They are Masters of Dance

Published October 11, 2016

They left their children at home and their spouses in charge. Laundry was put on hold, shopping forgotten and careers paused for the weekend, all for a chance to dance one more time.

The Master Pro Dance Workshop, put on by the Cal State Long Beach Department of Dance, kindled long-ago dreams and revived memories for the roughly 100 women who once ruled professional sports sidelines with high leg kicks, spins and pom-poms. The dancers, all over the age of 30, took part in a two-day workshop, learning various dance routines and a camp dance.

For some it was like riding a bike. They showed off feathery jazz hands and perfect twirls. Others, though, couldn’t turn back the clock in a single weekend. They struggled with steps and missed turns, but laughed afterward.

“It’s been in my heart to get back into dancing. I enjoy it. I miss it,” said Kia Parks, 37, who danced for the NFL San Diego Chargers for one season in 2002. “I can tell you it all doesn’t come back 100 percent. You see it (routine) but doing it are two different things.”

Many of the former dancers who attended had performed with the NBA Sacramento Kings and Chargers. One instructor, Diane Bonds, is a former Laker Girls choreographer and others have worked with the NFL Rams, Boston Celtics.

Andrew Vaca, chair of the dance department, formerly worked with the Chargers and Kings. He has organized the fantasy camp the past several years as a fundraiser for his program. Proceeds fund future scholarships, he said.

The women, however, came mainly for the chance to recapture a bit of their youth and have a bit of fun.

“It is so inspiring to come into this room with all these women who have so much experience and knowledge,” said Candace Covington, 34, a former dancer for the Kings and NHL Florida Panthers. “It’s empowering and motivating.”

Leeann Ferry, 49, said getting her hips to swivel and feet to move is getting harder each year.

“It is like riding a bike but your brain-body connection gets a little rusty,” said Ferry, a former Kings dancer. “But when I’m here, being around my friends and dancing, I feel like I’m 23 again.”