VillageLineDancer.com

CHRISTINE BASS has enjoyed dancing and singing in local performances all of her life. As a teen, she sang in chorus and performed in gymnastics and cheerleading. She started line dancing in 1992. By 1999, she had competed at United Country and Western Dance Council events and become a Classic Line Dance Champion. She is the dance director and coach of the Sweet and Sassy Line Dance Team in The Villages and is the choreographer of many popular line dances, including Beer For My Horses and Company C. She has coached several successful competitors in Pro Am Line Dance and taught at workshops and seminars in the Southeast and Midwest. She teaches on Tuesday nights at La Hacienda Recreation Center and assists with a class on Saturday morning at Lake Miona Recreation Center. When she's not line dancing, Christine plays pickleball, golfs and spends time with her husband, four children and seven grandchildren. Two of her granddaughters are her students.

JEAN BREWER was a stay-at-home Mom for 27 years before going to college and earning degrees in elementary education and history in 1989. She taught school for 10 years before joining her husband Richard in retirement. They moved to The Villages full time in 2003. Jean discovered line dancing in The Villages. She is thankful for those who directed her to beginner classes and showed her dance routines at Spanish Springs Town Square. Jean started teaching three years later, when one of her instructors retired and asked Jean to take over the class. Today, she is a busy teacher once again, with three Tuesday classes, two Thursday classes and a Sunday class, all through the Recreation Department. She also teaches Thursday afternoon Ultra-Beginner (for those who are starting from scratch) and Ultra-Beginner Plus classes through The Villages Lifelong Learning College. Jean says line dance is the total package for mind and body. She tells her dancers, "Take no offense, but I taught first grade and I just love repetition!" Jean and Richard have three sons and four grandchildren, and enjoy traveling, golfing, playing hand & foot cards and spending time with family and friends. Jean also has been a genealogist for 45 years and still enjoys tracking illusive ancestors in her spare time.

HELEN HAMLETT spent 30 years working in telecommunications and moved to The Villages from Columbus, OH. She and her husband Rex were snowbirds for three years before becoming fulltime Villagers in 2008. She enjoyed watching line dancers on the squares, started taking classes and got hooked. Currently, she assists Shirley Lake with classes at SeaBreeze and Allamanda Recreation Centers. Helen enjoys taking pattern partner dance classes with her husband. When she’s not dancing, she plays golf and mahjongg. Helen and Rex have a son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren in Columbus.

JAN HILGENFELD enjoyed line dancing before she and her husband Dennis moved to The Villages in 2005, but she hadn't danced for a number of years. She was happy to discover many classes in The Villages to help her get back into dancing. She says she accidentally became an instructor when several participants in a class she took decided they wanted to practice dances they were learning. They started practicing prior to the class, and before she knew it, Jan was leading the session. She teaches a Giggles & Shakes class as well as a line dance class at Canal Street Recreation Center.

ROSE KNOSP grew up in Iowa and spent most of her adult life there. She worked as a nursing supervisor in a small hospital, where she was a "jack of all trades." When she and her late husband Al moved to Surfside Beach, S.C., she switched to part-time work at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach. That gave her time for some fun activities. She began line dancing in 1993. She enjoys assisting her twin sister Margaret with three line dance classes in The Villages, and is a member of the Orlando Magic Silver Stars dance team. Rose has a son living in Oklahoma and a daughter in Iowa, as well as two grandchildren, five stepchildren and 12 step-grandchildren.

MARGARET KOLL started dancing when she was old enough to dance with her father by standing on his toes. Margaret and her twin sister Rose took turns dancing with their Dad, and took dance lessons together while they were growing up in Iowa. Margaret started teaching line dancing in 1998 while living in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. She continued teaching when she moved to The Villages in 2004. Currently, she teaches at Colony Cottage Recreation Center on Monday and on Monday and Tuesday through The Villages Lifelong Learning College. Margaret has taught at the Altamonte Springs Workshop, the Myrtle Beach Shag Weekend and at Midnight Rodeo in Ocala. She and Rose have performed in several Magical Moments shows, and both are members of the Orlando Magic Silver Stars. They love to dance and they love life in The Villages.

SHIRLEY LAKE and her husband Woody moved to The Villages in 2007 from Williamsburg, Va., after having lived in 10 states throughout his career. Shirley enjoyed dancing all her life, but the only line dance she knew when she moved to The Villages was The Electric Slide. She decided to try a Giggles & Shakes class that was offered at a recreation center near her home. She was hooked immediately. When the instructor decided to give up that class in July 2008, Shirley took it over. She now leads "Exercise in Disguise" (a line dance exercise class) every Tuesday and Thursday at SeaBreeze Recreation Center in addition to a Beginner Plus line dance class at Allamanda Recreation Center on Friday. Shirley also enjoys playing golf and watching her husband play softball. They have a son and a daughter and four granddaughters in the Williamsburg area.

LYDIA LEDUC has been surrounded by music all her life as the daughter of a classical guitarist. She started line dancing in a friend's garage in 2004 and took classes through The Villages Lifelong Learning College. Lydia began teaching Basic Beginner classes at Lake Miona in 2006. She teaches Beginner Plus and Low Intermediate classes at Churchill Recreation Center on Fridays for the Bridgeport Pink Ladies, and even teaches a class in a friend's garage. She also is involved in Magical Moments as a singer and line dance choreographer, and in the Betty Ganz Make Someone Happy Troupe, where she sings and dances. Lydia served in the USMC and is a member of The Villages Marine Corps League. She also volunteers for Relay for Life, and although not a member, participates in the Sunset Rotary Club's Salutes to Veterans. Lydia works with visually impaired Villagers to teach fundamental line dance steps through Lighthouse Central Florida of Leesburg. Her love of music and dance has led her to the philosophy, "If you can walk, you can dance." Lydia and her husband Serge have four children and five grandchildren, and they are having the time of their lives enjoying an active retirement in The Villages.

DEBORAH LENZI has more than 18 years of line dance experience. She started teaching line dancing at Katie Belle’s in 1998 and taught at the club through 2003. In 2004, she became a summer line dance instructor at La Hacienda Recreation Center through The Villages Lifelong Learning College, where she continues to teach both Beginner and Intermediate classes. Debbie has enjoyed tennis, golf and horseback riding as well as line dance choreography. She has one daughter and two grandchildren. She says she finds line dancing to be a great form of exercise for her mind and her body, in addition to being a lot of fun.

MARLYN MARSZALEK and her husband Milt moved to The Villages in 2002 from Maryland, where Marlyn was employed at a community college for 27 years. Marlyn started line dancing in The Villages. After a year of taking classes, she was flattered to be asked to be one of the demonstrators in the Friday morning class at La Hacienda Recreation Center. She also began assisting another instructor, and found the experience to be so rewarding that she was motivated to become a line dance teacher. Eventually, she was able to acquire a teaching time at Lake Miona Recreation Center, and says she has loved every minute of it. Marlyn says, "I try to make learning line dancing a fun event, not a classroom chore. I find that a little humor is helpful and relaxing. I'm a very patient person and don't mind doing dance steps over and over -- just ask my students!" When she's not dancing, she enjoys golfing with Milt. They have one son who lives in Pennsylvania, and a grandson and great-granddaughter in Maryland.

LISA MCCAMMON took her first line dance class in 2003 and it was love at first vine! Eight months later, she was teaching four classes a week at three venues. A turning point came in 2004 when she attended her first weekend line dance event and discovered the amazing scope of contemporary line dance. In 2009, she directed the line dance portion of the Mississippi Show-Down, an ACDA couples and line dance competition. Lisa also is an occasional choreographer. She placed first in her category in the four UCWDC or ACDA competitions she has entered. She is an NTA-certified instructor. She teaches mixed level classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings from May through October, assisted by her husband Peter. Lisa and Peter moved to The Villages in July 2010. In addition to line dancing, they enjoy weekly R&B dance classes. They also golf and participate in several clubs and activities in The Villages. Peter has two sons and five grandchildren.

DARLENE MILLER started line dancing when she moved to The Villages from the Rochester, New York area in 1999. She took many classes and eventually began assisting in one of them. Currently, she teaches Saturday morning Beginner Plus/Low Intermediate and Intermediate classes at Lake Miona Recreation Center, teaches classes at Oak Run in Ocala and substitutes for several instructors both within and outside The Villages. Prior to moving to The Villages, Darlene was the postmaster of Marion, N.Y. and an active community volunteer. When she’s not line dancing, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, cards and games, movies, shopping and spending time with her husband Jeff.

LOLA MILLER was born and raised in Northwest Indiana and has been involved in music all her life. Lola was a professional drummer and singer for 30 years. She has always loved to dance and even met her husband Bob at a dance. He has been her biggest supporter. Bob carried her drums for many years and now carries her dancing equipment. Lola started teaching line dancing at their neighborhood social center when she and Bob retired to Venice, Florida in 2001. She organized a dance group that performed at community functions and private parties. The dancers had so much fun that Lola started a pattern partner class. Lola hadn't planned to teach when she and Bob moved to The Villages, but when she hears music she says she feels like the Energizer Bunny. She teaches Beginner Plus classes on Monday evening and Thursday morning and has a pattern partner class on Tuesday evening. Lola views music as the food of her life. When she's not dancing, she's on the golf course. She says the best thing about both dancing and golf is the wonderful people she meets.

BETTY MULLON studied ballet and tap dancing as a youngster and fell in love with roller skating when she was 11 years old. She studied with national skating instructors on Long Island until 1981, when injuries forced her to hang up her skates. As a substitute, Betty started square dancing, which she continues at the level 3B today. She took up line dancing when the wife of one of the international square dance callers started a line dance class. Betty began teaching line dancing in 1994. She taught at many locations throughout Long Island until 2003, while working as an executive secretary at Hofstra University. When she and her husband Bob moved to The Villages, she told him she wasn't going to teach again. But, as she says, "Never say never." Betty teaches Beginner and Beginner Plus classes on Wednesday.

JAN RAMSEY has been teaching country line dance for more than 16 years, including 12 years in The Villages. Jan taught at Katie Belle's for several years and also for The Villages Recreation Department. Currently, she teaches Line Dancing for Dummies and an Intermediate-Advanced class for The Villages Lifelong Learning College on Wednesday at La Hacienda Center. She frequently attends classes and workshops to learn the latest dances. Two of her dances currently popular in The Villages are Back Porch Paradise and Simple Matter of Love (choreographed for Norman Lee). Jan has teamed with Scooter the DJ to teach on several line dance cruises.

CAROL SIMMONS hails from England and divides her year between The Villages and the UK. From November to May, Carol teaches at Hibiscus Recreation Center on Monday and Pimlico Recreation Center on Wednesday. She also teaches at Oxford Community Center in Oxford from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Carol also hosts monthly line dance socials at Oxford Community Center. From May to November, Carol holds line dance classes in England, where she is a certified member of the United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts (UKA) and of the Best Western Dance Academy (BWDA). Carol and Sandra Speck have choreographed Hanging Out In Florida and Gotta Love To Boogie, and Carol and Christine Bass have choreographed Feet to the Rhythm. Carol says she started dancing almost as soon as she learned to walk, enjoying tap, jazz, jive, salsa and ballroom classes through the years. Her American mother (also a Villager) taught line dancing in Orlando, and Carol started teaching as a substitute for her Mom and got hooked. Carol also has taught at Midnight Rodeo in Ocala and at the Tampa Bay Classic. When she’s not line dancing, Carol enjoys clogging, playing the electric organ, golfing, bowling and dining out.

CHERYL SJOLUND originally is from Connecticut and lived in Mount Laurel, NJ for 17 years before moving to The Villages in 2006. She started attending Beginner line dance classes before she and her husband Swede were unpacked. Cheryl began ballet and tap dancing classes at an early age, and sang in her school's glee club and in her church choir. She enjoyed dancing in the '60s at clubs in Connecticut and New York City. Cheryl worked as administrator of installation planning at Bunker Ramo Corp. in Connecticut for 18 years and as a contract administrator in the adult evening education branch of Lenape Regional High School in southern New Jersey. She started teaching a Beginner class in 2010. "Repetition is one of the tools of learning and retaining a dance. I tell people that, if you are new to line dancing, it's as if your feet are learning a foreign language, and to give it six to eight weeks before you decide you don't want to line dance." In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys mahjong and golf. She and her husband have one son who resides in the Philadelphia area.