Herricks parent Lynne Gambone aspired to be a dancer when she was in her teens, and she’s revisiting that aspiration with the support of the Herricks Senior Leisure Club.
Gambone, a mother of two children in the Herricks School District and an active PTA member, has performed her repertoire of ballroom dances with her dance partner and teacher, Wingo Hom, for the senior group on several occasions.
She credits a performance she and Hom gave for the Herricks seniors before a pro-amateur competition in Florida last March with helping the couple bring home six first-place prizes.
“You were my audience to help me prepare to perform at a higher level,” the long-time Albertson resident told members of the Herricks seniors group before a performance last Thursday afternoon.
The couple demonstrated the fox trot, tango and waltz, followed by the east coast swing, a slow hustle and upbeat Latin dancing to rhumba, cha-cha and salsa music in the second half after Gambone changed into a more revealing black dress.
“I’ve been told you all wear your Latin dresses on the second Thursday of each month. We could have all worn our outfits and swapped,” she joked.
The dances drew enthusiastic applause and several women told Gambone that they thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
“You were really wonderful,” one woman said as they shook hands.
Gambone’s dancing passion was reignited when she attended a dance party last year.
She then signed up for ballroom dance lessons at Rhythm and Soul in Levittown last January. Hom was assigned to teach her and their creative partnership started to take off.
“It developed when I found she had a goal of taking her dancing to the level of being the best she can be. If you’re going to do that, you have to compete,” said Hom, who estimates he has taught 300 students since he started teaching.
Having won dance competitions before, he knew what it would take and recognized Gambone’s ability.
Gambone and Hom registered for an Orlando, FL competition against 100 other couples.
Hom said he prepared her for the event with seven dances – and they won eight awards.
“She peaked at the right time,” Hom said. “I look at ballroom dancing as a sport. It’s like ice dancing. The only difference is there’s a hardwood floor.”
As the couple is rehearsing for another dance competition in July, Gambone is still riding the crest of the unexpected results in her first competition.
“I’ve been on cloud nine ever since. It was a real ‘bucket list’ thing for me,” she said. “I didn’t expect medals.”
Gambone and Hom took first-place medals for six dances, including the fox trot, waltz, rhumba, the east coast swing and two forms of the cha-cha, took second place in the salsa and third place in the hustle.
Gambone said her husband, Bob Cohen, doesn’t dance but is very supportive. She said her she’s not sure what her two sons, high school sophomore Tyler and six grader Blake make of her dancing.
But she’s very clear about what her dancing means to her.
“This is a dream come true for me. I always wanted to dance as a teenager. I stumbled on it a few years ago and I remembered the dream. A few decades later, I decided to pursue it. The more I do it, the more I want to do it,” she said.
That motivation showed in the smooth precision that she and Hom showed in executing their dances.
When they performed before the Orlando competition, Gambone lost one of her earrings. She recovered it, but one of the women told her she needed a different backing to keep it from slipping off again, and gave her a pair of backs for the earrings.
Gambone has been an active parent, holding positions with the Herricks PTA, doing volunteer work at the Denton Avenue School, middle school and the high school. Using her background in business, Gambone helps prepare students for the DECA business competition.
“I’ll do what need to be done and just to set an example that parents care,” Gambone said
The couple will next compete at a salsa-hustle contest at the Sheraton Meadowlands in New Jersey in mid-July. Next, the couple may prepare choreographed dances for a different level of the pro-am competitions
“For me, it’s a long-term commitment. I want to keep improving my dance,” Gambone said.
