Page 58 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2016

LEISURE have a ball
LET’S DA CE
Ballroom dancing-urban style making converts
story by Susan Ruddiman photos by Teddy Lewis
58 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2016
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
Ballroom dancing with a contemporary twist is growing in popularity along the Coast thanks to the couple who started with a class of only 10 students. Today the group is known as South Mississippi Ballroom Dancers-Urban Style, and
classes are offered at three locations four times a week.
The founders of the Coast group are Ben and Lucille Gibson who moved to Gulfport three years ago
from Detroit, Mich. The Gibsons had learned urban ballroom dancing from its birthplace. As a retired federal judge, Ben Gibson said he had been looking for an activity he could do with his wife. The dance was initially called Detroit Ballroom or Motown Ballroom where it used International Ballroom moves enhanced with a soulful flavor. The dance is for two who execute steps derived from the cha-cha using turns, spins, dips and even lifts.
“It’s a bit like ballroom dancing you see on TV, but we follow specific moves. We dance to a beat — to
a soul style music, jazz and even country and rap,” Ben Gibson said. “At first I didn’t know what it was.
I have two left feet. But my wife and I enjoyed it. Eventually I was asked to take over the class when the instructor wasn’t there. I taught for three years before we moved to the Coast.”
Once on the Coast, the Gibsons wanted to keep up their dancing.
“I looked for a group or activity involving this type of dancing, and couldn’t find it on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Gibson, 84, said. “We had to go to Pensacola to dance. I decided to start something here.”
When Gibson approached Janice Merrell, director
of the Senior Resource Center for Harrison County,
his idea for ballroom dance classes was a good fit for what she wanted to offer, according to Evelyn Buckles, president of the group. Buckles, a retired principal