What Rhapsody Means to Me: Rapture

Fran & Rich Cooperwasser

Essay Contest to Celebrate Rhapsody’s 20th Anniversary

Honorable Mention Winner: Fran Cooperwasser
 
Her Mom, Rose, always urged her and her husband, Rich, to go to Rhapsody Ballroom, a place she loved to go, but fuddy duddy music and an older crowd filled her imagination.

“Who’d want to go to the same place her mom goes, anyway,” she thought. However, it was a tempting idea since she and Rich loved dancing.

One day, losing her direction, she drove past a large sign that said “Rhapsody Ballroom!” An omen?? She turned around to check it out. Wow, was she impressed! She saw a big, beautiful, wooden dance floor, and on it a teacher instructing a large class. Not only was the music upbeat, but surprisingly the class was a mixture of all ages!

Well, from that day forward, she may have been lost, but was certainly found!!

Their first appearance on a Wednesday gave Rose such joy! They were proudly introduced to all her friends, and over time, everyone became like a second family to them. That was their first blessing – how great is more love in your life?

Rhapsody broadened their knowledge of dance and music, adding to their repertoire. How fortunate that Rhapsody was so close and so reasonably priced as well!

“Who are such generous owners?” she wondered. When she met them, Richard and Laurie Collett, she then realized why Rhapsody was thriving and now celebrating 20 years!!

Yes, the Rapture of Rhapsody, where you can exercise with excitement and creativity, meet with loving friends, hear terrific music, learn from expert instructors, and pay reasonable prices. Best of all for her, this was not only a place to share an activity with her husband but with her 91-year-old mom, Rose!

What was she thinking? How fortunate she is to still have her mom in her life and share with her this little slice of heaven called Rhapsody! How lucky is a mother and daughter dancing away the night with fun and laughter, making their bond only stronger?

She’s lovin’ all that Rhapsody has given her and…that she…is me.

by Fran Cooperwasser

Rhapsody Ballroom's 20th Anniversary!

On November 14, Rhapsody Ballroom was blessed to celebrate its 20^th anniversary! Richard and I were so delighted that about 150 new and old dancing friends joined us on this special occasion. Rhapsody teachers Jason Bundy, Sergey and Yulia Kopylov, Kathryn Schaffer, Chris Skates, and Frank Sliwa created special dance team numbers with their students to the theme of “Classic Memories.”

Richard and I also performed our Theatre Arts piece, “Transformed,” in honor of remembering how Stan’s Gym was transformed into Rhapsody Ballroom; thanking God for transforming our lives; and wishing all our dance family the joy and peace of that transformation.

To commemorate the 20 years of Rhapsody Ballroom’s history, its cast of characters, and regularly scheduled and special events, we designed a slide show which ran continuously throughout the evening. Our hope is to be able to post this online in the near future, as well as video and photos from the event as they become available.

A special highlight of the evening was a beautiful plaque presented to Richard and me by the SouthernStar Chapter of USA Dance. We are truly blessed not only by this gift that we will always cherish, but by all of you who honored us with your presence at the celebration; by the kind words and comments you shared with us; and by the memories we will treasure always.

We are so uplifted and inspired by all of the essays written for our contest on “What Rhapsody Ballroom Means to Me.” The Grand Prize winner of 1 year’s free admission to Wednesday evening dances was Egland L Alfaro Roman (Egland Sliwa), and her essay will be posted on this blog shortly, to be followed by Honorable Mention winners.

Through God's grace, the Rhapsody Ballroom community has given us a wonderful environment to grow not only in our dancing, but also emotionally and spiritually, and it is our prayer that it has offered the same opportunity to all those in our dance family. We are so very blessed to be surrounded by such warm, inspiring and caring people who share our love and passion for dance. We pray that the years ahead bring as much joy, happiness and fellowship as the past 20 years.

Thank you all so much!

Richard and Laurie Collett

Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

 Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing is not only great exercise and a wonderful creative and emotional outlet, but it may also improve self-confidence, social skills, cognitive abilities, and zest for living!

Thanks to Ashley Reams for the great article in Temple Terrace Patch about how Rhapsody Ballroom helps beginner ballroom dancers, and thanks to Rhapsody teacher Hector Quiles for his great coaching and encouragement of new dancers!




Photo: Professional Dance Instructor Hector Quiles dances with student Holly Jackson at Rhapsody Ballroom. Credit Ashley Reams