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Veteran discovers new life through dancing
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Guests attended the Poland library on Jan. 29 to listen to Joe Sepesy speak at the Benefits of Ballroom Dancing event.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Those who listened to Sepesy were given a little pop quiz before Sepesy spoke, as well as some other papers and information on what Sepesy was going to talk about.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Sepesy set up a table of his books, articles he has been featured in and other information about himself and ballroom dancing.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Joe Sepesy spoke to the guests about his personal life and how ballroom dancing has affected his life in a positive way.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
The Poland library hosted an event on Jan. 29 called the Benefits of Ballroom Dancing. Guest speaker Joe Sepesy came to the library to talk about how ballroom dancing has helped change his life for the better.
Sepesy, a retired veteran, told guests the story of how he came to be the ballroom dancing person he is today. He discussed his personal story and told participants that he has always been a musical person. The time he spent as a helicopter pilot during his three combat tours of duty in Vietnam took a larger toll on him than one can imagine.
Sepesy has gone through several injuries, both physically and mentally. 2009 was one of the most monumental years in Sepesy’s life. After going through multiple surgeries and therapy sessions, Sepesy and his therapy group were told by their therapist to try three things that they normally wouldn’t do. This moment is when Sepesy decided to write his Vietnam memoir, play his Gibson guitar and learn ballroom dance.
After taking the first few classes and getting over his fear, Sepesy has grown to love ballroom dancing. He has performed nearly 20 times to hundreds of people and took private lessons twice a week. Six years later he is currently helping his instructor, Lynda McPhail, teach group classes and is dancing five or six times a week.
“I can’t say enough about her dedication and desire to help not only me, but all of her students,” said Sepesy about McPhail.
Dancing has helped Sepesy in many ways. He no longer wears a leg brace, he’s lost weight and kept it off, and it gave him a new outlook on life. He has published two books, “Word Dances” and “Word Dances 2: It’s Your Time to Dance,” and finished his Vietnam memoir, “Once We Flew.”
“Life is now good,” said Sepesy. “The world of dancing has inspired me.”