While still in their adolescent years, John and Julie appeared to be dancing their way through life, among glamour, glam, and glitter. Having established a business in Texas that included their own dancing studios, the Texas couple and their pupils were frequently called upon to perform on stages around the country, competing in national competitions that attracted light-footed competitors from all over the world.
Life, on the other hand, was not always a stroll through the park. "It didn't provide any kind of security," John recalls. When Julie says, "We loved to dance, but if I broke my leg or experienced any other accident, I couldn't perform, and I had no time for my wife or my family." "We worked such long hours that we couldn't have any type of home life," she says. When John recounts his early days in the dancing business, he says, "we'd come to the studio at noon and teach until 11pm." He continues, "There were no residuals. We'd start the year at zero and end the year at zero. We were trading hours for dollars with no end in sight." The men donned tuxedos with white bow ties and tails, while the women wore long, sequined costumes for ballroom dancing. Costumes for country-western dance, disco dancing, and other styles shone brightly in the spotlights thanks to the use of sequins and feathers. The competitions were held in Madison Square Garden on several occasions, and they were consistently ranked among the top ten independent dance studios in the country in terms of first place students. But during the early 1980s recession, the cyclical business of dance suffered, causing "all kinds of struggles," recalls John. We had no sense of security when it came to the dance profession. However, this is a whole different way of living. Everyone comes together and lends a hand to one another. It's a people-helping-people business that is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Moreover, it continues to improve with time! "
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