Hoboken native Tracy Everitt once made a name for himself in his beloved city teaching ballroom dancing to eager students for roughly 20 years. As the popularity of ballroom dancing in America declined, however, Everitt took his skills and experience overseas, serving as a teacher and choreographer throughout much of Europe as well as Japan.
“The technological age crushed people’s ability to think of their bodies,” said Everitt. “They stopped thinking of dancing.”
Now, nearly 30 years later, Everitt is once again bringing traditional dancing back into mainstream Hoboken. He will hold a night of dinner and dancing titled “Dancing with the Hoboken Stars,” Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Arthur’s Tavern. The evening will showcase Everitt’s students, who have been training with him for the past year.
“Dance was a very, very necessary element of Hoboken.” – Tracy Everitt
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Everitt’s shows include the original “Bye Bye Birdie,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying,” “West Side Story,” and the “World of Suzy Wong,” which starred William Shatner in his first Broadway role. He was also once flown to Hollywood to choreograph a show for Judy Garland.
At the age of 24, Everitt and his wife moved to Hoboken, where they opened “Everitt’s School of Dance” at 400 Washington St.
“During that time [the 1960s] dance was still thriving,” said Everitt. “Dance was a very, very necessary element of Hoboken.”
Flush with the success of his school, Everitt used his earnings to travel around the world and teach dance on every continent. He has often taught in Paris, Norway, Japan, and many other places.
In the past decade, Everitt’s accomplishments include serving as a choreographer to Liza Minnelli, teaching ballroom dance in top New York City studios, and making an appearance on the Conan O’Brien Show.
In January 2010, Everitt was featured as an instructor to the “Cake Boss” family in January 2010.
‘Dancing with the Hoboken Stars’
Within the past year, Everitt has again begun offering ballroom and formal dance instruction to interested residents of Hoboken, a city that has seen a resurgence of traditional dance.
“Now, because of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ people are hungry and starving to dance,” said Everitt.
Everitt’s event at Arthur’s Tavern will showcase what his students have learned over the past years. The evening will feature dinner, wine, and of course, the recital.
“The show is not by professionals,” said Everitt. “I have trained businessmen and women in Hoboken over the past year.”
“These students are on the buses with everybody else in the morning going to work,” said Everitt, “which proves that Hoboken cares to dance and get up and show what they are learning.”
Interested attendees will also learn basic lessons in any style of dance, including salsa, rumba, tango, waltz, slow foxtrot, and tap dancing.
Everitt also said he will hold another similar event in September to further showcase his students and bring the public a night of dancing.
Admission for the event is $65 per person. For more information or to reserve a seat, visit tracyeveritt.com or call Everitt at (551) 587-0121.
Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.