tiny dancer...

 tiny dancer...

                           e. john and b. taupin

  Erin Abell grew up in Campbellsville, Kentucky.  She started dancing when she was two years old when her mom put her in a local dance class for kids her age. 

  That was the beginning of a dance career that would last for many years and take Erin to some top-level competitions.

  HUH?  What's up with that? 

  Erin is now married.  She and her husband, Joe, recently celebrated the arrival of Dean, their first born.  The three make their home in Louisville, Kentucky.

  But, let's go back to the beginning. 

  My mom enrolled me in a local dance program that practiced all types of dance, ballet, jazz, tap, she recalled.  I was two years old. 

  Apparently, you liked it because you stayed with it for over three decades.

  I loved it, she confirmed.  I was on a dance team from Elementary school through college.  We competed in the area except a couple times in high school when we went to Florida to compete in national competitions.  

  What about after high school.  Where did you go?

  I got my undergrad at Western Kentucky University, she said.  I danced there too.  I was a Topperette and was privileged to serve as Captain my senior year.  

  Let's clarify what kind of dancing we're talking about, Erin.

  The type of ballroom dancing I did was sort of like Dancing with the Stars, she related.  Each competitor had a coach/pro they danced with and the division was called Pro-Am.  She added, I usually say Ballroom Dancing because very few have heard of Country Dancing. But, that is more accurate to what I did.  

  So, Ballroom and Country are similar?

  Yes, except girls wear boots and the guys wear hats, she smiled.  And, of course, we dance to country music. The name of the organization is The UCWDC.  You can Google it and check it out.  

  After college, how did it come about that you traveled the country?

  As an adult, I found Ballroom Dancing and the studio that I trained with participated in regional competitions, she related.  We traveled all over the United States...Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, California, Texas, and a lot of other states.  

  When you would go to, say, Florida, where would you actually compete?  

  It was usually in a hotel, she offered.  We traveled for competitions and exhibitions.  

  Tell me about something that happened on the dance floor that was totally unplanned.

  We were at the World Championships in Nashville and I was dancing in two divisions, she remembered. Because of that, I had to dance each routine twice.  During one of the routines, my partner and I missed hands and that caused panic on my part.  

  I suppose that made for a bad ending.

 Correct, she admitted. The routine did not end well.  When it was over, we practiced on the sideline because I was afraid it would happen again.  

  So, Round Two comes up and you step out on the dance floor.  

  Yes, and the entire time I was dancing all I could think about was getting his hand. I became obsessed, she admitted.  And then, it happened again almost identical to the first time!  While it was devastating to happen there, not once, but twice, it was a lesson I carried to all my other competitions. We had done that routine hundreds of times before and after it happened and it had never occurred before or since. 

  Fortunately, that wasn't your only World Championship appearance.

  No, it wasn't, she recalled.  I won two World Championships in Pro-Am Divisions, once in Intermediate and one time in Advanced.  

  When you were traveling, how many of you would go to a competition?

  It could be anywhere from three or four to 25 other dancers and coaches, she said.  

  And. you did that for how many years?

  12 before I retired, she smiled. 

  You're only 39.  Retired is probably not the right word, but why did you change direction?

  Multiple reasons, she replied.  I had achieved all my goals and I was competing against women half my age.  Plus, my body was breaking down from all the years, and I had other goals I wanted to pursue.  

  How long ago did you make that change?

  My last competition was the World Championships in San Francisco three years ago, she recollected.  My last performance was at a local dance event, Derby City Swing in February of '18. When I walked away I was dancing in the Superstar Division which is the highest level of competitive line dancing. 

  That had to be an exciting part of your life back then.  Do you miss the glamour of traveling and being on stage?

  I miss the people, the socializing and the rush of performing, she claimed.  I do not miss the hours and hours and hours of practicing and the anxiety jitters before hitting the floor.

  You're juggling quite a few acts right now and they are totally different from your previous lifestyle.  

  Yes, I am, she volunteered. I'm a licensed pediatric physical therapist, but I recently had a baby last October and I haven't returned to patient care.

  Will you go back to pediatric care?

  At this point I don’t know what the future holds, she voiced, but I will be maintaining my license and continuing education to keep that door open.

   Since you left the dance floor, you've also opened a business too.

  I did. I'm co-owner of a Pure Barre Studio here in Louisville, she said happily.  

  How did that happen?

  My friend and now business partner, Tara, invited me to a class about six years ago.  I was immediately hooked, she admitted. 

  You've got a six month old baby and you are co-owner of a business.  That sounds challenging.

  Very much so because there are so many ups and downs personally as well as business, she voiced.  Sometimes I have a hard time celebrating the accomplishments because there is always a fire to put out.  

  Let's look into the ol' crystal ball.  It's 10 years from now.  What's Erin Abell doing? 

  Whew!  Who knows, she asked.  If you would have posed that question five years ago, I wouldn't have pictured this! But, I am open to the possibilities and opportunities life presents.   

  Coming up:  you will meet some more Encore Performers; celebrate a milestone, and;  we'll take on a huge environmental issue.

  As Erin was retelling her story of the missed opportunity during a World Championship competition, I was reminded of a quote I read years ago from dancer Fred Astaire, who said something like:  Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained well.  

  HUH? What's up with that?