Dahl Dance Center Turns Ten

How I Learned to Love Ballroom in Four Anecdotes

By Joseph Carey

When Sheer Dance Executive Editor Mary Beth Beckman first approached me about writing about the tenth anniversary celebration at Dahl Dance Center, I was ambivalent. Dahl Dance Center, in my hometown of Rochester, Minnesota, was and is hugely important to my growth as a dancer, but on the other hand, I was worried. Though I'm back home now, I had been away for eight years, intersecting only occasionally. I wasn't convinced my anecdotes could do justice to the good the studio has done in Rochester.

But what the hell?

I first hear mention of Dahl Dance Center during a piano lesson, of all things. My piano teacher is Gary Dahl's mother, and when I mention that I'm interested in lessons, she tells me her son and his wife, April, have just started a studio. I decide to support people I know and try it out. (I later found out they had literally just started the studio—April had been running a very successful program at another studio, but the studio didn't want it, so in six short weeks, April and Gary got Dahl Dance Center started.)

I sign up for a class, and I get hooked. We perform. We go to social dances. We go to Star of the North in the Cities and to one of the last Twin Cities Rebels west coast swing competitions. Being a ridiculous high schooler, I ask April to come teach at a high school dance, which she readily indulges. (Taking classes with April taught me about being a dancer, but just as importantly, her willingness to come and teach at something as small—and arguably a little obnoxious—as a high school taught me about being a teacher.)

Fast-forward a couple of years. The Luther College ballroom team is just getting started. We have less than no clue what we're doing. I send April a panicked note trying to figure out how we can learn enough to compete—and how we can afford to bring in the knowledge we need. I ask if one of her students might consider doing it for the pittance we can afford.

Back to Rochester: Dahl Dance Center is booming. They have rented the space next to theirs and expanded, adding three studio spaces. April, beyond teaching, is busy helping cofound the Tango Society of Rochester, which has incubated at Dahl Dance Center. The studio is preparing for an annual cabaret fundraiser. Despite this busyness, April answers my note, then gives me a call. Not only does she have ideas but she's going to come down herself—and keep it affordable. (Saturday morning lessons with April taught me about being a competitive dancer, but going out of her way to help lost college kids, basically at cost, taught me about humility.)

Forward again. Same bit, different school. The fledgling University of Northern Iowa ballroom group sends an officer and me up to Rochester. April has agreed to meet with us to help us get connected in our area and answers some questions and panics we have. I drive, but the address is different. Dahl Dance Center has moved—partially to get a full long wall but also because business is booming. April and Gary are preparing to dance with the Beyond Ballroom Dance Company in Minneapolis. They're also helping run a major new fundraiser in town, Dancing for the Arts. The Tango Society of Rochester has spun off into its own fully grown organization. (Despite being based far enough away that there was no way we could end up bringing her in to teach at UNI, April gave us two hours of conversation. She also threw in a little time working on our dancing and an incidental lesson on generosity.)

Present day. I'm back in Rochester. Dahl Dance Center is doing as well as ever. They are regularly bringing in high-level coaches across the styles of dance—an opportunity the Dahls had when they were younger and want to pass on to Rochester. The most recent Dancing for the Arts fundraiser raised $100,000. They are expanding and have hired two new staff members. They're looking forward to celebrating their ten-year anniversary as a studio on the September 5th with a trip up to the Caves.

I ask April how it looks now compared to how she thought it might look in ten years, back in 2005. Is it drastically different? Close to what she expected?

Somewhere in between, she says. On the business front, she has been honored and humbled by the opportunities that have presented themselves. For her own dancing, it's been unexpected: Argentine tango has opened up a lot of doors, as has Rochester itself. The best part has been the change in her teaching perspective:

"Just for me to see how dancing changes people's lives. When I started this ten years ago, that wasn't so much in the forefront of my mind. It was: I was going to teach people to dance because I really love dancing. And now, when I look at the impact it's had on so many people's lives, it's always amazing to me. That's become more of the focus."

(Hopefully I still have space for this one more lesson.)