September will find more dancing at community center

Warwick — The Warwick Valley Community Center has announced dates for its dance classes. On-going tango classes will be held every Friday night from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Every Wednesday is Latin from 7 to 8:30 p.m. In September, at 5:15 p.m. on Fridays, there will be belly dancing classes; at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, ballroom dancing. Dances for singles will be held the second Saturday of every month from 7 to 10 p.m. with class. A Tango Social will be held every fourth Saturday of the month. All classes are $15 per person; accompanying child is $5. Seniors and students, $10. Every Friday you can learn to Tango at La Montiel Dance with instructors Walter and Marilynne at the Warwick Community Center. Wednesday is Latin dance night with Eric and Maria. And starting this month, you can belly dance, learn ballroom dancing, and get your exercise the fun way with a Salsercise class. Maria Gutierrez and Eric Ferrar are the directors of La Montiel Dance. Their passion is dancing. Now their program is expanding to include three new programs for the community. Friday evenings at 5:15, Vildan Manzo, or “V” as she likes to be called, will show you how to belly dance. V has performed Turkish folk dances professionally, and has also taught folk dancing to high school students in Turkey. Belly dancing has always been a part of her life, she said, and V has continued technical training in this dance. And V, who is originally from Turkey, truly enjoys teaching. When she is not teaching belly dancing, V is a physician and mother of two talented kids. She donates all her income from teaching belly dancing to a school for mentally handicapped children in Manisa, Turkey. “She is a true inspiration of what can be accomplished by sharing your art with others,” said Gutierrez. If belly dancing is a too risqué for you, the Community Center is now offering ballroom dancing. Every Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Joe Florio will be teaching American Ballroom . Florio began his dance training during the disco era of the 70’s with the ever popular “Hustle.” After competing and training with top professional dancers, he decided to continue his training in ballroom, which he still performs, competes, and teaches today. He specializes in American Ballroom, smooth dances which he will teach at the Community Center. “His love of dance is so great, he wishes to share it with everyone,” said Gutierrez. “That’s why he teaches.” And for the ladies who want to get in shape, Gutierrez is offering a Salsercise class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 10 a.m. Salsercise is an aerobic workout class that also teaches the steps of some Latin dances. The Latin Dance Class is still being held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Tango class is on Friday at 8 p.m. All classes are at the Warwick Valley Community Center, 11 Hamilton Ave., in the Village of Warwick. All lessons are $15 each, with discounts offered for monthly customers. And if you want to show what you have learned, there is a singles dance every second Saturday of the month, as well as a Tango Milonga every fourth Saturday. Both start with a lesson and run from 7-11 p.m.