President’s Letter

May 5, 2025

Hello to our members and friends of BDD—

If you couldn’t be at our April dance, we missed you. Doc Gibbs was outstanding and pumped the room with energy and fun. And, it was great to have Elaine Hewlett help us to refine our swing steps. Kudos to both, and kudos to all who joined us that evening despite pending bad weather.

This month, we will highlight another new board member, Peter Hjelm, who oversees Programs and Entertainment. Peter was raised in Sweden and moved to the US in 1996. He is a Telecom and IT engineer and spent his first two years in Washington, D.C. as an Assistant Technical Director Attache at the Swedish Embassy. As a child, Peter enjoyed watching the musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; this inspired him to take ballroom dance lessons, which later led him to teach Waltz and Foxtrot before coming to the States. Peter says he got involved with the Board for BDD because he had a similar role previously and wanted to continue using his expertise. Thanks, Peter, for the time you give to be sure all attendees have fun.

Our next dance will be a Glitz and Glam theme, so get ready to bring out your sparkles for May 17. This month we will welcome a new band, Colman Burks and his Burks Works Quintet. Dana Vonn will teach Foxtrot from 7 – 8, so mark your calendar now and plan to be there.

Oprah Winfrey said, “Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance.” So don’t miss this opportunity to do just that on May 17.

See you there!

Linda