BRADENTON, Fla. — This isn’t a honky tonk. But there’s lot of line dancing going on.
They pack into Bradenton’s GT Bray Park and Recreation Complex where there is no cover charge, no bar, but a lot of dancing.
“I have had so much fun that I just love it,” said Joyce Jordan. ”I had forgotten how much I love to dance until Jean.”
What You Need To Know
- Jean Marcley instructs line dancing at Bradenton’s GT Bray Park and Recreation Complex
- Marcley suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disorder that gradually causes the retina to break down over time and eventually results in vision loss
- With the help of her guide dog, Caroline, Marcley does not let her vision loss define her and encourages others to live their lives to the fullest
Instructor Jean Marcley is kind of like the pied piper of Bradenton. She leads and people follow. Especially on the dance floor. Jean’s been teaching line dancing for decades. What drew her to the dance floor? Fun. But something keeps her coming back for more.
“I kind of surprised myself that I am a good teacher and that I have a lot of patience,” Jean said.
Jean isn’t defined by line dancing. Or the occasional stand-up comedy she performs. There’s not one thing that defines Jean. Certainly not the fact that she is blind.
Jean suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disorder that gradually causes the retina to break down over time and eventually results in vision loss.
“I started to lose my eyesight when I was in the fifth grade, when I was 10-and-a-half and it has deteriorated ever since,” she said.
Jean gets help from her guide dog, Caroline. The black lab provides a level of freedom and normalcy that she craves.
“She and I take walks in the morning. I can walk to the bus stop,” Jean said. “I can take the bus to the beach, downtown, we can walk to the library from the bus stop. I can walk to church. It just gives me independence.”
So if you attend one of Jean’s classes, you’ll see Caroline always close by. But you’ll also see a woman inspiring others to live their lives with no boundaries.
“I have two rules in my classes,” Jean said. “Rule number one is have fun. Rule number two is learn the dance. So, I don’t care if they learn the dance perfectly. I just want them to have fun.”
Jean’s learned a lot about herself through line dancing. She’s learned she’s a good teacher. And that she has a lot of patience. Those that take her classes learn a lot too and not just dance moves. They learn not to pigeon hole someone with a disability.
“She dances. She does comedy. She is always busy with other groups and helping people,” Joyce said. “And I just admire her so much because she is blind and she can do all this. She is my inspiration, totally.”