stella face

part 18

When Dave and Bonnie returned they asked how it went and I told them I think I did OK.  I loved every minute of it I was happy to see them and continued dancing and learning from them. Shortly after this my husband and I started to learn couples dances from Connie Carol, who was the couples dance instructor for many years at Davie Junction primarily. She was a fantastic dancer and teacher and kind of intimidating. George decided to start taking 2 step lessons though he had never danced a step in his life. I am sure it was because I started dancing with some of the local cowboy’s at Davie.

He was scared of Connie at first but she took to George and helped him a lot during the lessons.  They seemed to connect and before long to everyone’s surprise became one of the best students. He could remember and lead all the sequences and was smooth on the floor. Before long he became one of the most popular cowboy’s with the ladies who lined up to dance with him all the time. He would wear his Stetson boots and shiny belt buckle and just charm the ladies on the dance floor. I was so proud of him and loved dancing with him, which sometimes meant I had to wait for my turn too.

I loved 2 step and then did some East Coast Swing, Cha Cha and Waltz in couples classes with Connie. I became a substitute teacher for Connie teaching couples classes when she could not be there and George would work with me showing the guy’s there lead, we formed a friendship with Connie that we have had ever since almost 20 years now. I Love You Connie

Soon after teaching Line Dance for Dave and Bonnie people started asking me was I teaching again or was I teaching anywhere. Many asked if I would consider teaching and they gave me the incentive to look for a place to teach my own classes. .  A friend of mine, Donna suggested I go out and find my own teaching gig somewhere. I was given my first chance to teach at Club South Beach which was out in the middle of nowhere and an unknown, but  I was able to build a small strong chore group of dancers in the short time the club was open.

We heard about a place that opened called Pure Country in Broward County so we started going there and loved it. One night Donna asked the managers if they would let me teach a line dance class there and they said yes. She was a good talker and like an agent she really talked me up and convinced them to let me try one night. Thanks Donna for being my first promoter.

It was a great club filled with hard chore dancers who loved to be challenged and learn lots of new dances and we debuted some of the dances done to local musician’s songs that became classics, and are still being danced today. I was filling the floor every night with new younger generation

I started on week nights and the floor started to fill up every week more and more till they gave me weekends and eventually I became the Pure Country line dance instructor.