"Cupertino's Rick Greene was 19 years old and taking a short vacation after his first voyage with the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II when he decided to enroll in ballroom dancing lessons. He had enough money left over after buying his first car and wanted to be able to escort young ladies to dances, he said. So he learned how to dance swing, rumba and waltz."
"Eight decades later, in an interview just before his 100th birthday this past December, Greene said he still goes ballroom dancing three times a week. Though he can no longer do some dances the Viennese waltz, the quickstep, the samba due to what he calls a gimpy leg, he is still learning new steps from Robin Horn, his San Jose instructor of 37 years. Once I get on the dance floor, it doesn't bother me. Away I go! he said."
Rick Greene began ballroom dancing at 19 after a Merchant Marines voyage, learning swing, rumba and waltz to escort women to big-band dances featuring Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. He returned to dancing after his wife's death in 1983 and now attends dances three times weekly in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and San Jose. Greene cannot perform the Viennese waltz, quickstep or samba due to a gimpy leg but continues learning new steps from Robin Horn, his San Jose instructor of 37 years, and hopes to keep dancing into his early 100s. Bay Area ballroom dancing remains vibrant, with social, senior and competitive scenes.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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