What started out as a way to overcome his shyness has left Anthony John with a full dance card.

The founder of Anthony John Ballroom Dance School can be found, almost every day of the week, teaching ballroom, Latin and line dances at various venues throughout Trinidad.

John, a former warrant officer and accountant with the Defence Force said he turned to dance and public speaking 42 years ago in order to develop the leadership skills he needed for his job.

He retired 15 years ago at the highest rank in non-commission officer department, and now teaches dance full time.

“Apart from being a very good sports person in school I never liked to be at the forefront. But when I joined the Defence Force, in order to take command and lead I realised I had to come out of the shyness, so I used dancing as an avenue, and public speaking as the second avenue. They both worked for me.”

He fell in love with the structured elegance of ballroom dancing because the rhythm and flow of the movements allowed him to express what words could not. He decided to develop his skills in the artform, and today he has a number of qualifications to his name, certifying him as the grand master of dance.

He has entered many local competitions, picking up a few wins along the way, the most recent being the 2024 Dancing with the Caribbean Stars competition. His partner was Petal Benoit, Minority Councillor with the Tobago House of Assembly.

“That was a fun experience,” he recalled, thinking about how far he had come from when he first started.

“Clyde Gill of Modern Ballroom Dance School was where I started,” he said.

“Then I became the assistant at Progressive Ballroom Dance School under the late Lennox Jacob.

“After that I went on my own. I also teach at primary school. I spent some time at Sacred Heart Girls RC and St Catherine’s Girls in Port of Spain, and I’m currently at Ascension Anglican Primary School.”

He is now trying to get permission from the Ministry of Education to do classes in secondary schools as well.

“We want it across the board; we want it in all school.”

But he does not only focus on children and young people. He and his tutors get the seniors on the dance floor as well.

“It helps keep the brain ticking.”

[caption id="attachment_1157144" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dance instructor Anthony John says he uses dance as a relaxing tool. -[/caption]

He said before he starts teaching, he makes sure to assess each student because people learn in different ways.

“Some people have to see to understand, some you have to talk them through it and they will understand.

“Then some people may have physical limitations, and, for example, I may want you to turn to the left, but your limitations may restrict you.

“So these are things I will need to know before I try to execute movements with you.”

His qualifications, he said, were acquired locally but through international workshops.

“Many people don’t know about these workshops,” which a quick message to the St Joseph-based National Ballroom Dance A