shall we dance?

If Dr. David and Diana Lammermeier fi nd themselves anywhere near wood fl ooring, they just might start dancing—more specifi cally, ballroom dancing.

“One of my fellow doctors in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Munroe asked if we would be willing to try ballroom dancing,” says David, who is a cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeon at Munroe Heart. “He said there was a studio in Ocala where we could take group lessons. So I talked to Diana, and we decided to give it a try. That was nine years ago, and we’ve been dancing ever since.”

For Diana, an RN and patient educator for cardiovascular surgery patients at Munroe Regional Medical Center, the timing to add a new hobby to their busy schedules was right.

“Our kids were all in college, and we were having a little bit of empty nest syndrome,” she says. “We really liked ballroom dancing right from the start. We each have our own hobbies, but this was something we could do together.”

Those initial group lessons quickly evolved into individual lessons and coaching for the Lammermeiers. And those dancing doctors soon created Dancing With The Docs, a fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marion County and the YMCA.

“The fi rst Dancing With The Docs was held at Jumbolair in 2008, and that’s when we met Gary McIntyre. He and his partner, Susan Kirklin, are professional dancers from Austin, Texas,” says David. “Gary began choreographing our dances. We pick out a song we want to dance to, and then he and Susan make a video that they send us.”

McIntyre, a multiple world champion, and Kirklin are multiple U.S. champions who di erence in our dancing.”

The style of ballroom dancing the Lammermeiers do is show dance, primarily the waltz. Think men in coat tails and women in beautiful gowns moving gracefully across the wood dance floor.

“It takes about six to eight months of practice before we’re ready to do the dance in public,” says David. “Then, we’ll usually perform that dance five or six times before moving on to a new dance.”

Therapeutic Riding Association, they changed things up and performed their first Latin dance routine.

“It’s a rumba bolero,” says David. “And it’s a little more challenging than our usual waltz. It has a quicker tempo and involves a couple of lifts. But we’re having a lot of fun with it.”

And for the Lammermeiers, fun and health are major factors that keep them in ballroom dancing.

“We are part of a local big group of ballroom dancers of all ages from 20s to 70s,” says David. “We not only go to dancing events, but we also do other social events. We are a very close-knit compete in ballroom, country and West Coast swing divisions. Their Austin-based studio is GarySusanDance.

Soon after meeting McIntyre, the Lammermeiers had more dancing good fortune. At a dancing event in Orlando, they met Svetlana Rudkovskaya. She and her husband, Pavel Cherdantsau, received their master’s degrees in ballroom dance from the Belarusian University of Culture. They compete in ballroom dancing competitions around the world. The couple, who own the Jacksonville Dance Center, have claimed the U.S. National Championship in Classic Show Dance three times.

“Svetlana became our instructor,” says David. “Now when Gary sends us a video, we can work on the dance with Svetlana. She comes down to Dance Dance Dance Studio in Wildwood once or twice a month. Or we go up to Jacksonville. It’s made a huge

An important part of the dance is presentation, including David’s tuxedo with tails and Diana’s dresses. The latter are bought from vendors specializing in ballroom dancing attire and custom tailored if necessary.

Diana’s closet currently has fi ve waltz dresses. Then, there are the special ballroom dancing shoes. Although there are specifi c types of shoes for specifi c dances, all of them have suede soles to slide across the wood fl ooring.

“I have 15 pairs of ballroom dancing shoes,” says Diana. “And David has 10.”

The Lammermeiers do not compete professionally, but dance regularly by request at local clubs and participate in many fundraisers. At a recent Dance Dance Dance Studio event to raise money for the Marion group that has become best friends thanks to ballroom dancing.”

And then there’s the other health aspects.

“Ballroom dancing is a great stress reliever,” says Diana. “And you get a good workout, too, and have fun at the same time. Anyone interested in giving ballroom dancing a try should start with group lessons like we did. It’s a comfortable way to try something new.”

And David adds, “Men should really give ballroom dancing a try. I was hesitant, too, at first, but now I love it.”

Fun

helpful tips and monthly to-do’s for May.

Mother’s

STAR WARS DAY MEMORIAL

May the 4th be with you!

CINCO DE MAYO

Good Deeds 4 Special Needs 5K Run/Walk at the Baseline Greenway Trailhead

Ocala’s First Friday Art Walk 6-9pm

Indian Lake State Forest Nature Walk at the Bear-N-Oak Trailhead

Brunch with gal pals at Tea with Lee

Family movie night: Premiere of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul in theaters

Kayaking on the Rainbow River

Chair

See below for a fun Star Wars craft Host

Last day for Citrus County Public Schools Last day for Marion County Public Schools

School’s Out! Rock the Park at Inverness Liberty Park

Spring Lake 5K & 2M Fun Run/Walk at the Arc Nature Coast Crystal River Triathlon 3 Race Series at the Fort Island Gulf Beach

May The 4th Be With You

Celebrate Star Wars Day with these pool noodle lightsabers.

What you’ll need:

Pool noodle (each will make two lightsabers)

Silver duct tape

Black electrical tape

Knife

Cut pool noodle in half. › Wrap the bottom quarter of the noodle in silver duct tape. › Wrap three rings of electrical tape around the top of the silver tape. › Tape two pieces of black tape parallel to the noodle, as shown in picture.

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