Gina Nania and David Gwinn joined the DTDC in February of '2000. David has lived
in Rapid City since 1961; he is a retired physician and a backpacker. Gina left
her job as a copy editor at The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina last November
and moved to Rapid City to be with David and lead a life of adventure, leisure,
unemployment and thrift.
We met in 1985 on a walking tour of the moors of North Somerset in England. At that
time David had never danced. Gina knew some ballroom dances even though all she
remembers learning was ballet as a child and folk and square dancing in college PE.
In 1989 David and his sister took beginning dance class with Leroy. Next he enrolled
with his mother in jitterbug class. In 1991 David and Gina danced together on the
levee in New Orleans at the French Quarter Festival. We could not figure out what
dance nearly everyone else was doing until this year: It was probably the shag.
That fall we went contra dancing with the Charlotte Folk Music Society and started
a tradition of contra dancing whenever David was in Charlotte. We also occasionally
took dance lessons at a country bar until it closed and reopened as a Latino disco.
A strong aversion to loud music and smoke limited David's dancing for a while to
Leroy's lessons and practice sessions. He was lured onto the bar dance floors by
Sue and Kathy's lessons, first at the Boot Scoot at the old dog track and later at
the Boot Hill. Then he took classes with Debbie, Jerry and Wanda. Lack of a consistent
dance partner and a Friday through-Monday job as hospital physician at Fort Meade
near Sturgis retarded his dancing progress. Gina was getting in even less dance time
in Charlotte. David's big break came in 1996 when he quit his job to spend more time
traveling, backpacking, hiking and dancing. He discovered that his stockbroker liked
to dance and was usually available on Friday nights. Edie and David, with their earplugs,
became regulars at the Boot on Fridays when he was in town.
Since Gina arrived we have taken many dance lessons together. He is trying to teach
her that her option is to follow. She has the even more difficult mission of getting
him to stop bouncing. She likes smooth dances such as the nightclub two step; he
prefers something bouncy like the jitterbug. Our favorite together is the cha-cha.
We plan to spend a lot of time away from home traveling; but look forward to attending
lessons and practice whenever we are here.
Our most romantic night dancing was October of 1991. We were passing through Marietta,
Georgia and found a cheap motel - with a tiny dance floor and live music. We danced
the evening away in the nearly deserted bar, though the few patrons may not have
enjoyed it as much as we did. Wouldn't you agree that "Dancing at the Motel 6" would
be a good book title?
