Cincinnati Ballroom Company
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Leigh Bradshaw and Brian McNamee, |
For most, dancing is just something you do in the car when your favorite song comes on the radio. But for Leigh Bradshaw and Brian McNamee, dance is a passion, career and business.
The two met in 2008 and immediately sensed that their strong connection, ability, and dedication to practice would create a beautiful partnership. They were right, because in 2009, they partnered up as co-owners to open the Cincinnati Ballroom Company, located in Oakley.
The two had always wanted to teach with total creative control. Before, when working as instructors at another studio, “We followed an established lesson design. Now, we are free to work with our students as individuals,” says McNamee, adding that they blend romance with an urban edge to create their studio’s unique style. “We have to find what sparks their interest, what brings them joy, what makes them want to dance,” says McNamee.
Private and group lessons are provided for interested clients. “Private instruction is really beneficial for any student, new or advanced, wishing to learn the technical components of the dance,” explains McNamee. “Group lessons are fun and offer a social aspect to learning. Most of our students participate in dancesport competitions [where] dancers of any age or level are eligible to compete.” For those students who do not have a partner for competitions, McNamee and Bradshaw partner with them in their dances.
They travel most weeks to work on their own technique with the some of the “brightest coaches in professional ballroom,” according to McNamee. They then bring those skills back to their own students. Plus, they often bring in coaches from around the world to offer workshops in their studio.
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The benefits of ballroom dance are tremendous, says McNamee, not just physical but mental and social. “Dancing provides great flexibility, strength, and endurance,” he adds. “As a student, you can learn the fundamentals of good posture and body alignment after just a few lessons.”
Remembering step patterns also improves mental acuteness. According to McNamee, researchers have even found that ballroom dancing can even help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease in senior citizens. “Dancing is a performance art,” he adds, “it requires creativity and mental strength.”
The best part is, when you’re learning to dance, you are not even thinking about these benefits. You’re just having fun on the dance floor. “There is no better exercise on the planet than dance,” says McNamee.
Bradshaw and McNamee are especially excited to be participating in the Cincinnati Arts Association’s Dancing for the Stars benefit on Apr. 12, 2014 at Music Hall. This will be their fourth year participating as professional dancers. They just started working with their new partners, Christianna Boitus Stephens and Neal Shulte, to prepare for the big event.
For more information on Cincinnati Ballroom Company, visit CinciBallroom.com, call (513) 321-2801 or “like” them on Facebook.
