Western dancers welcomed the holidays and said “so long” to 2023 at the Dec. 7, 2023, SBR Social Dance Club Western dance in the Sol Ballroom. Those dancers dressed in “something red or sparkly,” pictured above, were eligible for the door prize. (Photo by Bob Authur)
Janelle Authur
Ranch Western dancers dusted off their boots and donned “something red or sparkly” as they welcomed the holiday season and bid “so long” to 2023 at their monthly dance in the Sol Ballroom on Dec. 7.
Clear Country, a popular Tucson Country Western band, kept the dancers on their feet throughout the evening as they played their favorite classic country music. Eighty-plus dancers from the Ranch and SaddleBrooke crowded the dance floor and stepped out to all styles of Western dances, from two-step to cha cha, waltz, swing, three-step, partner pattern, and a few Western line dances.
The dance featured a special addition this month—a Western-themed photo booth designed and coordinated by Ranchers Paul and Kate Thomsen. Decked out with hay bales, a wagon wheel, spurs, ropes, and poinsettias, the photo booth was the perfect backdrop for dancers to pose for holiday photos in their Western finery. Many thanks to Rawhide Feed and Supply in Catalina for the loan of the hay bales!
All the monthly Western dances include a door prize, with entry requirements that change each month—such as cowboy boots, hats, jeans, or something in a specific color or pattern. For December, dancers wearing “something red or sparkly” were eligible for the drawing. SaddleBrooke resident Marty Herbert was the winner of the December door prize—a basket of holiday candies.
Western dances at the Ranch started in September 2021 when the SBR Social Dance Club recognized the popularity of Western dancing in Tucson. Since then, the club has brought some of the best-known and respected Tucson-area Country Western bands to the Sol Ballroom monthly.
Bands are already booked for the first quarter of 2024, with Anthony Taylor Jr. and the Good Ol’ Boys returning on Friday, Jan. 12, Wild Ride on Friday, Feb. 2, and Whiskey Riverdogs on Saturday, March 9. The Clear Country band returns on Saturday, April 6.
All levels of dancers are welcome at the dances and newer dancers are encouraged to “come on down” and practice their newly acquired skills in a friendly environment. Given the size of the dance floor, registration is limited to 90 dancers.
Don’t know how to Western dance? Come on down and listen to great music, or, better yet, take a few lessons and show off your dance skills at the next dance! The club offers Western dance lessons throughout the year, including the two-step, Western waltz, swing, and partner pattern dances. Lessons will start in late January 2024. For details on dances and lessons in 2024 and/or to register, go to the club’s website at www.sbrsbdc.club.
Information on the dances and lessons is emailed directly to club members and those on the club’s mailing list. It is also on the club’s website and in the Ranch Reminder and Ranch Events weekly newsletters.