The parents of two grown daughters, Steve and Kris Gregg looked for a recreational activity to share. Life had become “intense,” they agreed, with the death of Steve’s mother and demanding work schedules.
Yet a journey that began with introductory dance lessons five years ago whirled the Delray Beach residents into the last place they imagined — first place nationally for amateur ballroom couples in the 2022 Fred Astaire Dance Studios World Cup Series.
“We were shocked and surprised and delighted,” Kris says. “It’s fun to be the student again at this stage of our lives. We’ve been married 40 years. I thought we knew a lot. When you dance together, you get these windows into your relationship when you partner up like this.”
At first, the mere thought of competition seemed like a stretch. Gradually, mentors urged them to try more ambitious routines, including one that involved pulling her through his legs and into the air. That action was called “the snake.”
It seemed like too much.
“I was afraid I was going to lose my grip and she was going to go flying off,” says Steve, 62, a former English professor turned university development researcher. “When the instructor suggested it, I was like, ‘nope.’”
Kris, 60, a former music teacher who serves as executive director of gift planning for the Florida Atlantic University Foundation, likes to compare dance to a familiar feature of her childhood and teaching days.
“Who wants to miss recess?” she says. “It’s the most fun part of the day.”
Step by step, they raised their game at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Delray Beach, where the owner-operators, Clifton Sepulveda and Mar Martinez, happen to be decorated world champions in cabaret.
A breakthrough came when the Greggs finished first in the 2021 City Lights competition in Aventura.
By early 2022, they led Astaire’s national leaderboard for amateur ballroom couples. They remained in the top 10 into the fall, despite curtailing competitive appearances somewhat after Kris injured her arm during training.
They applaud dance’s physical, mental and social benefits.
Steve echoes author Kurt Vonnegut: “Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.”