsland dance class keeps everyone on their toesStory by Shannon Caldwell Photos by Jennifer ReynoldsIn a nondescript exercise room in Galveston, something beautiful is happening. Twenty people of differ-ent ages, ethnicities and abilities have come together to dance.In graceful pairs they glide around the room, keeping time with a gentle beat. Some stumble and stop while others flow by in per-fectly balanced momentum. There are words of encouragement, stolen glances, shared looks of love and plenty of laughter. The Gal-veston Dance Club is holding one of its twice weekly meetings and all are welcome.The group meets each Tuesday and Thurs-day at Moody Methodist Church in Galves-ton. The first two lessons are free and then it’s $30 per quarter or $100 for the full year. Each quarter, the instructors teach a different dance. East Coast swing, waltz, rumba, salsa, cha-cha, Texas two-step and slow dance all are on offer.The club has three instructors who exude health and happiness, making them the best possible advertisements for ballroom dancing. Jim Gilliam has been a dancer for 30 years and began teaching in the early ‘90s, includ-ing a decade-long stint at Galveston College.(Above) Jerry Gray and Tamaki Kubota practice the foxtrot during a meeting of the Galveston Dance Club at Moody Methodist Church in Galveston. (Opposite page) Bill and Judy Biggs, who teach ballroom dancing on Thursdays, demonstrate dance steps. The club has three instructors who teach a different dance each quarter. COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018 8586 COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018Feature“I joke that Bill and I only started teaching so we would have people to dance with. I say, why sit at home feeling all your aches and pains? Come dance with us and feel good.”People who track such things estimate that 30 minutes of ballroom dancing burns from 200 to 400 calories, and research published in medical publications, including Frontiers in Aging and The New England Journal of Med-icine, found dancing helped reduce dementia and loneliness in older people while increas-ing socialization, mental and physical fitness.This rings true for Bill Biggs, who remem-bers a medical dance doctor “prescribing” lessons to a 92-year-old Galveston woman.“He said it would help her stay in shape and stay sharp,” he said. “She came to us and she just loved it.”Ballroom dancing has universal appeal, he said.“I’ve taught high school kids who learned the steps so fast, it was just amazing,” he said. “I once had two kids too shy to date get to know each other through ballroom. They ended up dating, got married, had a kid and they are still dancing.”Gilliam’s dancing start was very inauspi-cious.“I learned how to Texas two-step from a girlfriend,” Gilliam said. “She taught me all the lady’s footwork, so when we went out to dance in public, it was an absolute disaster.”The Texas two-step remains a favorite to teach because knowledge of the two-step leads to competency in other styles, Gilliam said. He is loath to pick a favorite dance, but when pushed selects the cha-cha.“I don’t know how the Cubans came up with the patterns, but when you dance the cha-cha, it is just the best feeling.”Allison and Nathan Jones joined the club al-most two years ago as a New Year’s resolution.“It’s a great way to unwind after work and you get to meet a nice segment of the island,” Nathan Jones said. “It has been fun getting to know everyone.”It’s been said that ballroom dancing is romantic. Allison and Nathan Jones agree dancing together is beneficial. As a modern couple, they found the traditional gender roles with the man leading a little “funny” at first, but ultimately they learned it’s all about connection and communication.Learning to follow is an act of faith in your partner, Allison Jones said.Bill and Judy Biggs have taught ballroom dance for more than 10 years for Osher Life-long Learning Institute, a program offered by the University of Texas Medical Branch, and for different amounts of time at other venues, including Galveston College.Judy Biggs’ favorite dance is the cha-cha be-cause it’s peppy and fun, she said. She wishes more people would try ballroom dancing.“It is really good exercise and it is a skill for life,” she said. “You can’t roller skate or play tennis forever, but you can keep danc-ing all your life. You can keep dancing until your legs give out. COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018 87“There is so much trust involved in learn-ing to follow,” she said. “You really have to trust him …” “not to bang you into a wall,” interjected Nathan, and they both laugh.The Galveston Dance Club has members from Japan, Argentina, Ukraine, Thailand and China. The club is open to anyone who is interested in learning to dance, welcoming couples and singles.Each member has a personal story about what dancing and the club means to them. For one man, it’s helping his recovery from a stroke. A widower said the club was a social lifeline. One woman wanted to sharpen her knowledge of ballroom steps, while others were there just to have fun. (Clockwise from opposite page) Tasnee Chonmaitree and S.L. Pong; Nadiya Druzhyna and Johnny Lid-stone; David Barnes and Nadiya Druzhyna, left, and Adriana Perez and Jerry Gray practice different fox-trot steps during a meeting of the Galveston Dance Club at Moody Methodist Church on the island.88 COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018Find your favorite journalists and must-read news, all in the eNewspaperThe Galveston County Daily News eNewspaper is a digital edition of the paper, emailed daily. It reads just like the newspaper with the same layout and easy-to-find sections. It’s perfect for: • Laptops, tablets and smartphones • Quickly navigating to our favorite sections • Downloading to read offline when you’re on the goTry 3 Months For Just $2000It’s the smart way to stay in the know. COASTMONTHLY.COM / August 2018 894002 Broadway • Galveston, Tx • 409-621-9540 • Open 7 Days a WeekUp to 60 months. 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