“I was the hero for a little while,” Drew Ziegler says laughing.

“We learned enough to be dangerous.”

Ziegler and his wife often used to find themselves at events where people were dancing. He decided to enroll in Roland’s Dance Studio classes.

“Eventually, I got brave and purchased a beginner’s package," he said.

Now, about thirty years later, Ziegler is the president of Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers, and he and the others are preparing for their monthly dance event. This month, of course, the center is around Valentine’s Day. The event will be held at Roland’s Dance Studio from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. The admission for the night will be $20 and will include some light food.

“We typically do a group lesson,” he says. “It depends on if we have one of our members that is an instructor attending. It’ll be right in the middle.”

The Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers, which has about 50 members, hosts a dance every month. Eight times a year they host monthly dances at Roland’s Dance Studio on the third Saturday of every month. Each quarter, they host a dinner dance at Highland Country Club, usually accompanied by live music. All the events are open to the public and those of any dancing expertise.

“Some of the members will dance with [attendees] and show them a few steps … a lot of our members haven’t taken a formal lesson. Who cares? No one has a clipboard. People just have fun.”
For the members and Ziegler, dancing is all about showing up and having fun. Ziegler looked at dancing, now and when he began, as an elegant adult activity — something he and his wife could do for date nights. He has since found it useful in many places and all sorts of events.

“When we go to other places, when we go on a cruise … we can jump out there and dance and have a good time.”

The members of Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers encourage anyone to come out, celebrate Valentines Day and have a good time at the upcoming dance.

For those worried about having a partner to dance with, Ziegler says not to worry — there are many members spreading dances around.

“There will be no wallflowers,” he says. “No one is sitting on the sidelines. It’ll be a good workout.”
For more information on this and any upcoming dance, visit www.capefearballroomdancers.org