Introducing: Mr. Tom!

Okay, this one's kind of a cheater Meet the Teacher, since Tom is part owner of the studio and has already been teaching here since the beginning, and oh yeah, is also my husband, but he's teaching more this year, so I figured he was worth a blog post. plus it gives me time to plug our new classes that he's teaching!

I first met Tom in 1995, and on a random whim invited him to a ballroom class I had attended only once (with my parents). He was an engineering student at Northeastern University at the time, and agreed to go only because he liked me, and then he wound up actually enjoying himself. Over the years he has danced and competed with the Northeastern Ballroom Dance Team, studied at private ballroom studios, and taught at several studios as well. Until we opened The Dance Barn, this was sort of a side hobby, although one he loved, but when we opened the studio it was a no-brainer that he'd teach some ballroom here.

Thus our Social Dance Night was born! You can read more about it here!

Last year, in response to some requests, we offered a short term of Kids' Ballroom. Although we had a small turnout, the kids who took the class loved it and Tom enjoyed teaching them. He was amazed at what a different experience it was to teach kids versus adults, and we decided to offer the class for our full season this year.

In addition to Social Dance Night and Kids' Ballroom, Tom will be teaching Boys' Creative Dance this year. I am incredibly excited to be offering this class. I have noticed over the years that in general, there is a difference between the ways that boys and girls learn, particularly when they are younger. I have always wanted to build a boys' dance program, but have found that many parents don't even consider registering their sons for dance, and those that do sometimes worry about them being the only boy in class. I am hoping that by offering a class just for boys, that we can tailor the class to boys' learning styles while providing them with an environment that makes boys taking dance seem entirely normal. I think having a male teacher will help the boys relate to men dancing in a direct way.

Tom's bio is available on our website, and I will re-post it below. You know, just in case I haven't given you enough information above!

*************************************************

Tom Silliman (Mr. Tom) began dancing when Kelly brought him to a ballroom dance lesson in 1995. He joined the ballroom dance team at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, from which he holds a BS in electrical engineering. During and after college, Tom (and eventually Kelly) participated in ballroom dance competitions around the New England area. Throughout his career as a Systems Administrator/IT Manager for various companies, Tom has continued to dance and teach ballroom and social dancing professionally, including working with couples to choreograph wedding dances. Tom and Kelly last performed at First Night in Charlottesville 2007. Having recently left the corporate world, Tom teaches social dancing at The Dance Barn and heads up the adventures in farming at Sweet Dog Farm.