Before moving to The Villages two years ago, Susan Wood had never slow danced with her wife of 11 years. After taking classes, the couple shared their first slow dance together at Bradenton Recreation. A milestone moment Wood credits to Marge Gomez, instructor for the Rainbow Mavericks line dancing group.
“My wife is 82 years old. I couldn’t see her line dancing, and before this class, we had never even slow danced together,” said Wood, of the Village of Liberty Park. “Now, we’ve started slow dancing and it’s because of Marge. Our first dance was in this room — it was the sweetest thing in the world.”One of the many breakout groups of the Rainbow Family and Friends of The Villages, the Rainbow Mavericks line dancing group meets at 4 p.m. every Monday for a beginner class and is followed at 5 p.m. for an advanced class at Bradenton Recreation.
Gomez, of the Village of Dunedin, said she decided to form the Rainbow Mavericks in 2013 as a way to create a structured space for Villagers in the LGBTQ+ community to learn line dancing and to help people feel comfortable dancing in public.
As a former high school physical education teacher for 30 years, Gomez has spent her life getting others to move. Now working with a different kind of senior, Gomez said staying active is an important way for her current students to stay healthy.
“Dancing in general takes both physical and mental ability,” she said. “Anybody can dance. We always say that if you can walk, you can dance. At our age, there are benefits of keeping yourself moving and working to remember steps. It all keeps you sharp.”
Gomez said her favorite line dance is Until the Dawn. Along with doing other line dances, including El Paso and Cut a Rug, Gomez said Until the Dawn has been the group’s last-call dance, closing out most meetings for the past 10 years.
“I think (the dance is) easy and it’s different,” Gomez said. “The group enjoys it and it’s not difficult, so a lot of people can learn it. It’s really just stuck with the group. We also do the Waltz, Senorita La-La-La and Chill Factor — that’s a big crowd pleaser.”
Beyond the weekly line dance meeting, members also attend the Rainbow Family and Friends of The Villages’ weekly Live Entertainment Night at Belle Glade Country Club. It’s there where Gomez is often front and center on the dance floor so others can follow along.
“Tuesday nights are more informal, more social and it’s a bigger group. Whereas Monday nights, it’s more of a teaching situation,” she said. “Tuesday is more of where I can just go out and enjoy the dance. I may help some people learn the dance, but I’m not teaching it.”
Gomez’s students, both beginner and seasoned, say her teaching style makes learning the steps a breeze. Wood, who has participated in classes for two years, said Gomez is a patient and helpful teacher.
“She’s an incredible teacher who has taught so many people in Rainbow Family and Friends how to dance,” Wood said. “It’s an incredible late-in-life skill and a good challenge that helps an aging brain with coordination.”
Judy Leach, of the Village of Poinciana, has participated in the group classes for six years. In cases of Gomez’s rare absence, Leach steps in to help teach.
“To me, this class helps lift my spirit up,” Leach said. “Because of the friendships and the exercise, I rarely miss a class. All the line dances we do have been generated from Marge’s teachings. Because she was a teacher, she knows how to effectively communicate with people and you know exactly what to expect.”
Nancy Rosenberg, of the Village of Caroline, said by participating in the Rainbow Mavericks she’s built a circle of friends and is able to stay active.
“She is a master teacher,” she said. “She explains everything very clearly and breaks down the demonstrations. I love that, here, there are prescribed steps and structure. I’m very happy doing line dancing with this group.”
The Rainbow Mavericks also is a registered chapter of the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs.
Gomez said that connection helps her learn dances done by other chapters so when members travel they can participate in other group dances.
“It helps connect us and to be a part of a larger community,” she said. “Whether they are at a dance convention or a bar, it helps them be able to go and know the dances.”
We’ve become not only a dance group, but a social group,” Gomez said. “Our friendships extend off the dance floor. We do parties together. We enjoy dancing together on Tuesday nights. It’s become a nice social and noncompetitive group for us to get together in between golf, pickleball or the different activities we do.”
For more information about the Rainbow Mavericks group, visit rainbowfamilyvillagesfl.com.
