The Little Flower Dancing School
by Joellen McDonald

In the mid 1950s, some members of the Little Flower Ladies’ Club decided that the young girls in the area needed the opportunity to take dancing lessons. To achieve their goal, they searched for a dance teacher and found Helen Eckert Cowie, a well-established dancing instructor. Helen’s mother lived in the parish, which made the task easier. Thus, as Ramona Spehr remembers, in September 1954 the Little Flower Dancing School was born. Classes, arranged according to age, were held in the School Hall, and each student paid 50 cents per lesson.

Each year the Dancing School committee carries out the nuts and bolts of the program, allowing the teacher to concentrate on instruction. Originally, members of the Ladies’ Club collected money each Saturday. Over time, high school parishioners were hired to perform this task. Eventually, as Helen Cowie’s dancing classes expanded, she asked her niece if she would take over the Little Flower Dancing School. That was 31 years ago, and Marilyn Schunzel’s classes continue to be very popular. In fact, Marilyn loves reconnecting with former students when they come back to visit or enroll their own children in her program. All children, from age four and up, are welcome. This school provides the young people of Little Flower the opportunity to interact with children who live in Richmond Heights and other neighboring communities. Students from as far away as Florissant have traveled to Little Flower for Saturday dance lessons.

Traditionally, other parishioners volunteer to help with the recitals, which are performed annually in May. In any given year, parents and other would-be dancers take to the stage to perform certain numbers with the kids. This can run the gamut from father-daughter routines to dancing in animal costumes.

The Ladies’ Club members who volunteer to coordinate this program from year to year have donated much time and talent to the children’s dancing experience. These women collected money each week; organized the sale and resale of dancing shoes; cut, sewed and glued costumes for the recitals; and handled numerous details relating to the recital, including the recruitment of volunteers.

Marilyn Schunzel was interviewed in 1999 for The Spirit. At the time, she was celebrating her 30th year as the Little Flower dancing teacher. She talked about her work with the children, “From the beginning, I was determined not to prepare students for competitions, which allows me to work with children in a more relaxed atmosphere. What is important is that the students enjoy what they are learning and experience a sense of accomplishment. Dancing provides exercise, the opportunity to develop coordination, socialization, and the chance to dress in costumes and perform on stage once a year.”

The cost to take lessons has increased over the past three decades, but at $3 a class, it is still a bargain. Pat Rekart, past president of the Ladies’ Club, who has also chaired the dancing school committee, said that this program remains very successful, supporting the efforts of the Ladies’ Club with $6,000 in revenue last year.