Couple teaches dance lessons in the Flathead

When speaking to Fred and Karen Sego, you realize just how far dance has permeated their lives.

Even in conversation, the two communicate fluidly and effortlessly, like their dancing. Fred leads, Karen follows, but they don’t leave much space for “cutting in.”

The two seniors (Fred is 81, Karen 73) have been dancing all their lives, but rekindled their passions when they met each other seven years ago.

“We met on the dance floor,” Fred said. “I was impressed with her dancing. With me, I fell in love instantly.”

He had taught dancing for many years, but after his first wife died, he wasn’t sure he’d meet someone who inspired him again.

After that first dance with Karen, Fred made calls to all the dance halls in the area looking for more information.

“I tried to locate her, but she pulled a Cinderella act on me,” he said. “I decided to widen my loop and asked around local communities. Finally I talked to a lady and she demanded to know why I wanted to know. Karen was her mother-in-law.”

The two met up again and hit it off immediately. Fred moved to Kalispell from Polson and the two teach dance classes together.

“Most of the time it’s women who initiate the interest in dance,” Karen said. “The men are coaxed, bribed, coerced or threatened into it. They might give a lesson as a gift. But once they start, they are less anxious and the interest is equal.”

The Segos teach ballroom, Latin dancing, some swing and country. They teach fox trot but noticed the similarity to a Montana staple: the two-step. Thus, Fred coined the term “ballroom two step” to teach the ballroom dance.

Even those nervous about dancing will benefit from lessons, the Segos said.

“We all have some fear,” Karen said. “I know when I did it, I felt like everyone in the room would be watching me. Everyone has that same thought. But at the end of the day they all say they have so much fun.”

Karen’s first marriage was a largely dance-less one, she joked, so getting back into the world of dance was a recent endeavor. Her skill was enough to impress Fred, though.

“I looked down at her and she looked up at me and I knew right then,” he said. “I can even show you the spot on the ballroom floor where it happened.”

But dance has become more than just a meet-cute story for the Segos. It has become a way of life.

“A few years ago I danced with a fellow who was about 90 years old,” she said. “He told me, ‘If only more people danced and fished, we’d have less trouble in the world.’”

The couple went on a cruise a few years ago and met up with Kym Johnson, one of the dancers on the “Dancing With the Stars” television show. Fred is proud he got to dance with her and shows off his photos with the dancer whenever he gets the chance.

“I threw everything I had at her,” he said. “She’s a wonderful dancer. I love how she can take a new star and can develop them into a great dancer.”

The Segos have danced at just about every venue in the Flathead, but both admit one rises above the rest.

The Eagles Aerie No. 234 on First Street West in Kalispell stole the hearts of the Segos with the beautiful dance floor. It’s also where the two first met.

Fred has taught all ages, from 6 to 87 years old. Karen, in her role as Fred’s “assistant,” has seen a marked increase in dancers.

“There is such an interest in dance again,” she said. “We thrill at seeing the younger group dance. That’s the future of dance.”

Fred and Karen’s Dance Classes will kick off again this spring, with the Segos teaching Introductory Ballroom and Intermediate Swing in May and June.

To contact the Segos about lessons, call 314-4269.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.