CMS ballroom dance class teaches social skills as well as appreciation for arts

Nov. 4—CORBIN — "There is nothing sadder than an empty dance floor."

That's what Corbin Middle School teacher Gary Baker tells his ballroom dance class students.

"So I try to prepare them for that situation. Ask someone to dance!" Baker said. "Last summer I had a mother of a former student contact me and tell me that she had the best time ever at a wedding. No one was dancing and her son grabbed her hand and said 'Come on, Mom. Let's dance!' Even though she didn't know the dances, he was confident and moved her all over the dance floor."

Those are the stories Baker loves and that show why his ballroom dance classes have been growing in popularity over the 14 years he has taught it.

"The main things I want students to learn from this class is social skills. Etiquette. Manners matter," Baker said. "In a day where we spend most of our time in front of a screen, this class teaches people how to interact with each other. You have to look someone in the eye, talk to them, hold their hand, stand less than a foot apart. It sounds terrifying to them, but I break it down into manageable steps and we practice, every day."

Baker explained there used to be a lot of pressure on schools to score well on high stakes Arts testing.

"Every student was required to take an intense General Music Appreciation," he said. "It was not good for the students or the teachers."

As that requirement ended, Baker said many school districts across the state used that to cut their arts programs.

"However, Corbin saw this as an opportunity to create something new in its place," he said of the Corbin Independent School District. "We created many performance-based classes. I offered ballroom dancing as an option to teach music, movement, and social skills."

With the support of the principal, he offered the class and it was immediately full. Each year they have had to add more sections of the class to accommodate the demand.

With the new middle school building opening just a few years ago, the district included a custom ballroom dancing studio at the opening of the arts wing.

In a normal year, four ballroom dancing classes will be offered. It is a nine week long course with 24 students in it. Baker also usually offers one advanced ballroom dancing class for students who have taken the class previously and want to learn more.

"In those classes we may learn some special flips, and tricks, and turns," he said.

Baker has a long history with ballroom dancing. He took it as a class for credit at Cumberland College.

"I loved it so I took it again as an elective and then again as an audit just for fun," he said. "After I graduated I started teaching small groups for churches and social clubs."

In 2006 he married a dancer, Lindsay, who is currently a teacher at Corbin's School of Innovation, and they bought the dance studio where she had been working, The Dance Centre in Williamsburg. Baker taught ballroom dancing there until they sold it in 2020.

"I have even been a guest instructor at my alma mater," he said. "I still teach ballroom dancing by appointment when available. Over the years my wife and I have choreographed for many special occasions. I have of course continued my education by taking private lessons over the years."

His love for the arts doesn't stop at ballroom dancing, though. He also currently teaches classes at the middle school on the history of rock and roll, ukulele, and the after school choir program at Corbin Elementary School.

"The arts are so important. Music, art, dance, theatre. These are the things that people live for; the things that make you feel alive," Baker said. "It's important to teach these things from a young age so students can appreciate all aspects of our lives."

At Corbin Middle School, these classes are called exploratory classes.

"It's the perfect time to give something a try," Baker said. "I always tell my students that I didn't take a dance class until I was 21, I didn't learn to play the ukulele until I was 25, and I didn't listen to rock music until I was almost 30. Now, that's what I do for a living! It's never too late to try something new."

For the ballroom dance class, the social interaction and confidence gained is what Baker hopes students walk away with most.

"They may forget the steps in a few years, but no one looks at your feet when you are dancing. They look at your face," he said. "At a wedding people say, 'Don't they look happy?' They don't say look at your feet. Just smile, hold a nice frame, and move your body to the music."

Of course he wants the students to learn about the art of dance and the life-time physical fitness part as well.

"Parents send me videos all the time of their kids dancing at home or on vacation," he said. "I have videos of former students dancing in their basement and in the streets of Paris!"

"Just yesterday I saw a former student at a football game who said, 'Your class sure came in handy at my wedding this summer.' She looked so happy," Baker said. "That's the power of public education."