Mama Ballroom, Cambridge

As a ballroom-dance teacher, Monica had already mastered the dance floor when she found out she was pregnant. Though the news meant she had to give up some of her larger responsibilities, she kept teaching up until a week before she gave birth and came back just eight weeks after, driven by her love of dance.

But her months of working during pregnancy had taught her something: dancing was social and active, which was “keeping her sane.” Not only did it improve her mood, the stimulation of dancing helped keep her child, Oscar, calm both in the womb and in his carrier. Spurred by her new experiences, Monica founded Mama Ballroom to share the joy of dancing with other expecting and brand-new moms. Monica’s one-hour classes impart basic steps and patterns in a variety of ballroom styles, allowing moms of any experience level to move to the music and ensure their baby’s popularity at kindergarten cocktail hours. Mama Ballroom incorporates elements of classical, Latin, and tango to teach students to sway to the sultry sounds of Sinatra, salsa, and merengue.