Miss Cindy takes a final bow after teaching dance for more than half a century

MANSFIELD – Cindy Nolan took her first dance lesson at age 3 and found her life’s calling. This month, she is hanging up her dance shoes and closing her business, Miss Cindy’s School of Dance in Mansfield, after 55 years. “When I could first verbalize what I wanted to do when I grew up I never said a mommy or a teacher. I wanted to be a dance teacher like Miss Claire,” said Nolan, who grew up in Mansfield and now lives in Easton. Claire O’Malley, a former Rockette, was Nolan’s instructor for many years. “I just loved it,” Nolan said. “When I was a little older, sixth or seventh grade, I’d be there every day. Even in high school.” Nolan was 14 when she taught her first dance class and 18 when she opened Miss Cindy’s School of Dance in downtown Mansfield in 1966. After graduating from Bishop Feehan High School, Nolan worked in a Mansfield donut shop, hoping to save enough to open her own dance studio the following year. It was the same donut shop her mother worked in to help pay for Nolan’s childhood dance lessons. Her father lent her the money so she did not have to postpone her dream. The rent was $125 a month. More:Miss Cindy's School in Mansfield hits half century mark Over the years some of Nolan’s students went on to teach classes or own studios or study dance in college. One danced with Boston Ballet. Her students have also become mothers and grandmothers who brought their children to Miss Cindy’s School of Dance. Dance teaches grace and a sense of balance, exposes children to music and provides an opportunity to make new friends, Nolan said. “Really, really close friendships are formed at dance schools,” she said. “I have a former student who is 50 now. She is still in thick with five or six of her dance friends.” Dance can also help young people dealing with anxiety. “You cannot believe how many kids now have anxiety,” she said. “Everyone needs something that makes them feel good about themselves,” she said. “It could be dance. It could be wrestling. It could be baseball.” Continuing to teach her student during COVID this past year has been a challenge. Nolan could only take on half the usual enrollment of 240 students to allow enough space for social distancing. Nolan said her family and dance parents helped her through it all such as obtaining and mastering technology – cameras, microphones and a laptop – for virtual classes. The school did live streamed classes from March to June 2020, ending with a Zoom recital. Nolan praised town Health Agent Amy Donovan-Palmer for answering her constant questions about how to reopen the studio for in-person classes during COVID. She recalled standing in her studio staring at the floor trying to figure out how to divide the space into squares to keep the dancers distanced from each other. One of her “Dancing Dads” – a class of fathers who perform in each year-end recital – came to the rescue. He was a math teacher. She said the children quickly adjusted. “The little kids got used to having those squares,” she said. Nolan said she is amazed how her teachers, students and she made it through the pandemic. Nolan also praised her staff, Jill Mitchell and Jessica Parks. Parks started taking lessons with Nolan at the age of 3. Mitchell started teaching at the studio when she was a freshman in college. “I am proud at age 73 I was able to do something like that with a lot of help,” she said. “I’m so proud we will have a real recital (this spring).” It was not the pandemic that prompted Nolan’s decision to retire. It was just time. She’s now 74 and has rheumatoid arthritis. Her brother also recently passed away in February. “We were very close,” she said. “It opened my eyes about how much time we have left.” Nolan said she’s always worked 12 months a year, never taking time or summers off. She plans to spend more time with her family which includes her husband, three sons, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. One family member literally applauded when she announced plans to retire. “I’m taking the summer off for the first time in 54 years to contemplate the next chapter,” she said. Nolan said she’d like to do volunteer work maybe deliver Meals on Wheels or help the Easton Food Pantry. Dance will always be part of her life. She said she feels shows like “World of Dance” with Jennifer Lopez and Derek Hough and “So You Think You Can Dance” have helped make dance even more popular today. She’s looking forward to seeing the new musicals, “Into the Heights” and “West Side Story.” “I don’t know how many times my husband took me to the drive-in to see (the original) ‘West Side Story,” she said. “It’s my favorite musical, by far.” One of her favorite stories is how her son, Erik, told her when he was 8 years old, “I was just thinking what I was going to do when I grow up. I want to be just like you. I want to have a job I Iove every day." And she did. “It’s always been about the kids for me, never about the money,” she said. “I love kids and love to dance. “I’ve been so blessed.” Nolan took her final curtain call on June 20 as Miss Cindy’s School of Dance held its final recital. Staff writer Donna Whitehead can be reached by email at dwhitehead@wickedlocal.com. You can also friend her on Facebook. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Journal News Independent today.