(lilting music)
 - Who knows Wisconsin
 has Latin dance?
 What?
 (rhythmic Latin music)
- Dancing for me is many things.
 It is a form of meditation,
 it's like moving meditation.
 And, there's so
 many benefits to it
 that I've gotten from dance.
 There's a physical aspect,
 there's a mental,
 spiritual, emotional,
 I feel like dance
 for me stimulates me
 on every one of those levels.
 - The first class I
 took ever in dance,
 my mom enrolled
 me in a tap class
 when I was in grade school.
 And, it was a surprise
 for Christmas,
 so I show up to tap class,
 and before you know it,
 outside of class I was finding
 any big piece of
 plywood that I could,
 laying it down in my parents'
 basement, and just tapping.
 - Well, I've always
 just liked dancing
 in my living room at home,
 going to the club
 with my friends,
 and I came to the Delaware
 House a couple years ago
 for physical therapy
 after my knee surgery.
So I worked with Kathy
and I would come in here
 hobbling on crutches and see
 them dancing in the ballroom
 and I said, when I'm
 better, I'm gonna do that.
- First of all, I think
movement in itself,
 it achieves something
 faster than words
 and it shows things
 faster than word too.
 I have a degree in
 analysis of movement
 and movement is evidence of
 who you are, or what you lack,
and your inhibitions
too, or your self-trust.
 And I think dancing
 it's a great tool,
 movement it's a great tool
 for self-confidence
 and expression too.
 - I was in high
 school at the time
and I hear a drum, and
I was like, oh my gosh.
I got out of the class and I
didn't even ask for permission,
 I just wanted to hear this
 drum because I was like,
that sounds exactly like
what we play in Panama.
 So then I got out and
 I peaked my head up
 and I was like, whoa,
that really does sound like
exactly what we play in Panama.
And he's like, "Really?
"Do you dance?"
I'm like, yeah I dance!
 And he's like, "Can
 you do something?"
 And I danced and
 he was just like,
 "Wow, I have seen many
 dancers in my life,
 "but I have never
 seen somebody like you
 "at your age dance the
 way you are dancing."
 (Latin dance music)
- I am a dancer.
 I own the building
 that I work in,
 which actually is
 a wellness center,
 and ballroom dance
 studios, salsa studio,
 and my physical
 therapy practice.
 So, for me, I've been dancing
 at a pretty high level amateur
 for the last 18 years.
 I've taken second
 in the US in both
the American Rhythm and
American Smooth styles.
- Funny.
I started when I was about five.
 My mom and dad loved to dance,
 so back then the dance you
 learned was polka and waltz.
 And, my mom would mark
 numbers on the floor
with feet and show us the dance.
And then my dad would come home
and we'd stand on my dad's feet
and he would give us
the rhythm of the music.
 And then they would
 take us out dancing
to weddings or whatever.
 And it was just kind of funny
because we would be at a wedding
 and my mother would go
 up to my Uncle Rudy,
 "Lynda would like to dance."
 So I'm like,
 and Uncle Rudy had to dance
 with this five-year-old.
 It was just so funny,
 but I loved it.
 So, polka and waltz
 was how I started.
(rhythmic music)
- The three dances that
I started out learning
 was salsa, tango, and bachata.
And each one of those dances has
 a unique feeling
 that I attach to it.
 For instance, salsa, it's
 so fun and it's so free.
 There's lots of turns,
and I just feel so happy
when I dance salsa.
 With bachata, there's
 more of a sensual feeling.
 It's little intimate,
 I really connect to the music.
 I love the connection
 between the partners
 when I dance bachata.
 With tango, that's kind
 of a special dance for me.
 It requires a connection
 and it's a little intimate.
It's fun, it's playful,
and when you find
 that connection
 on the dance floor
 when you tango,
 you get this high.
And once you get that
high, you just chase it.
 And, you can have one
 high for the night
 and you are good for
 the rest of the night.
 It's a lot of fun.
- And then in June of this year,
 I got diagnosed with
 follicular lymphoma,
 which is a blood cancer, it's
 a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
 And so I started
 chemotherapy, did all that,
 and then after a
 few months I said,
 you know what?
I'm gonna dance.
Because why not?
 And, to be honest, it's been
 great for a lot of reasons.
 It keeps my mind off
 stuff, believe it or not.
 So, ballroom dancing
 is a lot different
 than just dancing at the club.
 It's very technical.
 So, I thought I had rhythm.
 I do not.
121
00:06:10,970 --> 00:06:10,904
(laughs)
It's just a whole new language,
 it's a whole new experience,
 it's very technical.
 So, spending that
 hour just focusing on
 how I want to move my foot
 or move my body has
 been great therapeutic
 and kind of taken my mind
 off things a little bit.
 And also, I guess
 for me personally,
when I'm moving, I feel better.
 - One day when I was waiting
 in line at the post office
 with my mom, 'cause now I'm in
 elementary school, remember.
 So, we're just waiting in line
 and suddenly I
 start doing my tap.
 My tap movements with my feet
 and nobody around me knows
 that I'm tap dancing,
 but I'm just listening
to the noises around me
and just tapping my feet
 to, call it, the rhythm of
 the world and I'm dancing.
 So, today, my business
 is Dance Space, LLC
 because in whatever
 space you are,
 wherever you are in life, I
 say free your soul and dance.
 Everything is a dance floor.
- Social dancing, it's a
great area to socialize
and to get to know other people
 and I have to say, to get to
 know very interesting people.
 I live in Montreal, Canada,
 I live in Washington D.C.
 and through dance actually,
 and socializing through dance,
 I met really very
 exciting people
 because they're also
 looking for the same things.
 To express, to hear music,
 of the love of their music,
 and the desire to socialize.
 And I think we live in a time,
 especially here in the states
that there's very little
contact physically
 with people unless
 you live in New York
 in a crowded subway or
 something like that.
 (romantic down-tempo music)
 (clapping)
- Can you come do a show
with us at Summerfest?
I was like, whoa, like
yeah I'm gonna do a show
with you at Summerfest.
 So, I got on the stage and I
 danced for like two minutes
and then I got off, and
then he paid me 20 bucks
 for dancing that.
 And I was like, you mean
 you can get paid 20 bucks
for dancing two minutes?
 I'm like, I wanna do that.
 And I'm having the
 best time of my life?
Like, I'm gonna do that.
 - There are so many positive
 benefits to dancing.
When I first started, I thought
for me dance was impossible
because I'm not the
most coordinated person.
 I'm a little clumsy.
 I learn very differently,
 so it takes me a while
 to pick up on technique
 and steps and even count.
But, if I look back from
 where I was two and
 a half years ago
 and where I am now,
 dance is possible.
 And it's like a therapy too,
 and it's almost healing.
 And what I've noticed
 is a lot of people
 that get into dance, they get
 into it for several reasons.
Some get into it because they're
going through life events,
 they're transitioning
 and they're maybe
 going through a
 divorce, a break-up.
 It's a great community too,
 what I've found is the dance
 community is very welcoming
 and it's such a
 uplifting environment,
 so I've connected with
 a lot of new people
 and it's just been a
 positive experience.
I think that once you
move you move your body
and your emotion, if you're
like feeling down or depressed,
 it's a great way to kind of
 just pick yourself back up.
(upbeat rhythmic music)
 - After dancing for 25 years,
I've decided that I want to
get even deeper into the music,
 which is now why I DJ.
 Every space you are,
however you are feeling in life,
 wherever you are in life,
 I believe you can free
 your soul and dance.
And, you move through the music.
 The music should
 invite you to move.
(upbeat rhythmic music)
 - And I think that people
 that are looking
 for dance in a way,
I think they're looking
for that contact.
 I think somehow they're
 missing their interaction
 and probably that's
 why it's so appealing.
 I think that's
 why probably tango
 was so appealing
 to so many people.
 - Panama, dance is what we do.
 Everyday.
 So, it's part of our culture,
 so people not necessarily
 pay for it, right?
 So, in here, I thought there
 was a necessity for that.
 And, one, I can get
 compensated for it,
 two, people need what we do.
 Dance is like food.
 You eat your dance,
 you hear music.
 That's what you do.
And people grow up doing
that all their lives.
 But here, it's like, you
 barely know your neighbors,
 and dance is not necessarily
 part of the culture.
 (rhythmic drum music)
- Because music is an expression
of our innermost feelings.
 If we're having a great day,
if we're having a stressful day,
 we're gonna bring that
 to the dance floor.
 And I want to help
 people free themselves
 from those stresses.
 And music can do that for us
 when done in the right way.
 - But, in tango too,
 there is an area
that I don't see in
other partnering dances
 that there is a stretching
 of the time too.
 So the men can stretch
 the speed of movement
 and slow down and
 give the woman a time
 in which she can
 add to the dialogue,
 and she's not actually
 being led, but she's also
 expressing herself.
 - Yeah.
 Dancing, like I said, movement
 makes you feel better.
 Dancing to me feels like
 a little mini celebration
 that you get to have
 and with other people,
 it's even better because
 you're all in the same party.
So, I think for me it's natural
in the Wisconsin winters
 to get pretty down,
 I think it's normal.
 And then, once you get moving,
you see everyone smiling
and a better mood.
I know that after every session,
 or every social
 event, I feel better.
(contemporary pop music)
 - Wisconsin has Latin dance?
 What?
 Most people are like, what
 are you doing in Wisconsin?
Like, we need to dance.
It's especially cold here, like
these people need to dance.
 Dance is especially
 good for short people.
(laughs)
 Yeah!
 You can travel to
 the floor faster.
You can fall and recover
quickly, and you can be lifted.
 It's the one sport
 that we belong.
(laughs)
 (rhythmic drum music)
 - Earlier this year,
 I was on an airplane,
 and I enjoy teaching,
but I wanted to get even
closer to the music.
So, out of the middle of
nowhere a voice told me,
 "Be a DJ.
 "Get even closer."
 And so then I started
 thinking about it
 and I've played
 instruments my whole life.
Piano, trombone, violin, cello,
and I needed to just
get more into the music.
And so that little voice in
your head, if you listen to it,
 it's telling you where
 you should be in life.
 It's like, living out
 your personal legend,
 if I can say that.
 And you know when
 your path is right.
 The universe is gonna
 align to bring those things
 into play for you when
 you're on your right path.
 - Since I started dancing,
 I feel lot more energetic,
 I'm a lot more happier, and
 it's improved my mood greatly.
 So it helps balance my mood,
 it's a great social outlet.
I mean, I've met
a lot of friends
 and connected with
 a lot of new people.
I've also, like with music too,
it's just like, you hear music,
you just wanna get up and dance.
 And you're just happy.
 And, I don't know,
 it's a feeling
 that you get addicted
 to too, it's a high.
 And there's so many
 things to get addicted to,
 but I mean, why not
 get addicted to dance
 when it's so positive?
 (Latin dance music)
- I like how you can
see when a dancer here,
 you see like, they have rhythm
 and they just have that
 presence too a little bit.
 And I thought as I get older,
 I want to have good posture,
 I want to be more well
 rounded as a person,
 and so I think
 dance is another way
 for me to kind of get
 in touch with my body
 and make sure that I'm
 working all of the areas.
 So if you just do the same
 thing over and over again,
 you're gonna get
 weaknesses in other areas,
 so I thought, this is another
 way to expand my movement.
 - I injured my knee
 about three years ago.
I fractured my kneecap.
 I fell, it's just a fall.
 I fell, I was in
 a cast for a month
 and I was so worried
because dancing is so
much a part of my life.
 And I thought, oh am I
 going to be able to dance
 when I get this cast off?
 And I could and it was
(sighs)
it made me feel so good.
I was so afraid because
this is my social life,
 this is my love,
 this is my exercise,
 this is my everything,
 it's just everything to me.
 - Actually they have been
 many works and research
 that have done, for example,
 with tango and
 Parkinson's disease,
 and neurological
 diseases in Argentina.
 Two in one hospital.
 And actually, this
 teacher that I mentioned,
 Rodolfo Dinzel, he was
 one of the avant-garde
 in using tango just
 like you mentioned.
 For socializing too,
 for people that have
 learning disabilities
 and Down syndrome,
 he taught them tango
 so they could have
 a way to socialize
 and they would do
 their milongas,
 and actually I had a
 chance to, in his studio,
 to dance with some
 of those people.
 So, it was a way...
 There are different aspects,
 one is the socialization,
 but also scientifically today,
there are many research
dance with tango
 with Parkinson disease and
 other neurological diseases
because it works on the body
movement, control, and balance.
Tango requires a lot of
balance, like any dance,
 but tango I think
 is one of the ones,
 that when you lose your
 balance, it's very obvious.
 - A lot today, it's becoming
 more and more popular
 for people that are
 working with clients
 with neurologic diseases such
 as Parkinson's or post-strokes
 that they're asking
 their clients,
and multiple sclerosis,
to begin dancing.
 Specifically ballroom
 and salsa dancing.
 Partner dancing,
 which has been shown
 to improve their
 body coordination
 also their balance and
 also just their self-esteem
 and their depression overall
 as they're dealing
 with an illness.
- I think it's addictive
because it releases very
positive emotions and feelings.
I mean, some people get
high when they workout,
and I think that because
of the physical activity
 and you're moving so much, and
 you can't help but be happy.
 You're moving.
 When you're sitting
 still sometimes,
 you sit there and you think.
 With dance, you think too,
 but once you get to a
 point where you learn
 how to dance and you don't
 have to think about it
and you're just feeling it,
it's such an incredible feeling.
 - You cannot be assertive
 in your movements
 if you're doubting, if you're
 afraid of making a mistake.
 One of other teacher
 famous that I have,
Mingo Pugliese, master teacher,
 he told one time,
 Jack, my partner,
 "You cannot doubt in tango.
"Do something, and then you see
 "how you resolve
 it, but don't doubt.
 "You have to go
 and do something."
So, tango, takes
you into action.
 So if you're a person
 that self-doubt,
and we see it with the students,
 the self-doubts,
 that it's inhibiting,
 that they cannot attack the
 movement, that they so scared,
the tango is gonna force
you to work on that
because otherwise you're
not gonna dance at all.
 (lyrical tango music)
 - First of all, you
 have to stay present,
 because when you're dancing,
 you're not thinking about
oh, I have to do this tomorrow,
I forgot to put this here,
 So, you don't have the
 time to be in the past
 or to be in the future,
 you have to be right now.
So, that's the most
important way of being.
 And dance puts you there.
 (rhythmic stomping)
- What I would suggest
is taking a group lesson
 and an introductory class,
and just picking one
or two dances to learn,
 and just dropping in
 and just trying it
 and see how you feel.
 You can't go wrong
 just trying something.
 Don't be scared, don't be
 afraid to try anything new.
There's nothing to lose.
 There's more to gain than lose
and if you end up not liking it
 and you decide that
 it's not for you,
and you can try something else,
but for me, personally,
I want everybody
 to be able to feel the
 feelings that I feel
 because I feel like it
 really enriches your life.
- Every place you go in
the world, you can check
 and I'm sure you're gonna
 find some tango place to do.
 In Milwaukee, there's the
 Tango Milwaukee Society
 and we teach here too
 with my husband, Jack.
 We do classes here and
 today this milonga.
 And the Tango Society
 also offers classes
and practices and the community
really welcomes everybody.
You were talking about
sometimes feeling intimidating,
 and I have to say that this
 will be the place to come
because people are very positive
and they want to welcome
everybody new in the community,
 so if somebody's afraid to
 try, the Milwaukee community
 would be a very good
 community to try.
 - That is the other thing
 I really don't agree with.
It's that some Latinos are like,
 oh, you know, I'm
 Latino, it's in my blood.
 Not true.
We do have a huge advantage
because we see it all our lives.
But, you can't tell an
African American person
 and a white person that they
 don't have that same flavor
 because they pick it
 up just like this too.
 So, it's like not
 because you are one race,
 you were born with this gift.
 We do have some advantage
 because we see it so much,
 but everybody's able to learn.
 To dance Latin dance,
 one, it keeps you diverse and
 knowledgeable and connected,
 two, it keeps your body
 in the most beautiful way.
 I mean, your blood
 flow is going,
your joints are moving,
 which makes you live better.
 And longer years.
 Quality longer years.
 It moves your thoughts
 and not only that,
 it's like your spirit and
 your matter come together
 and that's the most
 beautiful state of being.
- Well, one of the things is
you have to find what you love.
 Find the dance that you love,
 'cause there's so many
 different types of dancing.
 There's swing, and
 tango, and ballroom,
 and if you find the
 one that you love,
 and then take some lessons,
 and then go out and
 dance those lessons,
 you have to dance the lesson,
 because that's how you get
 the confidence and the love.
 Because if you just take a
 lesson, you'll never learn.
 You've gotta dance that dance.
 But, I mean, I've
 been in ballet,
 jazz, tap, ballroom,
 oh yeah, a lot,
 East Coast swing, West Coast
 swing, Argentinian tango,
 belly dancing,
 it's just my love.
 It's my love. I'm a freak.
 - There's a lot of technique
 in serious dancing,
 but the wonderful
 thing about dancing,
 is you can get involved in
 dancing at just a social level
 and you experience
 moving your body
 and enjoying moving
 with the music
 and it doesn't take
 a lot of technique
 to have a lot of fun
 in the social aspect.
 So, I don't want to
 scare people away
from dancing thinking
that it's too difficult
 or that's it's dangerous,
 because it's really very
 beneficial to the health.
 (Latin dance music)
 (loud piano chord)
