Fun, Community Spirit Will Dance Hand-in-Hand at Ed Donkers' Retirement Celebration

Since Ed Donkers first started teaching ballroom dance in 1995 hundreds of couples have enjoyed the fun and health benefits of dancing along with the hilarity of his unconventional teaching style. Organizers of a dinner-dance on April 8th want to recognize Ed’s teaching career and mark his retirement. They will also be celebrating the remarkable $66,000 contribution to local charities of the Elgin Ballroom Dance Club.

Ed Donkers

"Ed has a gift for getting people, especially guys, started in ballroom dance," says club president Krista Burge. The popularity of his classes has meant high enrolment and surplus funds. Since it was founded in 2000, the Club (of which Donkers is the founding instructor) has made annual contributions to community groups, most recently Christmas Care and the Talbot Teen Centre.

Donkers began teaching dance at the Arthur Murray studio in London in 1995. He organized classes at the Dutton community centre for a couple of years, then taught at the Port Stanley legion until class size outgrew that space. In 1999, he taught at a St. Thomas elementary school for the Stork Club 2000 event and has been the teacher of the Elgin Ballroom Dance Club since its inception in January 2000. Now down to two classes a week at the St. Thomas Legion, the Elgin Ballroom Dance Club once ran six classes a week, 32 weeks of the year, with Donkers teaching all of them.

Burge notes that the organizers want the dinner-dance to be a fun party because “That is what Ed’s classes have always been about, having fun dancing. We're hoping lots of Ed’s former students will come back to wish Ed well. But also, members of the community and anyone who loves to dance is welcome.”

The Club’s spirit of fun will continue to dance hand-in-hand with one of community giving – they hope they will raise enough money at the dinner-dance to boost the charitable donations under Donkers.

The Dinner-Dance
Date: Sat Apr 8th
Time: 5:30pm; dinner 6:30pm; dancing 8:30pm
Tickets: $45 per person
Venue: Saxonia Hall
Address: 522 Talbot St W, Aylmer
Contact Phone: Kate Emerson, 519-768-1013
Email: kate.emerson@sympatico.ca
Website: www.facebook.com/events/377501352628420/

Top Photo: Ed Donkers, with Elgin Ballroom Dance Club treasurer Laura Callaghan and club president Krista Burge, hand over a $2,500 donation and a mountain of toys and canned goods to Carl Bagshaw of Christmas Care at the club's 2016 Christmas Party at the St. Thomas Legion. Photo by Erin Schulyler/Elgin Ballroom Dance Club