The above photo by David Dermer was originally printed in a September 18, 2011, article entitled Ballroom Catching On, by Karl Henkel in The Vindicator. This photo pictures Len Rome and Mary Ann Ebert of Youngstown ballroom dancing at the Eastwood Mall in Youngstown, Ohio.
My journey with Mary Ann Ebert started in the mid-1990s when I saw an ad from a franchised dance studio offering various dance lessons at what I thought was a fair price. I took the classes, but once they ended, the new price was much higher than I wanted to pay. I moved on, and that was my first encounter with her.
Sometime after that, I found out she had gone out on her own and created “Meet Me on the Dance Floor.” She had a small studio in Hubbard, Ohio, and I took multiple lessons from her. Later, she moved to Austintown, Ohio, and offered excellent group classes. Everyone would meet at a restaurant after the lessons.
Many instructors pass along steps, but Mary Ann Ebert gave her students something more enduring: the confidence to showcase their dancing. For decades, she was the figure who introduced countless Youngstown‑Warren area dancers to the idea that ballroom belonged not only in practice halls but on stage. In fact, many people in the Youngstown region who found their way into ballroom performance can trace their beginnings back to her guidance.
Her crowning achievement came at the turn of the century with Dancing the Millennium, staged at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown, Ohio. The production was more than a recital; it was a cultural milestone. Under her guidance, students who had once danced only in private settings stepped onto Stambaugh’s grand stage, discovering the thrill of performance and the pride of presenting ballroom as art.
The event left a lasting impression. For the dancers, it was a moment of transformation—proof that their art deserved the public spotlight. For the community, it bridged tradition and a new era, a reminder that ballroom and social dance can evolve while preserving their elegance. In my view, through her leadership, Dancing the Millennium was both a highlight of her career and a milestone in the region’s dance history.
Mary Ann passed away in January 2024, but her dancing lives on in the many students she taught.
