COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s been 12 years since an Ohio couple started dancing, and it’s been bringing them together ever since.
“We walked past Fred Astaire (Dance Studio) and we said, ‘Life’s too short — we’re going in,’” said Dale Deweil.
Deweil and his wife Vicki’s strict religious background strayed them away from dancing, but they took the leap of faith anyway.
“It’s like family. You get 40 of the closest friends you’ll ever have.”
But two years ago, Vicki was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“She’s going downhill very fast, and then with the COVID, you can’t see her for six months,” said Dale. “So when we got back in, she was unresponsive.”
That’s until Dale asked her to dance. In a video captured by the pair’s daughter, Vicki is receptive to Dale asking her to dance, jumping right into the movements.
“As soon as I got her in frame, she relaxed her hip and I went, ‘Oh shoot, she remembers this,'” Dale said.
The video made its way back to the couple’s dance instructor, Gina Synder at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.
“It was really heartwarming to see,” said Snyder. “I don’t want to call her the old Vicki, but the Vicki we all know and love around the studio.”
Fred Astaire is located in the Columbus suburb of Powell.
