Dance teacher, YMCA fitness instructor, dance club DJ -- if a common thread were to bind the zany life of Chuck Chazz, it would be high energy. In truth, he does not know what he wants to be when he grows up, but one thing is certain: Chazz feels music in his heart.

Find him at Hamlin House on Franklin Street the third Sunday of each month, where his Next Generation Swing Dance will next month mark 10 years of fast-stepping fun.

People Talk: Why do you dance?

Chuck Chazz: It's fun. It clears your mind. You watch people and everyone is smiling. It's weird, because it sounds like almost an escape, but it's not. More people should be doing it. You can be free from the noise and garbage in your mind for just a few hours. When you're dancing, you're not thinking about your laundry.

PT: How did you find dance?

CC: My mother taught me jitterbug. It was the late '50s, early '60s, and in the background Glenn Miller -- all the big bands -- would always be playing. I trained at Fred Astaire, and from there went to Arthur Murray. Little by little, friends were asking me to teach them. It just grew. I guess I don't ever want to wake up and find it's a job.

PT: What has dancing allowed you to do?

CC: First off, the people you meet. You actually know about people, for instance the couples. I know when they're having a rocky road, but by the time they leave they're happy with each other. Marriage counselors often suggest people take social dance because it's something you actually have to do together.

PT: A lot of couples have met at your dances.

CC: Yes! To my knowledge, seven couples have either married or are engaged. I joke because at the beginning it was a lot of singles, and now it's more couples. I think the singles are afraid that if they come they'll get married.

PT: You probably play a more important role than you realize.

CC: It's scary.

PT: And you teach exercise, too?

CC: I pretty much instruct them all -- step class, spinning. In fitness, if you hate me I know I'm doing my job. From the dancing end, if you hate me, I'm not doing my job.

PT: Which do you get more satisfaction from?

CC: Definitely the dancing. A night out dancing can burn over 500 calories. Even the slow stuff like a fox trot where it's almost like walking. Exercise and dance go hand in hand.

PT: Do you Zumba?

CC: I laugh about that because the dancing itself, I've been doing since '74. You're talking Cha Cha, salsa -- all of the Latin. I love doing Cha Cha. It engulfs me. Could I run rings around a class like Zumba? Probably, and you're going to get the real stuff.

PT: How did you become this wacky, eccentric nut?

CC: Enjoying life. I even like rainy, dreary days.

PT: Are you a Bills fan?

CC: No. I'll go if I have tickets. I'm not going to sit in front of a TV. I'll find something else to do. I'm wired.

PT: What do you do for fun?

CC: I've gotten a Chow, Elphaba, and I love walking her. You look at her and she looks evil. I rediscovered all the parks. It's peaceful, almost a serenity. In my car, I don't put the radio on. That's my relaxation.

PT: I bet you throw good parties.

CC: In my neighborhood, I'm known as the Halloween guy. I go all out for the kids. I give big Twix bars. My whole yard is a fright fest. It's insane. I live on a dead-end street, and my whole neighborhood used to be the Buffalo Cemetery. One year I did Willie Wonka. Another year I was Frankenstein. Last year I was the Mad Hatter.

PT: You're the Griswolds of Halloween.

CC: But I'm not tacky. Everything has its place. This year, the clowns are coming back with a vengeance. A lot of people have clown phobias.

PT: You must have loved Crystal Beach.

CC: Front seat of the Comet. I have a deck that goes around my front porch, and I'm trying to figure out a way to get those air jets installed, just like the Magic Carpet.

PT: What's your favorite movie?

CC: "The Wizard of Oz." I identify with all the characters. It's true: You need a brain. You need a heart. You need courage and a home. Even on Facebook, I'm the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow. I have three separate accounts.

PT: When are you at your best?

CC: I realize it after. There are many moments to it, and looking back you don't want that feeling to go away. We need the downs to understand the highs.

PT: What is critical to your happiness?

CC: Life. Maybe I'm doing too much yoga, but I don't dwell on the past, and I don't ponder the future. Stay in the moment. That's where I am.

jkwiatkowski@buffnews.comnull