In a world that’s increasingly online and increasingly artificial, more and more people are looking for authentic human connection.
That’s one of the reasons Courtney Carter saw the need to create PTBO Ballroom, a space that not only leads dance classes, but hosts community social events that invite you to reap the benefits of various styles of dance, meet new friends, and dance your worries away.
“I’ve been so driven to build not just a dance studio, but a place where people can go to connect and share this real human experience that we’re craving by connecting through dance,” says Carter. “I want more than anything to build a community and continue having these social opportunities for everyone.”
Dancing in Peterborough since she was five years old, Carter knows as much as anyone how the activity is good for the mind, body, and spirit. But after graduating high school, she found there weren’t a lot of opportunities to continue to dance and ended up taking time away from it throughout college.
“People will join their beer league hockey teams after they’ve gone into their career world, but for dance, there weren’t as many opportunities, and especially not here in Peterborough,” she says. “I felt so lost when I didn’t have dance in my life. It was always such a huge part of my life, and it always brought me so much community and belonging.”
While in Toronto, she had the opportunity to learn and teach ballroom dance and quickly realized it was something she wanted to bring back home with her to Peterborough. Since then, she has been leading wedding dance lessons and hosting drop-ins, series, pop-ups, and private lessons for adults in a range of ballroom and Latin dance styles, including salsa, bachata, merengue, swing, and more.
“It’s something that we need more of in our small regional communities,” Carter says. “There’s nowhere for people to really go enjoy dancing besides an adult ballet class, but this offers a completely new way for you to experience dance throughout your life and changes the way that you experience it.”
“Now you have a new skill and community that you can tap into when you travel, when you go to a wedding reception, even when you just go out for a night with your friends, where you can really connect with people and share this joy and movement.”
Though Carter says there’s a “lack of awareness” towards ballroom and Latin dance in smaller communities, people are often curious about it because of pop culture influences like Dancing with the Stars and the salsa-inspired moves from Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga during the Super Bowl halftime show.
“I think some people are learning about it or maybe seeing it online and then really wanting to try it,” Carter explains. “Even watching a video of people’s social dancing brings so much joy.”
“I think people really want to experience more real human connection now more than ever, because our lives are becoming increasingly disconnected through technology. This is a very unique way to find community and share connection with people while learning.”
As a full-body workout, ballroom and Latin dancing has many proven benefits that extend beyond just putting an end to the doom-scrolling.
Dancing supports strength, cardiovascular fitness, posture, and balance as well as relieving stress and boosting confidence. According to some studies, it can even lower the risk of dementia.
“We’re all so happy listening to music and just moving our bodies and it does release serotonin and dopamine, and when you’re sharing that experience with a partner, there’s lots of oxytocin,” says Carter, referring to three key neurotransmitters and hormones that regulate mood, motivation, and social bonding.
“There are lots of proven facts about the mental health benefits and it lights up parts of your brain that you’re not using as often these days. It’s great cardio, but also just practising the posture and the stance you require and having a dancer poise is also very beneficial for your back and bones. It just ties into everything.”
Despite the benefits and proven desire for this type of social event, Carter says she knows people are often hesitant or feel uncomfortable and awkward in their own bodies.
“If you haven’t grown up training in ballet, or you feel like you’ve never danced before and you have two left feet, it can be a really vulnerable thing taking that first step,” she says. “I think people are really shocked to find out how easy and approachable these classes are.”
“I want it to always feel like an easy and fun process where everybody feels welcome. No matter who you are or what your culture is, rhythm and music come so naturally to us and everybody can find a dance that blends to their personality, whether that’s Latin, waltz, swing, or disco music. There’s something for everybody.”
To get over a fear of the dance floor, Carter says sometimes “all you need is a bit of structure.”
“We’re learning the same steps and now you are building your own dance vocabulary that you can use with anybody, and it just takes a little bit of a nice posture and a bit of movement, and practising your footwork. It’s a lot easier than people think. Then it becomes addictive once you’re progressing, learning, getting better, and sharing it with other people.”
Carter says PTBO Ballroom helps students gain this practice by offering those “real-life situations” through the social events.
“You have somewhere to actually use it,” she says. “It truly is for everybody, so I want to encourage a space where you can dance with anybody and talk to anybody, and we’re all sharing the same passion for something.”
For more information about PTBO Ballroom and classes, visit ptboballroom.ca.
