By Lisa Ciota, Education Guide and Exhibit Host
All photos by the author
What makes a place memorable? What brings a place alive? It’s the engagement (or dance) of people, time, and place. And if you’ve been at the CAC when exhibit host Dr. Anita Balodis is around, you know what I’m talking about. It’s quite a performance to watch as Anita – a competitive ballroom dancer — engages guests on the CAC’s dance floor. She warmly welcomes, gracefully interacts with, and adjusts her conversational tempo to our guests.
Anita is a people-centered person. You can see it in the energy, enthusiasm, and joy-de-vivre she shares with everyone she meets. A child of the disruption that was post-WWII Europe, Anita immigrated to the U.S. with her family from Riga, Latvia. Initially settling in Oregon, the family later moved to Washington where her father had the opportunity to work in medicine. Coming from a long lineage of doctors and dentists, it was only natural for Anita to become a doctor too. She went to medical school at Albany Medical College in upstate N.Y., but it was her residency at Northwestern – where she was one of just two female residents – that brought her to Chicago.
Following her residency, Anita moved to the western suburbs where she led her own family medical practice in Elmhurst for some five decades. Anita centered her practice around caring for the whole person, listening, educating, and treating her patients as individuals. Skills we also see her use with CAC guests.
About mid-way during her medical career, Anita embraced ballroom dancing as a way to live out her joy and relieve stress. She even attended a ballroom dance camp in England, where to her surprise and delight the instructors told her “she was no beginner”. It was during her dips, spins, and turns across the ballroom floor that Anita became interested in the CAC after meeting fellow dance aficionado and CAC docent, Jeff Zurlinden.
So, when it came time to hang up her stethoscope, Anita moved to the city and volunteered to become an exhibit host in 2018. Anita truly enjoys this role. She’s continuously learning new things, engaging with visitors, and enjoying camaraderie with her fellow volunteers. Be sure to look for Anita the next time you’re at the CAC. She’ll definitely lighten your step with her infectious energy and enthusiasm.
Great article about Dr. Anita Balodis. After taking my tours as a CAF member and noticing her knowledge about Chicago architecture, I commented ‘you should become a volunteer.’ Her response was that she already had begun the process. I too have noted her enthusiasm. at CAC. She brightens the room!
The article hits just the right highpoints of this joyous, articulate and energetic Exhibit Host. It’s always fun to work with Anita, but it is how she engages our visitors that is just amazing. Thanks Lisa for the nice story; thanks to Anita for being such a great greeter.
So happy that CAC recognizes Anita;s infectious enthusiasm. I met her in 2018 and both were VEVs when CAF was on South Michigan. She spreads joy and passion wherever she goes. Hope to see Anita soon!