Vol 3 No 9, September 16, 2009
© 2009, Salt Lake Vienna Waltz Association
"...we were spinning around in a narrow room to the sweet sounds of a Lanner waltz...I could see her dark, immobile, almost closed eyes in
a pale but animated face, sharply outlined by fluttering curls."
Ivan Turgenev
Greetings Waltzers,
Salt Lake City's metropolitan area from Ogden in the north to Provo in the south is nationally known for its plethora of
ballroom instructors, dancers, and studios. BYU has a large and talented program. And independent and studio
instructors can easily be found in the telephone book or by word of mouth.
We're most familiar with noted professionals Matthew Rice and Ed Crane. That's not to say Ed and Matthew are the only
ballroom instructors in the Salt Lake City area. We've taken lessons from Margene Anderson, Cindy Prather, and
Richard Meyers, plus a few others back in our pre-Viennese Waltz days. However, the encouragement, enthusiasm, and
patience of Matthew, plus the great reviews I hear from Ed's students, has me convinced that these two should be any
ballroom hopeful's choices for instruction.
This month we interview Matthew Rice.
SLVWA: What got you started dancing?
Matthew: I started dancing when I was a kid, with my parents. In college I'd cross the [New Mexico] border into Texas
with a girl who was my dance partner at the time to go country western dancing. Later on, I saw an ad in a newspaper for
a male dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio in Albuquerque. It had a six-week dance instructor training course
that started with 12 people. I was the one male that made it through, and the one they picked.
SLVWA: When did you turn professional?
Matthew: In 1985.
SLVWA: Where have you danced competitively?
Matthew: Everywhere! As far as competitions? I've been all over the country dancing professionally. Seattle, LA,
Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Denver, basically west of the Mississippi, but occasionally in the East too.
SLVWA: What makes a good partner?
Matthew: Once you develop your skills, what makes a good partner is the ability to synchronize, or to think the same
when you're on the floor. There's a whole aesthetic side, a whole artistic side. Where that comes from is people who are
not stuck on figure #1, figure #2, but who can really dance from their soul, from their heart.
SLVWA: Where have you taught?
Matthew: I've taught for Fred Astaire dance studios and Arthur Murray dance studios in Albuquerque. I've taught here
in Salt Lake City for Arthur Murray for 10 years, and I also owned the Arthur Murray studio in Salt Lake City for another
two years. Since then I've worked for Dance Sport In Motion, Eyes Up, and DF Latin Dance Studio.
SLVWA: What is your teaching philosophy?
Matthew: People want to learn how to dance to have fun. What I want to do is educate them in dance without making
them feel like they're going to school. Basically, "To have fun and educate at the same time."
SLVWA: What is the most difficult thing to teach a beginner?
Matthew: Some individuals have never had any education in music, or also cannot "hear" music. For them, the hardest
thing is how to stay on the beat. Other than that, there's nothing that's really difficult to teach.
SLVWA: What is the most difficult dance to teach?
Matthew: It depends on the individual you're teaching. Some are more in tune with smooth dancing such as foxtrot,
waltz or tango. If I had to pick one dance overall, beginners and advanced, it's probably Samba.
SLVWA: Do you dance by yourself when no one is watching?
Matthew: Oh yeah, of course!
SLVWA: Who is your all-time favorite dancer?
Matthew: I have a couple of them. When you talk about standard, he's Augusto Schiavo. Talking about American style
smooth, probably Michael Mead and Tony Redpath. If you're talking about Latin international style, Rick Valenzuela —
phenomenally good. Or Yulia Zagoryuchenko and Ricardo Cocchi, absolutely fabulous; one of the best routines I've
ever seen.
SLVWA: If you could only dance one dance, what would it be?
Matthew: If I had a really good partner, I'd dance an American-style Foxtrot, the whole Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rodgers, a lot of jazz. Despite what anyone will tell you, Foxtrot is the most difficult dance at an advanced level. But
when you're in the zone, there's nothing else like it at the professional level.
SLVWA: Thank you! Matthew can be contacted for dance lessons at 801-699-6103. Next month, we interview Ed Crane.
Waltz Ball Update
We just received our invitation to the San Francisco Waltzing Society's 53rd Annual Gala Autumn Waltz Ball, www.
sfwaltzingsociety.org/. This year's ball takes place at Claremont Country Club, 5295 Broadway Terrace, Oakland, CA.
Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Opening Grand March is at 8 p.m., and dancing continues until Midnight. Tickets (with
dinner seating) are $135. Depending upon the number of dinner seating tickets sold, a limited number of no dinner table
seating tickets may be available for $85. We dislike eating just before a waltz, but considering the expense of traveling
to San Francisco, we can't take a chance on admission and plan to purchase table seating.
Fly into Oakland International Airport. Flights there are cheaper than those into San Francisco, the airport is uncrowded,
and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is conveniently close.
Claremont Country Club is at the northern edge of Oakland, adjacent to the city of Berkeley. And that Saturday
afternoon, University of California, Berkeley is hosting University of Arizona in a Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC-10)
football game. If you plan to attend the ball, reserve your hotel room now!
For additional information and an invitation to the ball, contact San Francisco Waltzing Society, P.O. Box 2461, Walnut
Creek, CA 94595. You will have a lot of fun, and we hope to see you there.