Betty May Yang’s love of dance took her from her native Taiwan to stages all over the world. 

When she came to the United States, she took up the ballroom variety and competitively danced everything from the rumba to the fox trot to swing. 

“I’ve loved to dance ever since I was a little girl,” Yang said.

She also loves to teach, she said.  Yang once owned her own dance studio and has been teaching classes in the city of Walnut’s recreation program and at the Rowland Adult and Community Education for several years.

Yang recalled that she was teaching in Walnut a few years ago when a man from Monterey Park came looking for her.  He told her he wanted to learn to dance from the best and he had heard she was the best, she said.  When a student responds to her teaching, Yang said “that is the best feeling in the world.”

At 7 p.m. Wednesday night at the Walnut Senior Center, she will put on a one-night Salsa workshop that is beginner friendly.

Yang has taught several dance classes from the waltz to the tango through the city’s program, but says since 2008, she has seen a drop in the number of students in her classes.  She recently had to cancel both her waltz and tango classes. She also previously taught cooking classes and a form of Japanese flower arranging called ikebana, but had to cancel those as well.

“I hope dance classes will not go away in the community,” she said.

Robert Watanabe, Walnut’s recreation coordinator, said some of the dance and music classes in particular have seen a decrease in attendees.  He said that the program offers a new silk flower arranging class that is growing slowly but needs more students.

He said the exercise classes, yoga for one, along with the fitness dance class Zumba are very popular right now. 

Watanabe said with dance classes, they often come and go with the fads. 

“Last year during the hip-hop craze, the hip-hop dance class was very popular,” he said.

Visit the city’s website and click here to view and register for Yang’s salsa workshop and other classes available.