About Forty....

Forty has been dancing since she can remember. Raised in a predominantly black and Hispanic community in New York City, she developed a love for the afro-Cuban rhythms, which influence her dance style to this day. Her passion for dance is like no other. "When I dance, even my eyelashes move.," she says. "It's all about the dance."

Forty has taught at weekend events such as The Line Dance Blast 2001, The Fallsview, Kick-n-Jam, The Concord and recently at both the NE Dance Spectacular and the Boston Dance Festival in New England where she now lives. For many years before it was known as "salsa" Forty gave private and group mambo lessons and taught hustle and popular freestyle dances in the NYC area. Her favorite students are the "rhythmically" challenged. "I can teach anyone how to move, even those who claim they have two left feet and zero rhythm" she says.

She was introduced to line dance in '91 and has been teaching it since '94. She can energize, motivate, and excite anyone onto the dance floor. Throughout the years, she has taught at dance venues such as AJ's, Rudy's Beau Rivage, The Westgate, VFW dance studio of Nyack, Company B's (NJ) just to name a few, and recently she was guest instructor at Franco's in Westford Ma for Louie St George and at Cowboy Junction for Dave Sickles in Worcester, Ma.

She has showcased her choreography at venues hosted by Rona Kaye, Alan Kohn., Kathy Sharp and Louie St. George. Teaching dance is her first love; it is a passion that has become her sport; it is how she stays in shape and encourages others to do so.

Also she has become an advocate of line dancing for health & fitness and is quickly building a following with the senior adult population in Sturbridge, Ma and the surrounding communities.

Fund Raising Efforts - Via line dance, she has helped raised monies for charitable organizations such as the American, Cancer, Heart, Arthritis, Lupus and Psoriasis Foundations, in addition to D.A.R.E., Make-a-Wish, Operation Smile and The Hitchcock Academy. By offering line dance classes for a nominal fee, which she then donated to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern NY, she raised over $42,000 to benefit ER, Cardiology & Homecare.

Forty is now living in Brookfield, Ma. After 13 years of service at Good Samaritan Hospital in NY, she resigned her position as Director of Finance. Her decision was based on her desire to be geographically closer to her aging Mom, Casimira, who lives in Springfield. Although always a natural and passionate dancer, Forty decided to major in business. She holds a degree in business from Elizabeth Seton College and a bachelors degree in accounting from the Baruch College of the City University of New York. Always working in the "corporate" world, she remained heavily involved with music and dance - holding dance instructions at private parties, special events and fundraisers.You can find her doing what she loves best at the Hayloft Barn in Sturbridge, Ma. She is thrilled with the reception she has gotten from all the NE Dance folks she's met thus far. "Everyone has been so supportive, from the instructors to the dancers" she says. She also states about New Englanders, "These people just love to dance. They challenge themselves constantly and love dancing to everything - my kind of folks." Forty's energy and spirit are contagious; anyone who has ever taken one of her workshops or has danced alongside of her will definitely agree that Forty gives all she has on the dance floor. As a New Englander and novice line dancer, I welcome her and I am so glad she is here. M. Baker, fw Sept '04