Beginning in May, members of the downtown business community can add a health-enhancing dose of magic to the workday with a lunchtime class at Harold Cottrell's newest ballroom studio. The enterprise represents the realization of a long-standing dream for Cottrell, a devotee of both ballroom dance and the downtown experience. The new business will combine both passions in a way that creates an affordable, convenient dance experience for those living and working in the heart of the city. Goals include enhancement of the entire workday with dance: "Dancing is a healthy and creative way to get exercise or have a social experience," said Cottrell. I want people to be able to break up the workday with dancing, or to celebrate the end of the day with dancing. I've lived downtown for 30 years, participated in historic preservation, and walked to downtown events. This is my way of giving something special to the quality of living and working downtown."
Located in a 2,000 square foot space over Natasha's Restaurant on The Esplanade, the studio will offer 40 minute dance classes during the noon hour as well as classes beginning immediately after work. In accordance with the needs of the business community, the lunchtime schedule will provide participants with time to walk to the studio, take a class, and return to work within the parameters of the traditional noon break. A menu of light refreshments will provide convenient nourishment. For those participating in evening classes, the experience can be further enriched with dinner at one of several excellent nearby restaurants, a movie at the Kentucky theater, a carriage ride, or a stroll to (or through) the district's many distinctive fountains.
Group lessons, priced at $10 per class or $50 for a package of 10 classes, will hold down costs for the budget-minded and those aficionados who aspire to daily dancing. The teaching schedule will offer dances widely practiced in ballroom culture but also currently popular in social and nightclub venues throughout the wider community. These include Latin dances such as Salsa and Merengue', the Hustle, East Coast Swing, and the more recently developed West Coast Swing. Cottrell describes the latter as a versatile evolution in partner dancing well-suited to contemporary music venues that don't work with traditional ballroom. "After a certain age, most of us wouldn't think of dancing to techno or hip hop; West Coast Swing actually works with this music and the combination feels great!"
Cottrell believes that conditions are finally right for downtown and dance to meet. "I have wanted a downtown presence for many years, but the timing wasn't right. When I opened my present studio, hardly anyone was dancing in Lexington; maybe 50 people would come to the local USABDA dance each month. But now, shows like 'Dancing with the Stars' have helped increase awareness and enthusiasm. Dancing has become not only accepted, but expected on many social occasions, such as weddings, charity events, fundraisers, and graduations. It is much more fun to be able to participate at these events than to sit on the sidelines with two left feet. The best part of the trend is that the new interest is intergenerational, with lots of young people getting involved. There is truly something for everyone."
Long-term goals include dance teams made up of UK and Transy students, "night-out" events for local neighborhood associations, and a Sunday Milonga (Tango party) for Lexington's Argentine Tango community. Cottrell anticipates that the studio will have immediate benefits for adjoining restaurants, and may eventually facilitate his 10 year vision for downtown. "I know that dance will remain a lifelong passion for me. As I get older, I want to be able to walk to everything I love to do. I'd like to see our downtown become a mini-Manhattan, with all the great restaurants and the rich artistic experiences within walking distance. Our downtown already has a liveliness that many larger cities don't enjoy. I love this part of our city, and want to help it become even better."
Cottrell's studio venture dovetails with the mission of the Downtown Entertainment Development Task Force, a citizen's group invested in "re-purposing" the downtown area. Group spokesman Tom Martin identified "new century" economic trends already impacting Lexington, including the concentration of retail businesses in a ring of large malls surrounding the suburban area. "What's left for downtown Lexington is to become an attractive entertainment area, with clusters of entertainment-based businesses feeding each other through proximity. Critical retail, such as drugstores and small groceries, will follow this kind of development in response to need. Boulder, Austin, and Knoxville have already developed this model with tremendous success, and it has greatly enhanced quality of life in those cities."
Martin reports that recent meetings with a Santa Cruz consulting firm have identified the need to improve communications between various city departments and agencies and streamline the regulatory process to better accommodate startup businesses. The next commitment of the task force is to pave the way for Cottrell and like-minded entrepreneurs to create an entertainment Mecca in the heart of the city. The joint efforts of these visionaries could culminate in a place of distinction for Lexington amidst among other top-ranked cities in the quality of life hierarchy, with downtown dining and dancing an established way of life.
For more information contact Cottrell's dance studio at (859) 266-3966.