At age 61, some folks might ask why they should bother learning anything new. Others might say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And if you're a member of a younger generation, you might be saying you're much too busy with career, or family, to take on yet another commitment.

On the positive side, I've been hearing a lot of valuable benefits lately about ballroom dancing. I saw a show on public TV featuring Dr. Amen from the AmenClinic (http://www.amenclinic.com). He said the learning new steps (i.e. "figures") in dancing is an excellent exercise for your brain, and may be a significant defense against Alzheimer''s disease. Sometimes I can't remember where I put my car keys, so I think I better get started before I can't remember anything!

Are you single? After many years of marriage, here I am single again. "All the good ones are taken." Right? So I'm wondering whether there is a way to stand out from my single competitors? Then I heard an interesting statistic. It said that 85% of women like to dance, yet only 15% of men ever will. That's awesome, I thought. I can eliminate almost all my competition by becoming a decent dancer! And for the ladies in the crowd, wouldn't you prefer to find a man who is competent on his feet? Where better to look than a studio where people go to learn how to dance!

So, I'm setting a goal, which is to become competent in a variety of ballroom dances, and I'm giving myself 12 months in which to achieve it. I definitely don't expect to become Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray, but I do want to be the gentleman with whom ladies prefer to have a second dance!

Here's how I'm defining competent:
1) Know four steps (figures) in each of the dances I choose to learn.
2) My list of dances includes swing, chacha, rumba, waltz, fox trot, tango and hustle (disco).
3) Learn how to lead properly, so my partner can follow smoothly.
4) Learn enough body styling, good posture, and rhythm, so I don't look like a robot.

So how does this blog fit into the goal? First, I think it's important to have a diary of what I learn, as a good reference to look back upon. Perhaps others contemplating a similar journey will find this of interest, and perhaps others with the same idea will want to comment about their own experiences and offer suggestions from time to time.

My name is Sam. Sometimes I'm called "Sunny Sam" or "Sammy". I'm even an "Uncle Sam" to my niece and nephew. I'm hoping we can travel this adventuresome road together, share our thoughts, and before long, be the dancer we're dreaming about. I hope you're setting your own dance goals as well!

Sunny Sam