73 Year Old Amateur Ballroom Dancer Wins Competition
73-Year-Old Amateur Ballroom Dancer Wins Competition Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
She went to college in Pennsylvania and studied business, despite her mother’s exhortations to “be a teacher and have summers off.” After graduation, she married her high school sweetheart and became a fabric buyer in New York City. When her husband finished dental school, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Fox worked as a college admissions coordinator and in financial aid. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Fox, now 73, was always an athlete. Over the years, she had participated or competed in swimming, diving, fencing, golf, skiing, archery, horseback riding, basketball and volleyball. Once she and her husband had children, Nora spent her time traveling around watching them compete in gymnastics. Both her son and daughter, now in their 40s, took their sport to elite levels. So 17 years ago, Fox said, “Now it’s my turn.” She found her footing in the world of dance and has soared to the top in pro-am ballroom competitions, in which a professional dancer partners with an amateur. She recently competed in the New York Dance Festival and won all five of her dances.
The only thing I knew about ballroom dancing was as a teenager watching Lawrence Welk with my grandparents. I’d look at those ridiculous hairstyles and dresses and go, “Ugh, barf.” I never had an interest in what ballroom dancing really was. But I went to watch my husband and daughter taking lessons. One day a waltz came on, and Sergh Aliev, their instructor, grabbed me onto the dance floor to waltz, which I didn’t know how to do. Afterward, he said, “Oh you’re going to be coming back.” I said, “I don’t think so.” At the wedding, my husband and daughter did a great tango — rose, dip and all. But after the wedding there were leftover prepaid lessons. They said, “We know you love to dance. Go take the lessons.” I said, “You’re going to create a monster.” Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers >
So You Think You Can Dance Nora Fox Can
This 73-year-old amateur ballroom champion takes on the world
Nora Fox dancing with her professional partner Plamen Danailov. Courtesy Nora Fox As a kid in Long Island, New York, Nora Fox took tap, jazz and ballet and dreamed of being a Broadway choreographer, but life led her in a different direction.She went to college in Pennsylvania and studied business, despite her mother’s exhortations to “be a teacher and have summers off.” After graduation, she married her high school sweetheart and became a fabric buyer in New York City. When her husband finished dental school, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Fox worked as a college admissions coordinator and in financial aid. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Fox, now 73, was always an athlete. Over the years, she had participated or competed in swimming, diving, fencing, golf, skiing, archery, horseback riding, basketball and volleyball. Once she and her husband had children, Nora spent her time traveling around watching them compete in gymnastics. Both her son and daughter, now in their 40s, took their sport to elite levels. So 17 years ago, Fox said, “Now it’s my turn.” She found her footing in the world of dance and has soared to the top in pro-am ballroom competitions, in which a professional dancer partners with an amateur. She recently competed in the New York Dance Festival and won all five of her dances.
How did you begin dancing as an adult
Ballroom Dance Defined
There are four styles of ballroom dance. Two in American Style: American Rhythm (energetic and upbeat): cha-cha, rumba swing, bolero and mambo American Smooth (fluid and graceful): waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz Two in International Style: International Latin (intimate and passionate): cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive International Standard (smooth and slow): waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep While both main categories include the same dances, they have different performance styles and techniques. There are also minor dances, often called “nightclub dances” in competitions, such as salsa, hustle, bachata and merengue. My daughter was getting married in 2004. My husband wanted to do a father-daughter tango at . He prepaid for lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Hampden, Connecticut, near our home in Cheshire. He had a picture in his mind of being the suave guy dipping his daughter, who’d be dancing with a rose in her mouth. It was really funny.The only thing I knew about ballroom dancing was as a teenager watching Lawrence Welk with my grandparents. I’d look at those ridiculous hairstyles and dresses and go, “Ugh, barf.” I never had an interest in what ballroom dancing really was. But I went to watch my husband and daughter taking lessons. One day a waltz came on, and Sergh Aliev, their instructor, grabbed me onto the dance floor to waltz, which I didn’t know how to do. Afterward, he said, “Oh you’re going to be coming back.” I said, “I don’t think so.” At the wedding, my husband and daughter did a great tango — rose, dip and all. But after the wedding there were leftover prepaid lessons. They said, “We know you love to dance. Go take the lessons.” I said, “You’re going to create a monster.” Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers >