History of Ballroom Cafe

     Lorenzo Dawson, founder of Ballroom Cafe, has always had a heart for dance and the possibilities of what dance could do for the human spirit. Underneath that has always been an even greater desire to impact the lives of the next generation.

 

     In 1980, Lorenzo began working with 11-18 year olds as the director of a city-wide program for youth in Marietta, Ohio.  For the next decade, Lorenzo operated a drop-in center, worked with kids in trouble with the law, held year-round get-aways at a nearby ranch, and sponsored a host of activities and events for middle and high school youth.

 

     Starting in 1990, Lorenzo began working with kids and their families in Charleston, WV, adding music programs, holding block parties in disadvantaged neighborhoods, literacy coaching, counseling, teaching teenagers to drive, and substitute teaching in area schools.

 

     In 2005, Lorenzo pursued ballroom dancing, learning various dances such as merengue, rumba, tango, swing, cha cha, waltz, salsa, and others.

 

     In the summer of 2008, Lorenzo trained with American Ballroom Theater in New York City to be a ballroom dance teaching artist in public schools.  Miami was chosen for a pilot program as well as Roanoke, VA.  However, with the recession of 2008, the launch of Ballroom Cafe in Miami was delayed.

 

     In the Spring of 2013, Lorenzo began partnering with teachers, dancers, and dance instructors around the Miami area, working toward building a team of like-minded individuals who are excited about what social dancing can do to build confidence, self-awareness, and hope in the next generation.