CINCINNATI — More people are headed to the dance floor since the pandemic began and they are trying a different style of ballroom dancing.

What You Need To Know

  • Many are trying an urban ballroom dance called "Detroit Style" but in Cincinnati 

  • Greg and Kathye Norman met through ballroom dance and are now teaching others 

  • The couple started "Let's Dance Academy" and are seeing an increase in dancers since the pandemic

Kathye met Greg Norman when he asked her for a dance. 

“When I had her on the dance floor and I was dancing with her, I said 'do you have anybody special in your life?” Greg Norman said.

Eight years later, they were married. 

“We just continued and went on from there and have been together ever since,” said Kathye Norman.

Dance is one of the things they spend a lot of time doing together. The dance they fell in love with is a type of urban ballroom dancing called "Detroit-style," but done in the "Queen City," not "Motown."

“It encompasses a wide range of styles that includes your waltz, it also includes your salsa, and your fast dance that comes out of Detroit,” Kathye said.

"It’s (Detroit-style fast dancing), a swing dance which derives from the 'Lindy hop,' the mother of all swing dances that comes from the African-American community," Greg said.

The couple now has more than two decades of dancing experience combined, and as interest grew, they started teaching it, and opened “Let’s Dance Academy.”

This is the first month of classes they’ve had since the pandemic began and they say more are signing up and coming back like Annette Coleman and her partner Elbert Lewis.

“I’m not a great lead yet, but I’m working on it,” said Lewis.

They’ve danced their way back to class after a year away.

"I’ve always wanted to do ballroom dancing because my dad did it,” said Coleman.

As more dancers join in, the couple who started the class, say they may add more classes to teach what helped them find each other.

“We love dancing,” said Kathye.