By Marci Shatzman, Boca Voice
June 5, 2019
“Nothing scares me, but I’m petrified,” YMCA CEO Jason Hagensick said half-jokingly at a dance lesson leading up to Boca’s Ballroom Battle.
This was a true turning point for eight novice dancers who volunteered for George Snow Scholarship Fund’s biggest fundraiser.
After learning the essentials at Fred Astaire Dance Studio, they were told what their dance, the music and professional partner would be at the Sept. 20 performance.
“This was just the intro; I’m ready for the news,” dancer Diana Riser said at the final group lesson Tuesday. “They did an amazing job teaching us.”
The YMCA and Snow have people in common, Hagensick said about why he agreed to volunteer. Among them are ballroom alumni including this year’s co-chair Nancy Dockerty, Boca Voice publisher and Pinnacle Advertising CEO Peter Gary, Bell Rock Capital’s Jackie Reeves and his ‘Y’ predecessor Dick Pollock.
“This is way outside my comfort zone. I’m a big man with a big shoe. But I’m looking forward to doing this for a great cause,” Hagensick said.
Jody Saffert said his only dance experience was in clubs in his youth. “My first lesson, I bounced,” laughed Saffert, talent developer and leadership coach at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
Fran Nachlas was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader in 1998. Now a marathon runner, “I’m trying something new,” said Nachlas, a nurse who organizes a run for melanoma research in Boca every year.
Dancer Margaret L. Blume posted an image of her dance shoes on Facebook with this quote: “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.”
Here’s the link for tickets or to donate to a dancer. https://www.ballroombattle.com/
