Answers from Kathy Hunyadi
Where were you or what did you see that made you say, "I want to do that!!"
About 15 or so years ago I was recuperating from back surgery and knew I needed to start exercising, country music was big and line dancing was in. I asked a friend of mine to go with me and learned the Tush Push to "Push It "by Salt n' Peppa and decided this was going to be different! (So much for Country music!)
How did you get started with dancing?
I met Alan Kohn at several venues where he was the DJ. At this point I was dancing 4-5 nights a week. He asked if I would be interested in teaching as a fill in and I said yes!
What made you want to continue?
I really enjoyed the teaching part of dancing. Then I learned a Max Perry dance and was very excited to hear he would be at a dance weekend. I was smitten and in awe of how smoothly he danced and taught. I new what I wanted ...
What type of dancing/teaching do you do?
Mainly line but I am really getting into ballroom
What dances have you choreographed that you are most proud of (because I know some of you will have a zillion of them)?
Now or Never, Slow Burn with John Robinson, Shake Yourself Loose
What has been a real thrill for you related to dancing?
The traveling! I have seen so many places around the world. I know I would never have been to so many different countries if it weren't for the dancing.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of dancing?
I love to knit and decorate. Poor Max never knows what he will come home to if he has been away! I also love to cook but rarely find the time.
Where do you consider "home"?
Well, I was born and lived most of my life in Connecticut. New England is one of the most beautiful places in the US. But right now Florida feels like home and I love the heat!
What type of job do you do or dream of doing (if you would like to share it)?
My dream job would be to win the lottery and not have to work at all! But I love teaching dance. I currently hold down a full time job as as a Document Image Technician Supervisor at one of our local hospitals. I used to be a R.N. so my medical background has been useful
Share information about your family (if you would like to share it).
I have 2 children...Kari who lives in PA and Rick who lives in CT. They are the best children a mother could ask for and both work in the outdoor education field.
Who have been mentors in your dance career?
Without hesitation Max Perry. He has taught me so much in the last 11 years about dance and life in general. It has been a wonderful ride. I also admire Jo Thompson and consider her a close friend.
Just give us a general overview of you as a person and a dancer.
I hope that over the years I have improved with my choreography and my teaching skills. I strive to improve every time I put out a new dance. Hopefully I will continue to teach and choreograph for a long time. As long as people are dancing and having fun it makes my job easy!
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Answers from Max Perry
Where were you or what did you see that made you say, "I want to do that!!"
I had been a ballroom teacher for a number of years and decided to take a break from the dancing and try another job. I was living in Las Vegas at the time(early 90's), training photographers for all of the Wal-Mart portrait studios in the area, and went to a country nightclub and saw line dancing again. I had done some line dancing in the early 80's as part of the promotion for the movie "Urban Cowboy", but had not seen it since then. I really enjoyed seeing what it had become and decided to try it.
How did you get started with dancing?
In 1976 I left college and moved from Mattoon Illinois to Detroit Michigan, and was looking for a job as a music teacher. I answered an ad in the paper that was looking to train dance instructors, so I applied. I thought that since I knew a lot about music the job would be easy - I was wrong!
What made you want to continue?
When I was younger and living in a small town, I had gone as far as I could go with music lessons (piano and organ). To go any further would mean traveling to another city to find a teacher that could teach me anything else. Since we did not have the money to do this, I had to stop taking lessons. When I started dancing, I really enjoyed the training and decided I would stay with it and learn as much as I could and see how far I could go since I now had the opportunity to do in dance what I couldn't do with music.
What type of dancing/teaching do you do?
I teach ballroom dancing and line dancing.
What dances have you choreographed that you are most proud of (because I know some of you will have a zillion of them)?
The short list would be: Swamp Thang, Jose Cuervo, Blue Finger Lou, This Will Be,
Honky Tonk Twist, Jai Du Boogie just to name a few.
What has been a real thrill for you related to dancing?
I get a real thrill when I see people doing my dances. On a professional note,
It was nice to be recognized by Linedancer Magazine with several awards, and ultimately to be inducted into the Line Dance Hall Of Fame as one of the first members.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of dancing?
I would say that at the moment I enjoy movies and decorating/home improvement
As the other activities I enjoy.
Where do you consider "home"?
Ocala Florida has been home for the past 3 years.
What type of job do you do or dream of doing (if you would like to share it)?
I feel like I am doing my dream job. I really can't think of anything else I would want to do, unless it involved being creative in some way.
Share information about your family (if you would like to share it).
I have 3 younger brothers - 2 of which live in the Cincinnati/Noirthern Kentucky area,
1 brother in Phoenix. Many relatives still in Illinois and Arizona.
Who have been mentors in your dance career?
Probably my number one mentor would be Chuck Bannister - he was the first US open hustle champion and an extrordinary choreographer who sadly passed away more than 15 years ago. The other mentor is Sam Sodano a fantastic coach and choreographer who organizes the Ohio Star Ball - this is the event where the championship ballroom dancing on pbs is filmed. Sam was the coach who originally taught and tested me when I received my "Master Examiner" designation in 1982. |
