Home of: Fred Sego

So you think you can dance?

More importantly, do you think you can’t dance?

Either way, Fred Sego accepts the challenge.

Polson’s long time dance aficionado is gearing up to begin another round of introductory ballroom dance classes. The six consecutive classes begin on Wednesday, Jan. 13, and are open to any and all who want to learn a step or two.

The classes will teach couples the “waterfront” of rhythms: fox trot, swing and waltz. These main three dances can be danced to most music. The first classes emphasize leading, following, and couples will learn the basic figure the first class.

“We want to get them dancing at the very beginning,” Sego said.

As the class progresses, more challenging figures can be added.

Another key to the class is bringing along a good partner, Sego said.

For more than 50 years, Sego shared his passion for dancing with his wife and ultimate dancing partner, Beverley.

They met for just the second time on the dance floor. Both were born and raised in the area.

Once he married Beverley, they moved to western Washington where Sego worked as an electrical engineer in shipyards, and management with ship maintenance with the Navy, often traveling overseas.

Thirty-seven years later, he realized his fortune was in Polson all along and they moved back.

He and Beverley have two sons and two daughters. After the kids grew up, they picked up dancing again. Her favorite step was the waltz.

“She told me some time later, she would not have married me if I could not dance,” Sego said.

As they danced a polka together one day many years ago, a friend mentioned to Sego he’d like to learn to dance. Sego decided he’d become a teacher and placed an ad in the newspaper. More than 50 people responded.

The one class snowballed, and they began teaching up to six classes a week. They learned new moves themselves to pass on to others.

Beverley passed away last year.

Sego’s granddaughter, Kjersti Day, has now stepped in to be his partner teaching instructor at the Polson classes. For classes in the Flathead Valley, Sego teaches with partner Karen Gunderson.

Although Sego has been bringing the joy of dancing to the Mission Valley for decades, his own dancing career started slowly.

Sego had to overcame his built-in shyness when he first approached the dance floor. He was too shy to dance as much as a high school student in Polson, but it was the big thing back then.

“It was a social thing back when I was a teenager. A lot of kids danced . . . We had our own high school band, a group that played dance music at our dances. I just liked music,” he said.

Sego sees his class as a way to help others gain confidence. Most people can’t sing, he said, but everyone who has more than an ounce of rhythm can express a love of music through dancing.

Students have ranged in ages from 6 to 77. Most want to learn more after they’ve had their first taste of dancing, Sego said, and that keeps him busy.

On New Year’s Day, Gunderson and Sego taught a class of more than 45 families the basic steps. Once the upcoming class concludes, couples will have the chance to show their stuff at the biweekly Elks Club dances in Polson.

You know Sego will be there when he’s not out teaching.

Once you take the time to learn to dance, you “need to get out and use the skills,” Sego said.