“YES, DEAR, I REMEMBERED TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH.” The Goggins, shown here cutting a rug (swing style).

Skirts spin, hips shake, and shoulders roll seductively. “Slow, quick quick, slow, quick quick, slow …” repeats local dance instructor Karen Goggin, elegant and poised as her husband Dave spins her past the floor-length mirror of their dance studio.

The Goggins have been teaching ballroom dancing in Eau Claire for a decade, and I recently sat in on a rumba lesson for UW-Eau Claire’s Two To Tango Social Dance Club student instructors. Eager to learn, they watch and imitate, analyzing their moves in the mirror with critical eyes. It looks like hard work, but Dave and Karen make it fun. “I love the fact that Karen is more to the point and Dave is goofy. They play off each other for perfect effect,” commented student instructor Tessa Cash, flushed from her lesson.

The talented duo teaches lessons all over the Valley (including Chippewa Falls Voyagers Community Learning Center, UWEC Viennese Ball, Eau Claire Parks and Rec, and Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, where they rent a studio). Rumba isn’t the only thing Dave and Karen teach, either. From smooth dances like foxtrot, tango, and waltz to sexy Latin dances like cha-cha, meringue, and salsa to social dances like the nightclub two step, polka, and swing. They do it all.

Dave first got into dance while attending UWEC, where he took his first ballroom dance lesson. He liked it so much that after graduating in 1987 he started teaching at a local studio. Karen moved to Eau Claire the same year, and started lessons at Dave’s studio, never having danced before. “For some reason dance came naturally to me, and I learned really fast,” Karen said. Needless to say, Dave noticed. “We danced really well together. In fact, the first time we competed with each other, people thought I was the instructor and he was my student when really it was the other way around!” Now you can see them tearing up the floor at the annual Viennese Ball on campus.

When asked if they have ever injured each other while dancing, Dave responded with a sheepish grin, “I did step on her toe once. But really you have to defend yourself from the other dancers on the floor. It can get brutal out there.” Dave and Karen have even danced at the real Viennese Ball in Vienna, Austria! “It was lots of Euros, but it was worth every penny,” says Dave, grinning at Karen.

    In a society where the art of interpersonal communication falls prey to illuminated computer and cell phone screens, the Goggins teach much more than dance. “Not only is dance good for your health, it develops your social skills and confidence,” says Karen, “an art that has been lost in recent generations.”

In the roaring 20s, young people gathered at their local dance halls to waltz and swing onweekends. However, with the arrival of rock in the 60s, young people started dancing solo. This caused generations to lose the art of partner dance, replaced with dark and sweaty involving bumping and grinding. However, thanks to teachers like Dave and Karen, younger generations are starting to realize how romantic those carefully placed hands, stolen glances, and twirling girls can be.

“I’ve gained so much confidence that I didn’t know I had,” said Sheri berg, president of Two to Tango. “It’s fun getting comfortable with your body and knowing what to do on the dance floor. You can just let go of your inhibitions and have a great time.” Student instructor James Genac agreed. “Dance adds a completely different dimension to my life. Whether it be whirling around in a fairytale doing the Viennese Waltz, or pursuing passionate romance through Tango, feeling the emotion is probably just as important as technique itself.”

Eau Claire is a great place to get into the social dance scene. Dave and Karen recommend the Chippewa Valley Dance Club as a great local spot, otherwise check out The Red Parrot for some wild swing, The Moose Lodge, Heyde Center for the Arts, and, of course, Viennese Ball.

Dave and Karen are always looking for new students. From groups to private lessons, for the young or old, get ready to twirl for V-Ball or that wedding on the calendar. Check out DancinGoggin.homestead.com or give them a call at 833-1879.