|
"I remember dancing in Arizona when I was in junior high school," Marlene recalls. "We did a waltz exhibition in a big stadium in front of 5,000 people. We were scared to death, but the show went on and we loved it." Marlene didn't become professionally involved in her favorite hobby until after her children were born, but she clearly remembers the night she took that first step toward her future career as a dance instructor. "I was at a wedding reception, and while I watched all those people doing the cha-cha, swing, fox trot and waltzes, I realized I wanted to become more involved in the hobby." Soon afterward, Marlene joined a dance class and it wasn't long before the instructor recognized her talent and began using Marlene to demonstrate. And then it happened - a representative of Arthur Murray Studios saw Marlene dancing one night in Torrance and when he learned of her aspiration to become an instructor, he offered her a job at his studio. The following week, after only six hours of instruction, Marlene was given her first class of students at Arthur Murray Studios. "I was scared to death," Marlene recalls,"even though the class consisted of only 3 students - a brother and sister and an older gentleman." After a one-year apprenticeship at Arthur Murray Studios, Marlene decided it was time to move on and begin teaching on her own. "Two of the best things Arthur Murray Studios did for me," Marlene said, "was to force me to learn how to dance the man's part in every dance I teach, and how to relax in front of people and make dancing fun for everyone." Marlene is a member of the National Teachers Association and was a featured speaker on the subject of "How to Develop a Following" at their first annual California conference. Her name is synonymous with the word "dance" and she is admired and respected by thousands of students, past and present, who have benefited from her special brand of instruction. Marlene currently teaches at dance clubs from Temecula to Palm Springs, and provides private lessons in and around Southern California. |
|
|
Marlene's dance training began when she was
only three years old and has continued without interruption throughout her life.
During those younger years, Marlene and her sister, Marcia, learned nearly
every venue of dancing imaginable, including tap, modern, square dancing, country,
ballroom and ballet, and were soon performing recitals and exhibitions that
continued through their years together as teenagers.