toledoblade.com --

It was a week for romance, dancing, and costume parties.

Latin romance was in the air Saturday night at Inverness Club for the 47th annual Sapphire Ball "Nights in Seville: Spain's Legendary City of Romance and Intrigue," presented by Chrysler Foundation to benefit the Toledo Opera.

The some 250 guests in elegant evening wear were dazzling. Especially ravishing were the ladies in gowns escorted by their gents in tuxedos, including Kathy and George Jones, Traci and Tom Schwann, Sandra Seiple, Marianne Ballas and Jim Maciejko, and Carol Greenberg in a sparkly green, form-fitting gown; she was with her husband, Carlos de Carvalho. Karen Fraker, there with her hubby, Carlton, said she was proud that she has been wearing the same sapphire blue gown with matching jacket for the last 10 balls. Bridget Kwiatkowski, there with her husband, Jeff, was lovely in a peach gown and matching shawl and necklace. Mary Ellen Pisanelli, there with Lou Tosi, was beautiful in a Vera Wang gown that flowed.

While all gussied up, it was fun for guests to visit the PhotoBoothLive to shoot their own pictures. Stevie Grand and Bob Lubell, owners, who donated the fun service for the event, were there too. Chuck Krueger and Jan Skunda jumped at the chance to pose.

ON THE TOWN: Boo-tiful balls, bewitching dances photo gallery.

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Also among the well-dressed group of all ages were Patrice and Lyman Spitzer, Bob and Linda Helmer, Freddie Osgood and Sherry Snyder, Gina and Rick Keesecker, Chris Knox and Tami Rockwell, Becky Furhman and Don Leary, Bob and Kim LaClair, Tas and Linda Blagg, Julie and Dirk VanHeyst, Dick and Shelley Walinski, Keith and Susan Burwell, Tim and Nancy Alter, Colleen and Mike Grady, John and Mary Fedderke, Celso and Lea Antiporda, and Elizabeth Foley, who helped with the evening.

Event chairman Greg Kopan, standing next to the grand piano, welcomed everyone. Ladies and gents mingled by the fireplace as they tasted tapas and sipped their favorite beverages. A flamenco guitarist added a special Spanish flair.

Candlelit tables were elegant with rich burgundy and peachy orange roses set low enough so as not to obstruct conversation. Dining on ensalada and a Spanish-seasoned prime rib dinner with Spanish wines were Tim and Maggie O'Connell, Karen Merrels, Ann and Joe O'Leary, Trent and Lori Smith, John and Judi Csomos, and Karen and Henry DeMain. Then palates were smoothed with a caramel flan with berries. Checking out the Toledo scene were Dennis Hicks and his wife, Barbara McIntyre, of In Toledo Magazine.

While dining, guests were given a tantalizing taste of what's in store for Carmen, which opens the Toledo Opera 2007-08 season. Adam Klein, who plays Don Jose, the tortured lover, impressed everyone with his tenor voice. Ditto for Adrian Gans, baritone, who plays the toreador Escamillo. But it was Audrey Babcock, as the fiery Carmen, who sashayed her way through the audience, flirting with the men. Mark Moser, there with his wife, Sue, gave her a standing ovation.

Arkadiy Orohovsky, there with his wife, Katya Atamenyenko of the Toledo Classical Ballet studio, said they are performing in Carmen, along with others from their dance studio. They were at Barbara Baker's table, which included Barbara Baumgartner and William Morris, and Heather and Ian Toner.

Tickets were steep: $250 a person for the black-tie affair, and that is among the top-priced tickets for area fund-raisers. But it paid off: The preliminary net is $75,000, but not all the totals are in. Adding to that net was the six-item live auction, headed by Ann Sanford. One package - "Fun in Your Own Backyard" - had everything from a Cedar Point visit to a weekend at Bartley Lofts downtown, a Mud Hens' game in a suite donated by the opera board president, Hussien Shousher, and a gourmet meal while sailing with Tim and JoAnne Kemper.

Also on the block were a vacation in France, donated by Ms. Sanford; a racing package, donated by Hal Nichols and Mid-Ohio Racing; a Bay Harbor golf getaway; a Brussels vacation, donated by former opera board president Peter Garforth and his wife, Valerie, and a stay at a Colorado dude ranch, donated by Ann and Steve Stranahan and Ottawa Hills Travel. Opera Guild president Barbara Brown presented the board a check for $3,000 on behalf of the guild.

Keith Hoyt sang Frank Sinatra tunes as guests danced to the Toledo Jazz Orchestra.

It's not too late to get tickets to Carmen, which starts Friday at The Valentine Theatre, says Renay Conlin, Toledo Opera's general director. She's been telling a few behind-the-scenes tidbits on her blog at toledoopera.org.

SLOW, slow, quick, quick. Ballroom dancing is back in vogue, especially with the movies like Richard Gere's Shall We Dance, and TV's Dancing with the Stars. Glamorous in its heyday, where celebrated hoofers like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray made dancing look easy, the style fell out of favor for dances that didn't really require a partner. Then, in the last few years, just like fashions, what was old is new again.

Dance is not just an excuse to get all gussied up, although it is nice to see flowing skirts and dapper tuxes. It's a great way to get close to that special someone and it's good for muscle strength, flexibility, and grace. A few years ago there was talk of adding ballroom dance to the Olympics.

There are several venues for learning dance, from studios to classes through community education and colleges. I learned from Arthur Murray's in Atlanta and Sarasota, Fla. Among the area dance studios that feature ballroom are the Ballroom Co., Afredo's, Brewer School of Dance, the Dance Clinic, and dance instructor Bill Miller. There's also the Black Tie Dance Studio in Sandusky, which opened recently.

Mr. Miller said he was taught ballroom dancing in the eighth grade by Marie Bollinger Vogt. When he was drafted during the Korean War he was a private by day, but a dance instructor by night at the officers' club.

And he's been teaching ever since.

Alfredo Horna grew up in Peru and his father was in the Dominican Republic Embassy. His parents were always at big fancy affairs, where everyone did the Argentine Tango, the rhumba, the samba, and the cha-cha. Mr. Horna studied civil engineering at the University of Toledo. Soon he began teaching friends to dance and others offered to pay for lessons. It was tough decision not to go back home, but as his father said, "If you love your job you will never have to work a day in your life."

So he started his own dance studio and has loved every minute. Mr. Horna said many of his students have gone on to start their own studios, including the Ballroom Company and the Dance Clinic.

Recently, at Sylvania Country Club, Alfredo's performed the Viennese Waltz for the Sister Cities event. At the studio on Saturday was the annual dance showcase.

If you want to learn to tango but prefer your own living room to a studio, The Gotta Tango book/DVD by Alberto Paz and Valorie Hart is set to be released next month. Call Human Kinetics at 800-747-4457 or visit www.HumanKinetics.com. Or the classic Arthur Murray's "Music for Dancing" record has a diagram for the fox-trot and the swing or jitterburg.

However, as a former ballroom dance instructor, I recommend a few lessons with a live instructor to get the sense of it all. Take a few lessons, then join an area ballroom dance club, or call Johnny Knorr and his Orchestra to find out where they are playing this winter. That way you will be ready for a Centennial Terrace summer, where there's an outdoor dance floor underneath a blanket of stars.

Until then, members of several area dance clubs have been tripping the lights fantastic.

•The Lamplighters Dance Club, formed in 1953, held its first dance of the season Oct. 12 at the Sylvania Country Club. Cocktails and dinner fueled the folks for whirling and twirling. Carroll Cannon, chairman, danced with his wife, Mary Ann, for nearly every song by the Nighthawks. Event chairs Betty and Carl Dorcas, aided by Carol and Jim Herman and Ruth and Allyn Rollo, were dancing all night, along with well-known dancers David and Bernice Young. Call 419-824-0129.

•The Cotillion Club, in its 66th year, held its annual fall fling last month at Belmont with music by the Weekenders. Event chairs were sisters-in-law Diana (Jeffrey) and Joan (Barry) Stephens. Barbara Burson is chairman. Call 419-666-0911.

•The Westchester Dance Assembly, formed in 1953, held its first dance of the season last month at the DC Ranch in Perrysburg with Joyce Hockeborne, president. Among those tripping the lights fantastic were Milo and Chrissie Danzeisen, Joe and Cheryl Schmidt, La Mar and Carol Boyer, Art and Bobbi Beagle, C.J. Miller and Lois Bender, and Val and Lois Cochrane. Call 1-734-854-7310 or e-mail jlhpeaches@aol.com.

BREWING up a dance or two were guests at several Halloween parties around T-town.

Simply spooktacular was the Haunted Halloween Happening for children Thursday at Belmont Country Club. Storytellers, games, face painting, and creepy food made for a frightfully fun time for the 120 adults and children. Gourmet burgers and petite sliders for the kiddies were especially popular.

Big kids had a hauntingly good time too. Friday night the Erie Street Market hosted its second annual Halloween bash in the Civic Center Promenade, with Johnny Rocker and the Hitmen. Decorations and ghost stories made it a spine-tingling time as some 800 costumed party-goers roamed a scene ghoulish enough to make one's skin crawl. Frightful evening aside, ghosts and goblins danced as they sipped spirits and feasted on food from Nick's Famous Hot Dogs along with some pumpkin ice cream for that extra chill. The event netted about $5,000 and part of the proceeds will benefit the Toledo Zoo. Costume contest winners included Chad King as Mr. Potato Head, Mark and Karen Brandt as the Couple from The Birds, and Kendra Tinney as Little Miss Muffett.

Catawba Island Club's Halloween party for children was Saturday, with a haunted elevator ride, a costume contest, games, a buffet lunch, and more.

Yesterday the Toledo Club hosted a children's Halloween party, as did other area country clubs. Have a safe and happy trick-or-treat day!

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