One would be hard-pressed to find someone as passionate about the joy of partner dancing as Sandi Finci Solomon.
The soon-to-be 84-year-old’s unbridled enthusiasm for dance is contagious for anyone in her company. She has been committed to the art of dance her entire life and has made it her quest to share that knowledge and love with all generations.
Finci Solomon was born to dancing parents and by the time she was 12, she was performing dance routines with her father entertaining veterans at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. She became a dance coordinator for the cruise line industry and selected dance hosts and dance instructors that taught on ships that sailed around the world.
“Everyone is born with a gift and mine is dancing,” Finci Solomon said. “Dancing is universal. If you are taught the proper basics you can dance with anyone in the world who also knows the basics. Dancing is a wholesome gathering for all ages and is ageless. This has been my love, and I dance three times a week. After this pandemic, it’s time for people to get out and get back to dance.”
Paul Scribbas was one of those cruise line dance hosts and he was quick to praise Finci Solomon for her guidance and support. When the Plantation resident’s wife died, he was lost and despondent.
“Sandi is the one who introduced me to the cruise ship industry and once I started, I never stopped,” he said. “She made my life so beautiful and I was in the gutter after my wife of 40 years passed away. I did this for 18 years before COVID and the joy of partner dancing has been life changing. This has been the best thing that has happened to me and Sandi was the one who introduced me to this world.”
There are many more female dancers looking for a partner than there are men. That disparity does provide a male dancer some advantages.
“Most women love to dance and a man who dances will never be alone,” Finci Solomon said. “Let your heart feel your feet and let your feet tickle your heart and dance like no one is watching.”
The dancing queen splits her time between Boca Raton and her home in Boone, N.C., but her home away from home is spent at the Goldcoast Ballroom in Coconut Creek, which remains one of the premier ballroom dance destinations in the United States.
“I have a whole dance community that I am happily involved with and have been doing shows my whole life,” she said. “People love to dance, and it brings generations and families together, it keeps your mind and body active and slows down aging. Dancers are happy, smiling and welcoming. They are doing what they love to do. There is nothing better than the joy of partner dancing.”
Finci Solomon’s philanthropy has benefitted the art of dance in Florida and North Carolina where she has sponsored programs and dance events for Lees-McRae College, Appalachian State University and Florida Atlantic University students. Lees-McRae College renamed its theater stage the Sandi Finci Solomon Stage.
Her close friend, Allan Weiss, a financial advisor with Raymond James, attended her latest dance party at the Goldcoast Ballroom.
“Sandi has loved dance her whole life and even her car license plate is listed as DANCE,” Weiss said. “Her deceased husband Leonard Solomon built a ballroom in their house in North Carolina. I’m here tonight to support her love of dance. She is on the front line teaching students old and young and would love to keep this going for many generations. This ballroom at Goldcoast is her love and passion and is so important to her. She is an amazing woman with fire, energy and creativity.”
Finci Solomon and her partner Tony Luis hosted a dance and birthday party to celebrate her late husband Leonard Solomon’s birthday at Goldcoast with a couple of hundred people in attendance.
“Dancing remains Sandi’s greatest passion and she met her partner Tony here on the Goldcoast dance floor,” Weiss said. “Sandi has shared repeatedly that her favorite place in the world is the Goldcoast Ballroom and prefers an evening here more than anywhere else. Because Goldcoast has suffered financially during COVID, Sandi has chosen to donate a sizable contribution to Goldcoast in order to help them with their ongoing commitment to ballroom dancing.”
The Goldcoast Ballroom is celebrating its 25th anniversary and is open seven days a week under the management and ownership of Jeff Sandler and Vinny Munno.
There is a little bit of something available for everyone including various dance styles like West Coast swing, ballroom mix, Argentine tango, Miami style salsa, Friday night dance hustle, Latin and ballroom party mix, tea dance and country dancing, among others.
The workshops and classes are for groups and private lessons are also available. There are also social dance parties, disco nights and summer showcases.
Goldcoast features world-class guest instructors, coaches and judges who come to the ballroom. Levels range from the experienced dancer to the neophyte who is looking to brush up on their dance skills for any occasion.
“We opened on Dec. 25, 1997, on Christmas day to a packed house and continue to go strong today despite challenges like COVID,” Munno said. “I come from an extensive dance background and have been dancing since the age of 7 and was introduced to ballroom dancing by Jeff [Sandler]. Ballroom dancing filled a void in my life. Dancers like to come here three to four times a week.”
Goldcoast recently had its Ukraine Relief Gala with some of the top dance teams in the world performing. The event raised $21,000 for the Red Cross.
“We draw an eclectic crowd here and are blessed to have a talented level of instructors and teachers,” he said. “We have entry-level dancers and world champion dancers coached by former world champions. People fly in from other countries to come here to dance and learn.”
The capacity of the Goldcoast Ballroom is about 640 people. It is a multi-functional facility that attracts a diverse crowd of people.
“Sandi is very passionate about dance and I’ve known her since the early 1990s,” Munno said. “As an owner of a ballroom, I have witnessed people who stay active live longer and music is very therapeutic. That social interaction keeps people healthy. This is a great activity to keep people young and Sandi is a perfect example of that. She is very generous and remains an important advocate for us and a promoter of ballroom dancing.”
It is not unusual to have people celebrating 100-year-old birthdays at Goldcoast, which has been featured on “60 Minutes,” “Good Morning America” and was also a question on “Jeopardy!”
“We like all ages and getting younger people involved is the key to the longevity of ballroom dancing,” Munno said. “We still get the middle age retirees and what we offer is fascinating and alluring.”
Visit goldcoastballroom.com.
