Get Into the “Blue Moon” Groove

Edge Publication Story by Renee Baker, Friday Jul 25, 2008.

Cynthia Schepps (left) with a “Blue Moon” dance partner

Dancing is Cynthia Schepps’ prevailing passion in life, so it’s no surprise that she was alarmed upon learning her favorite dance event was going to end. Instead of accepting it, she decided to step forward and provide new leadership. As a result, she saved the Once In a Blue Moon Dance, Dallas’ women-only monthly dance event.

The “Blue Moon” is hosted every second Saturday, and has been under Schepps’ wing since 2000. It was back then when the producer announced the dance was ending due to its labor intensive nature.

Schepps was outside on the patio with other women who told her, “We don’t want it to stop. If you produce it, we will support you.” With seven volunteers backing her, Schepps said she would try it, and here she is eight years later with 100 dances to her credit.

It is really Schepps’ love of dance that keeps her producing. “I have been dancing since I was an egg,” she says. “For me, dancing is a body experience. It’s me and the music.” Schepps says when she dances, she becomes one with the music and from there movement is created and she enters “the zone.” The Blue Moon provides the accompanying twilight.

Schepps just loves the energy of dancing with other women. She says the Blue Moon has an “energy presence” that you can feed off of. The line dancers and country western dancers are truly fabulous, she says, and flirtatious too. The DJ’s mix of music is not just country, but also disco and the popular hits of today.
Schepps doesn’t mind dancing alone either, and often prefers it. She encourages others to dance like nobody is watching. She said 25 years ago she was one of the first dancers to dance alone at clubs. When a man would come up to her and ask if she wanted to dance, she would smile and reply, “I am dancing.”

The Blue Moon takes place near White Rock Lake at the DanceMasters Ballroom, owned by award-winning dance instructor Pat Thorpe. It’s primarily held as a safe, non-smoking alternative to the bar scene for lesbians, but is welcoming to straight women as well.

Schepps is grateful to Thorpe for his generosity over the years, and says she eventually “made him an honorary lesbian.”

Schepps is also full of gratitude toward the community as well, and generally donates the proceeds of the dances to numerous community organizations.

About 100 women attend each dance.

Valery Guignon, a local Dallas artist, has been attending the Blue Moon since its inception. She says not only has she met many friends, but she met her girlfriend at the dance. “Girl watching is one of my favorite parts of the Blue Moon Dance. I usually come early, dance till midnight, drink lots of water and have a few beers with my friends.”

Brenda Stowe, a concrete truck driver and long term dancer, agrees that the Blue Moon is a great way to meet people and have fun. “The first time I went to the Blue Moon I only knew one person,” she says, “[but] before the night was over I was invited to join two birthday parties!” Stowe often volunteers to help set up the dance.
Schepps, who is an accountant and bookkeeper by trade, hopes to expand the Blue Moon someday with a dream of having her own ballroom. “One that is just ours,” she says.

The next Blue Moon is this Saturday, August 9th, from 7 p.m. to Midnight at Dance Masters Ballroom at 10675 Northwest Highway in Dallas. It is for ladies only and has an entry fee of $10. For more information, visit www.once-in-a-blue-moon.org.

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