GREAT FALLS — Miss Linda’s School of Dance in Great Falls has been teaching people how to dance and move their body to the music for the past 50 years.
Linda Fuller has been dancing her whole life. Her mother was an avid dancer who got her started when she was just four years old.
“I took to it immediately,” said Linda Fuller, owner of Miss Linda’s School of Dance, “I danced all day long. I danced at school, at the grocery store, inside, outside. It definitely was meant to be.”
Fuller danced through high school before going to college and earning her teaching degree. She taught English at Great Falls High School and middle school before moving to Cascade, where there were no teaching jobs available.
“So I thought, Well, what should I do? I will just open a dance studio in my basement because it was still something that I wanted to do,” Fuller said, “And I started it with 14 kids.”
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Fourteen has turned into thousands as Fuller’s passion project continued to expand, especially after moving back to Great Falls. as a woman running her own business in the 1970s, the road was not always an easy one.
“It was tough, I would say, because people really didn't take you seriously,” Fuller said, “Especially since it was an artistic venture.”
Fuller’s passion for rhythm and music and her love for educating children was a perfect match. She loves teaching children skills that they will take far beyond the dance floor. When the going gets tough, Fuller has always been able to rely on her family for support, be it her mother, husband, or daughter, Shannon.
“She has been my greatest support,” Fuller said, “Always there with ideas or time or a hug, which you need sometimes.”
The “Dancing Through the Decades” show celebrating Fuller is on May 18 at 7pm at the Mansfield Theater. In the months of preparation and practice for the show, Fuller has been able to step back and appreciate her accomplishments.
“I cannot believe it's been 50 years,” Fuller said, “But looking back on the pictures and newspaper clippings and things as we've been going through this process, has really brought to me that I was successful.”
More information on Miss Linda’s School of Dance, as well as tickets to the show, can be found here.
