It”™s no secret that Joyce Mazur was born in Brooklyn.
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Her accent gives it away.
But what is a secret of sorts is her love of dancing.
Mazur always loved theatrics and even, with a hint of seriousness, would threaten her mother that her life plan was to run away with the circus.
“I took ballet, tap and modern jazz as a girl. Like every girl does.”
Mazur didn”™t attend college but had no trouble being able to climb the ranks of the corporate world. Having her history in the financial sector, Mazur recently became chairwoman of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.
“I”™ve been in Stamford for about eleven years now,” she said. “It”™s the largest chamber in the state and Stamford is the economic hub of the state; we do a lot for our members and provide a lot of advertising and networking opportunities which is extremely important in this economy.”
Though Mazur had always flirted with dance on a semiserious level, she had never been pushed to pursue it until entering the Stamford community theater group”™s “Dancing with the Stars” competition.
“The stars were leaders in the community. They matched us up with area professionals. I trained for a couple of months.”
Mazur won the People”™s Choice Award and was thoroughly taken by the world of dance.
“I loved it so much I just kept on with it, I kept dancing,” she said. “Before this I didn”™t have time for a hobby, but because this was something I knew I loved to do I made time for it. I had always loved ballroom dancing and tried to get my husband to do it for years. When I had this opportunity I just jumped on it. Now dance takes precedence over other things.”
Mazur began taking private lessons at Metropolitan Dance Studio at Ridgeway Plaza from Andy Phillips.
“He”™s the best teacher in the world. I”™ve learned so much from him.”
Mazur has lessons twice a week. She quickly began to enter in shows and studio competitions.
“I haven”™t ventured out and done any national or international competitions yet,” she said.
Mazur”™s first national competition might be coming at the end of this summer in Washington D.C.
Mazur says her husband, an attorney, has since become her biggest fan.
“He runs around telling everyone.”
Though her husband has no reservations about Mazur”™s dancing, her son, Joseph, a junior at Brien McMahon High School, is a little more skeptical.
“He”™s a seventeen year old kid. It”™s hard to imagine your mother out dancing; but I can”™t picture myself now not dancing.”
Mazur”™s repertoire of dances quickly grew and now extends from smooth dances, like the foxtrot and the waltz, to rhythm dances, like the cha-cha and the samba.
“Although the smooth dances are beautiful, I”™m moving toward the Latin and rhythm,” she said. “They”™re faster, they”™re quicker and they”™re more exciting.”
Although you wouldn”™t think it, Fairfield County has a large dancing culture, she said.
“There are a lot of really good dance studios right in Stamford. You kind of don”™t even know they are there until you”™re in the world. It is a whole lifestyle, believe me.”
