MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE?

THE LOVE STORY OF Lake Bluff ’s Stephanie Russell and Alan Lindquist has the makings of a really good romcom.

They met on a dance floor—on Valentine’s Day—and have been dancing ever since.

“It does make for a great story,” says Russell, the outgoing president of the Town Club. “But it was truly our love and mutual interest in dance that brought us together.”

Russell first took classes in Argentine tango after moving to Chicago to accept an editorial position in the communications department at Northwestern University.

“I enjoyed dancing and thought it would be an interesting way to meet people,” says Russell, former editor of Northwestern Magazine. “It worked out well for both of us!”

Fast forward to today, the opportunity to dance traditional ballroom in front of a live band has become harder and harder to find.

“Many of the big city hotels that were famous for their dance floors eliminated them all together, or reduced them down to almost nothing,” Russell says. When the legendary Willowbrook Ballroom, a favorite destination of Russell and her husband burned down in 2016, Chicago lost its last great dance hall. It felt like they had lost a best friend.

So, one night, Russell’s husband did a google search for ballroom dancing on the North Shore and came across a Facebook page for the Town Club, a private social club committed to preserving the art of ballroom dance. They contacted the club and were invited to attend a dance in Kenilworth.

“It was a magical evening,” she says. “Everyone was dressed in long gowns and tuxes and we waltzed, foxtrotted, and cha-cha-ed the night away. We were welcomed with open arms—on and off the dance floor.”

Founded in 1914, the Town Club provides an opportunity for people who love ballroom dancing to live music to gather. The club has operated continuously through two world wars and now, two pandemics— influenza in 1918 and COVID-19 in 2020.

“It meant so much to connect socially with club friend during COVID,” says Russell of the virtually held dances in 2020-2021. “Over Zoom, we were able to have our dances online and stream live bands and even hold a lesson beforehand. Alan and I had just moved to Lake Bluff in 2020 and didn’t have any furniture in our living room, so we would dance in there. We would get dressed up and still dance with the club. It wasn’t the same, but it was the best we could do.”

Today, the Town Club hosts six dances a year at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall. Each dance is planned with a theme, by a committee formed from the club members, where cocktail attire is encouraged. The club currently has 36 members from all walks of life, from all over the world, with varying degrees of dance proficiency.

“Our members’ love of socializing and dancing is really the common bond,” Russell explains. “And it’s our commitment to having these six dances annually that has created long and lasting friendships among people who may not have otherwise met.”

So that no one member is charged with all of the planning, members are assigned to a committee to handle all of the logistics for a specific dance. Members choose a theme and work together to provide decorations, appetizers, desserts, and invitations to their dance. Town Club has held dances at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall since The Prairie School building, designed by renowned architect George W. Maher, is known for stain-glass windows and beautiful narrow-planked hardwood floor that ballroom dancers treasure.

The program for a dance is as follows: A reception and receiving line begin at 6:30 p.m. Dinner starts at 7:30 p.m., and dancing lasts until 11 p.m. And while a significant other is required to attend a dance, partners are not seated together in order to create a more social atmosphere. The new dance season kicks off in October with the Steve Cooper Orchestra providing the music.

“We really are all about having a good time and getting better at dancing,” says Russell. “We would love to add some new members to our dance card this fall.”

For more information about Town Club and how you might become a member, email [email protected].