Articles & Interviews
American Dancer: “Showcasing Female Power in Ballroom Dancing”
Sarah Merz was enjoying her new ballroom dance journey. She was taking lessons with several male instructors at a studio in central Wisconsin, near Wausau. Her twelve-year-old son Luke was also taking lessons at the studio with instructor Heather Wudstrack.
Then the pandemic came. The ballroom studio permanently closed. The male instructors chose to retire. Sarah’s lessons ended.
Heather, a twelve-year veteran teacher, asked her students if they would continue to dance if she started a studio of her own. Many said yes. So, she moved down the street and opened her own Legato Ballroom Studio in July 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
Vitality Digest Magazine
When I walked into a dance studio at the age of 35, I had one purpose—to find a husband. I found one, but he doesn’t dance a step. Instead, dance changed me.
American Dancer: A Powerful Prescription for Health—and Resilience
There’s Jim Carter of Duluth, Minnesota, who was gored in the thigh by a buffalo, exploding his femoral artery. His doctors told him he would never walk again; he would have none of it. Never a dancer, his physical therapist sent him to the local dance studio, where he practiced Waltz boxes for hours a day in front of a mirror to reconnect his brain to his leg. A few years later? He entered a ballroom dance competition with his instructor Andrea Kuzel – and won Top Newcomer Male.
Minnesota Women’s Press: Reinvention at Any Age
I walked into a dance studio at the age of 35 for one reason — to find a husband. I found one, but he doesn’t dance a step. Instead, dance changed me.
Minnesota Dancer: Ember’s Dance Story, Part I
Ember's mother, an Arthur Murray dance instructor, was known as the “Queen.” Ember didn't dance, because she felt she could never meet her mother's expectations. As an adult, Ember had an intense dual career as a young state senator and attorney, and she didn't have time for relationships. She forgot how to have fun or relax. Finally, at age 35, she walked into an Arthur Murray dance studio for one reason - to find a husband.
Minnesota Dancer: Ember’s Dance Story, Part II
During the pandemic, Ember realized how much dance—and the dance community—were essential to her well-being. She missed both. She turned to her second love—writing, to capture the impact partner dance made on her life and the lives of others.
Washington Post: These Creative Activities May Help Slow Down Brain Aging
A new article from the Washington Post discusses how “a tango might be more than a ballroom dance when it comes to the aging brain.”
Washington Post: Walking Delays Alzheimer’s
An article from the Washington Post highlights a new study, which suggests that “people at heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease may be able to slow their cognitive decline by taking more daily steps.”