'DOWN TO BUSINESS

Luis Pabon Dance Arts Centre

Luis Pabon

t could be said that Luis Pabon has been dancing since before he was born. His mother, Doris Pabon was

a professional dancer in Puerto Rico in the 1940s when she noticed her costumes were getting tighter and tighter. After discovering she was pregnant with her first child, Pabon stopped dancing at the request ofher husband, but 66 years later, it has become clear that little Luis was born to dance. More importantly, he was born to teach dance.

"They call me the teacher of teachers;' Pabon said, referring to the number ofhis students who have gone on to successful careers in teaching dance.

"Pretty lTIuch anybody who has a dance studio in southeastern Connecticut has come through us;' said Stan Boyes, Pabon's longtime business parmer and husband of four years.

Pabon and Boyes have run Luis Pabon

18· OCTOBER 2013

Dance Arts Centre in Taftville together for nearly 30 years now, and last year Pabon celebrated his 50th anniversary of teaching dance. "We had a gala event right after the dance concert." Boyes said. "We had lots ofspecial events throughout the year."

But those 50 years have not been without challenges, the most recent one being a brain tumor that nearly ended Pabon's illustrious career, which includes producing the Miss Connecticut pageant and attending the Miss America pageant for over 30 years. "I call myself a Miss America groupie;' Pabon said.

In addition to the many dance teachers in the area, Luis Pabon has graduated dancers who have achieved celebrity .

status. including NY. Jets cheerleader Ashley Gray and Billy Griffin, who has performed in offBroadway plays such as Mary Poppins arid Young Frankenstein.

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With a faculty of nine teachers. Luis Pabon Dance Arts Centre offers classes in dance and the performing arts, voice, and theater. Pabon no longer teaches, but continues to work with performance groups in cleaning their acts. "Dance 10" is Pabon's performance group that is comprised ofint;rmediate to advanced dancers who perform at fairs and festivals throughout the area:

"We do a holiday showcase which benefits the Tom~1Y Toy Fund. Last year we raised over $3,000;' Boyes said. They also pUt on a yearly show at the Garde Arts Center.

Pabon's career began in 1963 when he came to the States to find work. "I first came to New York City looking like everybody else for a job:' Pabon said. "I landed in ,Norwich with a friend. I went to Dick Donohue School on Broadway. He was a great, great dance teacher." After

Donohue closed his shop, .Pabon at­tended Dance Master of America in New York to become certified to teach. Pabon passed all five tests and began te'aching privately out ofhis home.

In 1967, Pabon opened his first dance studio in Norwich~ Originally Inter­national Dancing Academy, the studio has been housed ih several locations in Norwich. In the early 1980s the Interna­tional Dancing Acade~y was located on Franklin Srn;et. Following a devastating fire at the courthouse, they were forced to move. After that, the studio moved to several locations for a few months at a time, including the YMCA. "They wouldn't let us tap dance on the floors so the kids were tap dancing in their stock­ing feet;' Boyes recalled.

The studio ended up in the basement ofTardiff's Flip City, which was owned by Pabon's friend Donna Tardiff. She gave them the space free of charge. A few months later, with the help ofone of their dance moms, they found the current 16cation on Providence Street. In February 2010, Pabon underwent sur­gery to remove a Meningioma, a benign tumor from his brain. When Pabon woke from the surgery, he could not speak. "That was the most scariest moment of my life," Pabon said, his signature Puerto Rican accent still intact.

"It was a rough seven months;' said Boyes, who commuted between his sales job, the dance studio, and the hospital during Pabon,'s recuperation.

After extensive speech and physical therapy, Pabon not only returned to the studio, he also produced the Miss Con­necticut pageant that same year. "It was both miraculous and terrifying;' Boyes said. "He didn't let it set him back."

Pabon retired from Miss Connecticut last year and is now a consultant. "He was executive director and producer for Miss Connecticut;' Boyes said. "Because of his speech difficulties he thought it was time to let somebody else talk over. The board is going to honor him with an emeritus program which will allow him to still be involved."

- Caron Wunderlich

Luis Pabon Dance Arts Centre is at 5 Providence Ave.} Taftville.

For more information about

These Last Green Valley Walktober events, visit: tlgv.orgjresourcesjwalktober2013info.html

Or Ask NCDC

DOWNTOWN--­REVITAl ZATION ~NORWJC" ~~.

~askncdc.com ~860.887.6964 ~77 Main 5t; Norwich, CT

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