Susan Marolda
by Ron Bess
|
|
Four leaf clovers, rare black diamonds are some of nature's wonders. Add to the list, "Dance Gems." Their brilliance is ever lasting, a special breed. As an accomplished performer/competitor, Susan Marolda can still light up the dance floor. The beauty in her dance is an extension of the beautiful, warm person from within. Today, dancing, for Susan is just for fun. But there was a time when it was 24 - 7. At the tender age of 3 and a half, her mother enrolled her in ballet, tap & jazz. By seven she was studying Pointe. The encouragement she received stemmed from the missed opportunities her mother encountered as a child. Susan's mother never had the chance to experience dance as she was shuffled from foster home to foster home. She was committed to providing a better life for Susan. At only eight years young, Susan began ballroom lessons. Under the careful guidance of Joe Mehegan, Susan began to compete. By the age of 14 she partnered with Tony. The chemistry was magical. In 1976 they became the USBC Amateur ballroom champions. The following year they captured the Untied States Amateur Hustle championship. Their training and hard work was paying off. In 1978 they won New York's crown jewel, the prestigious "Harvest Moonball" All around title, held at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden. The Hustle was taking the country by storm as the Disco phenomenon was spreading. Susan had accelerated her high school program to graduate in three years instead of the traditional four. This would free her schedule to pursue her dance endeavors. By age 17 she was traveling internationally to compete and perform. In 1979 Tony and Susan competed at Regine's Discotheque in NY. Internationally known, Regine, was credited as one of the first Night club owners to bring the DJ concept from Europe to the states. The Marolda's won her Hustle competition and were flown to France to perform. That same year, while on their Honeymoon, they competed in Blackpool (England) and took second place in the Hustle division. Susan credits the wonderful training they received from master instructor Pierre Dulaine. They would return the following year and win the coveted Blackpool Theater Arts Division. Their competition and performance itinerary would take them to all parts of the world including Germany, Brazil, Indonesia, Paris and Canada. Their list of titles and accomplishments includes performances on Dance Fever, The Image Awards, Soul Alive and the Soap Factory television show. In 1982 in Forest Hills Queens, they opened their own dance studio. As a competitive team, they were always ahead of the curve. Their showmanship and dance talent always put them at the top. Recognized for her spellbinding Coffee Grinder, Susan would go from a standing position down to the ground on one leg as Tony would accelerate her speed, faster and faster. Shortly after winning the Silver medal at the 1988 USBC's Theater Arts division in Florida, the team would retire. When asked the question, "what was your greatest accomplishments," she quickly responds, my two children, Anthony and Nicole. Now comfortable taking a different role in the dance world, Susan enjoys social dancing and judging at competitions. Grateful for the friends and opportunities that dancing has brought her she still regards dancing as her "passion and soul." Yes, there are Dance Gems among us. Some call them divas. But the dance gem is not self proclaimed, they are down to earth, they have style and grace, and in Susan's case, down right modest. She was awarded the Life Time Acheivement award at the IHSC in Miami. She currently is a staff member at many of the national competitions. 
|
|