One of the benefits of my job is that I get the opportunity to discover whole groups of people sharing a like interest to the point that they almost become a world unto themselves. These subcultures exist all around us and not a day goes by that I am not introduced to another one.

In the past, I have transferred videotapes for drag race enthusiasts, water-skiing champions, horse show participants, marching band members, model train builders, and the list goes on. And each of these groups seem to exist within its own world with its own rules.

The most recent addition to a world I never knew existed at the level it does is ballroom dance competitions. It is a big thing… judging from the videos I transferred. They take their dance very seriously and it looks like it takes serious money to compete at the levels I was watching. In the competition, each “student” dances with a professional. There are multiple costume changes and multiple disciplines to learn.

My wife and I took lessons once. It didn’t really take with me (much to her disappointment). I grew up influenced by the 70s. Our dance back then was pretty simple. If you could keep time with the beat, you could move whatever you had in any direction you wanted. There were no rules, or steps to learn.  So ballroom dancing, to me, was a restriction to my wild and crazy dance stylings.

I did get pretty good at the swing but I only learned 3 moves. So 20 seconds into the dance, you’ve seen all you are going to see from me. I go into a lather, rinse, repeat mode until the song ends.

I understand that the studied, precise moves of a trained ballroom dancer can be a marvel to behold. But put on an Elvis tune and i’ll show you what an untrained, spontaneous, 70s rhythmic explosion can do. Then again, I’m not sure my hips are still up to the challenge.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio of Mount Dora specialize in the preservation of family memories. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit www.homevideostudio.com/mtd.