Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tony Romeo has taught about 10,000 students over the years
By NATALIE LARICCIA
BOARDMAN
It’s a warm Saturday after- noon at Tony Romeo’s Studio of the Dance, but Romeo and a few of his students don’t seem to mind the heat.
Broadway-style music mingles with the rhythmic tapping sound of student Deanna Gifford’s tap shoes as she feverishly practices a fast-paced dance routine that Romeo choreographed for the studio’s upcoming recital.
Romeo stands in the corner, intently watching Gifford shuffle across the floor. He pauses for a few minutes and soon begins dancing alongside her.
His spectator-style tap shoes mimic her every move with impressive precision. His body glides effortlessly across the floor. He doesn’t miss one step of the complicated routine.
For Romeo — an area dance instructor for more than a half-century — dance is not a job or a duty; it’s something that comes naturally to him, something he can share with others, and something that he just loves to do.
And time flies when you’re having fun.
Romeo will host his studio’s 55th recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Canfield High School. And although Romeo’s a bit shy about disclosing his age and the year he graduated high school, he does acknowledge that he’s not a “spring chicken” when it comes to his dancing career.
“I feel myself very lucky to do what I like, and I’m still doing it, and I still do it. For me, it was just plain fun. I’m not a kid anymore. I can’t do what I used to do, but the idea is that I can still teach it,” he said.
The Campbell Memorial High School graduate studied dance from Billy Earhart at his Youngstown studio on-and-off from the time he was 4 years old. And, although he dabbled in high school sports and was always an avid sports fan, the technique and creative energy of dance always intrigued him.
It was a brief stint studying business at Youngstown State University in the 1940s that persuaded him to pursue his dancing dreams.
“I thought I wanted to be a businessman, and I took the wrong course. I took a shorthand course, and I never took it in high school. Of course, in those days, they didn’t have guidance counselors. I decided to go to New York then and study dance,” he said.
Romeo found no problems transitioning from the close-knit Campbell community to the fast-paced, big-city New York City lifestyle. His eyes light up with excitement as he describes the few years he spent in New York dancing in nightclubs and theaters, auditioning for shows and traveling the country performing dancing gigs.
Besides his family, Romeo still had a love interest in the Youngstown area — his girlfriend and now wife — Ree, whom he began dating his sophomore year of high school. During a visit home to the Youngstown area, Earhart approached him about settling down, moving back to Youngstown and helping him teach dance at his studio.
Romeo decided to give it a shot and moved back to Youngstown in 1952. He and Ree got married, and Romeo launched his teaching career, starting his studio in 1953 in the former Strouss Music Center in Youngstown.
“At first, I didn’t know if I was going to like it — teaching kids. Sure enough, I tried it, and I found I liked it,” he said.
In addition to teaching what he estimates to be nearly 10,000 students over the years, Romeo said he also was able to share his choreographing skills with several area theaters, choreographing shows for the Youngstown Playhouse, Kent State University Trumbull Campus and YSU.
Romeo relocated his Boardman studio to 8258 Market St. in 1990. Class sizes are smaller, but Romeo and his assistant, Kelly Johnson, still offer a full menu of classes including tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop. Adult tap, jazz and ballet are also offered.
Johnson, a Boardman resident who has studied and taught with Romeo for nearly 20 years, says she is continually amazed by Romeo’s talent and his career stories.
“You learn so much, not only from the dance perspective, but he’s also a personal friend. His expertise and technique are just amazing,” Johnson said.
Deanna, a 15-year-old sophomore at South Range High School, has been studying under Romeo since she was 3.
“Dance is my favorite thing in the world. Miss Kelly [Johnson] is like my second mother, and Mr. Tony [Romeo] is like my second father. They’ve taught me so much,” she said.
Romeo and Ree now live in Poland. They have three adult sons, Paul, Dan and Tony Jr.
Looking to the future, Romeo says he sometimes toys with the idea of retiring, but he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to hang up his dancing shoes.
“I can’t see myself not dancing. I think it’s [dance] one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have no regrets. For me, it was fun, and that’s what I convey to my students — to have fun when they dance,” he said.