Charles Bazydlo is a man with a talent for figuring the complexities of the law. He has been active in project development, municipal law and environmental law in a career spanning 15 years.
Bazydlo, this time very much in harmony with his wife Ingrid, also has a talent for figuring far different complexities: those of the tango, the fox trot, the rumba and especially the waltz in a career spanning six years.
Bazydlo, 50, lives in Crawford and is the town attorney for the town of Montgomery, counseling the town board and town zoning board in legal matters. He also has a solo practice which gets involved in thorny legal issues regarding developing projects. “I do sort of multidisciplinary law, involving complex projects where you may have to get local, state and federal permits,” Bazydlo said. “I often do land development (law) where you need those multilevel approvals.”
He said New York is a challenging, but usually rewarding, playing field to practice his specialty. “New York is a complex state to do land use law and development law and has gotten more complex in the last 15 years,” he said. “But it does give a real opportunity for officials and the public to have input on projects. That leads to New York having a lengthy process, but it can lead to better projects.”
The law is only one aspect of Bazydlo”™s life. Another aspect: “Ballroom dancing absolutely” is a passion he shares with his wife Ingrid. Â
They came to dancing again, after confronting a problem parents often face. “My daughter had gone away to college,” said Bazydlo. “We were kind of empty nesters so my wife and I thought we should take up a hobby.”Â
They had last taken ballroom dancing lessons when their daughter Jennifer, who is now in law school, was 5 years old. “We had sort of lost it,” Bazydlo said. Â
So they took lessons again and fell in love with different ballroom dances. The dancing bug has bitten so hard that now, after six years, they will drive up to two hours from their home for a chance to dance. They still take lessons once a week and will attend ball room dance festivals. And, Bazydlo said laughing, they even watch the popular television show, “Dancing with the Stars.” “We were into ballroom dancing long before that show was on, but we do enjoy it,” he said.Â
The Bazydlo”™s are now “on the verge of possibly trying competitions,” he said. “That”™s the next level you move into. We”™re getting there.”
How to dance is not only what feels right, he said. “There are set standards to how these figures are done and the judges look for the details of it,” he said, noting the standards were as straightforward as they are for “Dancing with the Stars,” involving proper foot placement and proper partner hold.
But even competitive dancers need to work on the basics. “You are always able to pick up new steps, they call figures,” Bazydlo said. “You never learn them all. You keep going back and define your basics all the time. It”™s very much like a sport, like a lifelong pursuit of golf and tennis. You can always get better.”
But ultimately there is a simple reason why he pursues the passion of ballroom dancing. “My wife and I really like dancing,” Bazydlo said.
