Monday February 25, 2008

Basement ballroom lets couple stay in to step out

Putnam homeowners devote an entire room to dancing

Daily Mail staff

HURRICANE - Until Mickey and Betsy Neal moved 33 miles from Charleston, going to ballroom dance venues was a regular activity for the couple.

The Neals have the floor to themselves for a late afternoon dance. When they completed their Putnam County residence last year, they decided to turn the area into a dance studio, which seemed a better use of the space than a plain basement. .. Now all they have to do is boogie on down to the basement.

When building their new house, the Neals opted to turn their basement space into a ballroom dance studio.

"I wanted a house with everything on one floor," Betsy said. "But our contractor said that wouldn't be possible the way the house had to be situated on the lot.

"I was opposed to a basement, but after Mick and I talked it over, we knew a dance floor would totally increase the use of the space," she added.

Neal consulted with the couple's former dance instructor, Tom Cyrus, before choosing the dance floor surface.

"I wanted to make sure it would be perfect," she said. "I was also worried about how hardwoods would react to dancing shoes, with the possibility of scuffing up the floor. I knew I didn't want to spend my time buffing and polishing the space."

Neal took five floor samples to Cyrus.

"He took his dancing shoes and put them on his hands, then shuffled them around on the floor samples," she said. "It was pretty funny to watch, but ultimately he picked the perfect floor for us."

The floor, a synthetic surface that looks like wood, is perfect for dancing - and easy to clean.

The Neals don't keep the floor to themselves. A couple of times a month, they invite other dancers and instructors in for lessons. It's both practical and social.

"We used to go to Atlantis on Friday nights or to Ray's Ballroom Dance Studio above Trivillian's Pharmacy in Kanawha City," Betsy said. "But after we moved out here, it was just easier to stay home."

The Neals moved to Putnam County to split the difference in their work travel time. Mickey is director of anesthesiology at Cabell-Huntington Hospital and Betsy is a nurse anesthetist at Thomas Memorial Hospital, where she works for Dr. Ted Jackson.

So far their home studio has been used for ballroom lessons and for a fundraising event for the West Virginia State University Jazz Band. In May, the Neals will host a wedding for a friend.

The Neals have been dancing together for about eight years, taking lessons twice a week. They also hosted classes at their former home in Cross Lanes.

"When we first started dancing lessons, there were five or six good dance instructors in the city," Betsy said. "Now that's not the case. And it's hard to find a good place to go dancing anymore."

On a recent Sunday afternoon, ballroom instructor Craig Griffin and his partner, Julia McCormick, worked with three couples perfecting foxtrot routines.

Among the students were general surgeon Gabriel Al-Hajj and his wife, Ingrid, of Charleston who have been dancing together for about three years.

"We've always wanted to do it, to fend off Alzheimer's disease, for heath reasons and it's something we can do together," Gabriel said.

In addition to dancing at the Neals' home, the couple has also taken classes from Griffin at the University of Charleston.

Griffin, an attorney, teaches ballroom dancing all over Southern West Virginia. He and McCormick have been dancing together for about seven years.

"We've had fun all this time," she said. "I'm improving every time we dance and it's a great way to meet people."

Joe and Paula Deacon of Winfield were also tripping the light fantastic with Griffin.

"We've been dancing and taking lessons about three years," said Paula, "It's fun to be here at the Neal's house and enjoy the company of couples who are learning, too.

"We've taken from Craig and other dance instructors in the past," she said. "We were introduced to Latin dances first and that got us interested in doing other types of ballroom dancing."

While they belong to a couple of dance clubs in the area, they don't get out as often as they'd like to just go dancing. "We go out a couple of times a month," Deacon said, "just to practice the new dance steps we're learning here."

Jim Wallace and Teresa Sperandio, of Charleston have been dancing together for about a year and a half. They met at a dance and now dance together a couple of times a week, whether at a class or a dance.

"We're also taking Argentine Tango lessons," Wallace said. "We both wanted to learn it all and get better and better."

"Whether it's ballroom or Latin dances, it's fun and we learn something each time we dance," Sperandio added.

The Neals have the advantage outside their class schedule to head down to their ballroom, turn on the music and get in some extra practice time.

"It's been so much fun to have this space," Betsy said. "And I've encouraged our friends who like to dance to come and enjoy the space, too.