I loved teaching line dancing to all music genres and I took a lot of criticism over the years when I introduced these dances and played this music at the C/W venues as some of them did not approve of other music being played. I would always fight to play and teach such dances as ‘Wipe Out ” by Beach Boys and Fat Boys, Chocolat’e ,Mambo no.5 and such. I was always pushing to break through with some of this music and whenever I did the floor would fill up.

Backstreet Boys were so popular and we wanted to dance to current pop music. I received threatening letters in the mail from KKK because I was told I was bringing diversity of music and people in to the CW bars. I was quoted by newspaper and magazine interviews and the more well known I became; the more threats. I did go to some police officer dance students of mine with the letters and they told me to ignore them; not to respond. Though they did escort me out to my car at night if I was alone.

I learned a dance by Max Perry, choreographer, to a country song with an alternative song suggestion. I could not get the music so I asked my brother, Charles in UK, to see if he could get it for me which he did. We were doing the dance to the country song and then when I got the music; I asked the DJ to play it. He refused. I took the cd to other venues where we danced and they refused to play it. Then back in my club, I told the D j it was country techno and he played it finally. I always remember the feeling as we did “Swamp Thing ” to “swamp Thing for the first time. The dance floor was on fire and the rest is history.

To this day, it is one of the most popular dances being done in all the CW venues. When I go to places and see all the kids filling the floor for this dance; I can’t help smiling to myself. I went through the same thing with Chill Factor the night I taught the dance in a club the DJ told me will never play that music here after you leave. Needless to say biggest floor filling dance ever in all our bars clubs dance venues. I feel a great sense of satisfaction that I was a tiny part of bringing some of this music and amazing dances to South Florida.

Keep Dancing, stay tune for more from Stella