2006, The Avalon Ballroom
Tea Dance with the Paragon Orchestra
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Jim was such a unique individual, for which I admired him greatly.  He was wicked smart with a grasp of the language such that a conversation with him could be both stimulating and delightful at the same time. Listening to him talk about his latest acoustical projects was always interesting. When I was a child, my father was chairman of music in a college undergoing the construction of a new concert hall, so my first conversations with Jim on the dance floor were about the acoustics of performance spaces.
In addition of dancing and technical consulting, Jim also had a real skill at making and maintaining friendships, and he was generous with his time and expertise with those of us who were so lucky. Once I had an inch of water in a room in my basement, and when I called him to pick his engineer's brain about the probable cause of this problem, he came to my house, examined the area, and then volunteered to help me re-grade the soil around the perimeter of the house where the water had apparently pooled. I once called him for ideas for mitigating the noise of a water heater in the basement, and he was perfectly happy to share ideas about that from his professional expertise.
In addition to his passion for dance, Jim was also a dedicated gardener with a particular love for dahlias. A porch conversation with Jim in the summer often took place behind a shady wall of climbing green beans, punctuated with huge dahlias. You never knew what Jim would be up to -- he had such a curiosity about how things worked in the world.
Jim's contributions to the dance community in Boulder cannot be overstated. These are big shoes to fill!Â
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Jim had so much to give throughout his life in his many roles...master organizer, musician, engineer, dancer, teacher...with this being just a sampling, and him, somehow, excelling in all of them. I met him in Boulder some 20 something years ago and knew him mainly in a dance capacity. He asked me to teach with him for a while at the Avalon, a delightful experience, as I got to see firsthand the delight on beginners' faces, when they suddenly realized they were dancing! Jim was able to break steps down, so that even those who were certain they possessed two left feet, could feel the joy of the dance. Jim leaves a huge hole in the dance community, and, of course, in many people's lives. I will remember him as someone who was incredibly generous with his time and talents, as he constantly strived to make wherever he was living a better place for all.
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i met him when i first moved to the colorado dance community; he was a sweet and kind person and a damned good dancer and dance teacher
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to his friends and family, deepest condolences;
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I was so shocked and saddened to hear from Richelle (Ricki) of Jim's recent passing. I'll always remember him as the strong, stalwart supporter and advocate of participatory dance in Boulder, without which Avalon would likely still be a dream. I much appreciated (and needed!) his patient pre-dance lessons and respected his ever cheerful bow-tied Ivy look and grin. What an ardent community organizer and Force of (Dance) Nature we have all lost!
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Jim is already greatly missed by the dance community, musicians, friends and family. He was always so welcoming at The Avalon Ballroom, and my band is really pleased to be participating in the Tribute Evening for our dear friend on New Year's Eve at The Avalon. With all his background in so many areas related to music, we were fabulously surprised by Jim's outpouring of praise for Espresso! in a performance at the Caffe Sole a few months ago. After a dance tune, he stood up and said to the audience "Isn't this a fabulous band? Where are you going to find better music?!" He just gushed, and we were all wildly flattered. I mean, the guy didn't have to do that but was generous enough that he did. I will miss his kindness, generosity and attention to detail in all aspects of life. A real loss to our community!Â
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In Santa Barbara, a couple of us started a "mini dance" for nascent contra dance callers and musicians. Jim would come and support our endeavors. It must have been around 1985. I was calling a dance and couldn't figure out why the dance kept getting off the musical phrase. After a breakdown, Jim said he thought the tune, Cherokee Shuffle, was crooked. Sure enough there was an extra four beats in the B part. I still have the image of Jim suggesting that, all of us counting through the tune, and learning a big lesson--at least for contra dance and traditional square dance callers.
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Many years ago at a Dance Week Jim taught a class titled  as Leading. He had men dance with men and it really assisted a man’s understanding. Many expressed that they learned that leading was not a firm hold but rather a firming up to clue your partner in on what change is about to come. Rigidity is not leading, it’s driving by pushing the partner around!  An excellent lesson.Â
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I am so grateful for the dance community that Jim created. His efforts greatly enriched my life.
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When we first moved to Boulder, Jim invited us to a gathering of friends at Thanksgiving. He was a kind and friendly guy. I appreciate all the love and energy he poured into building the dance community.
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Jim was a larger-than-life presence in the Colorado dance community as well as with lovers of nature. He glided seemingly effortlessly through life and on the dance floor. We will never forget the unique multi-course 1910’s meal he hosted at his home, or the ski tours we took with him - including bashing through a snowy forest when we lost the trail to the Jackal Hut. Even though we had mostly left the dance community after we had kids over 20 years ago, he still wrote us thoughtful Christmas cards. But most of all we’ll remember Jim’s grace, kindness and generosity at hundreds of dance events. We were deeply saddened at Jim’s untimely passing and we hope that he’s still dancing and smiling somewhere.Â
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1998, Ski hut trip, Colorado
Jim on a ski hut trip in Colorado
— with
Jim X Borzym
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1990, 10th Mtn Division Hut trip
Another grand day out in the Colorado backcountry
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