No matter what life throws your way, sometimes it feels great to lose yourself in the music and just dance.
Fourteen years ago, Martha Halas had just relocated to Englewood, Florida after the death of her son. Still reeling with grief, Martha tried joining a gym to stay fit, but found that she didn’t fit in with the younger crowd. Instead, she found herself frequenting an outdoor pub that featured live music, and before too long, she decided to start dancing to the music that filled the night air.
Courtesy of Blue Rose Music
“One day, I got out of the chair and I danced,” Martha explained. “And then I went there every day to dance for two or three hours. “I’m normally so serious, but when I dance I smile from ear to ear and I meet a lot of people.â€
Martha found solace in the rhythmic sway of the music, and she felt her spirits rise in a way that she didn’t think was possible. In addition to losing her son, she’s also beaten cancer an astounding three times in her 72 years. Yet in spite of the many hardships she’s faced in her life, her new passion for dancing and making others smile has given her life new purpose.
Courtesy of Blue Rose Music
“I wasn’t always a dancing queen. I was a wallflower, and I would sit because of the way I was brought up,”she said. “I’m just grateful that I had the courage one day to get up and start to dance.â€
Over the past decade, Martha has become a familiar face all around Englewood. She often attends music festivals and concerts, and her enthusiasm and upbeat nature earned her the nickname “the Dancing Queen of Englewood.” Now retired from her job at Home Depot, Martha sports colorful outfits and wears her long hair in pigtails. One look at her tells you that she’s brimming with joy and truly embracing her life just as it is!
Courtesy of Blue Rose Music
“I just want people to be happy,”Martha said. “Everybody has problems but you have to keep walking forward and if you stumble down, it’s OK. Just get up and take baby steps.â€
Now, Martha’s joie de vivre is front and center in a brand new music video from Northern California recording artist Jackie Greene, who is known for his solo work as well as collaborations with The Black Crowes, The Grateful Dead and Joan Osborne.
Jackie Greene
Just three weeks after she started posting photos of her colorful costumes on Instagram, the septuagenarian swayed her way into a starring role in a music video released by Northern California recording artist Jackie Greene. When it came time to film a video for Jackie’s single, “Crazy Comes Easy,” Blue Rose Music managing director Meredith DiMenna pitched the unusual idea to feature Englewood’s “Dancing Queen” herself, and Greene cheerfully agreed.
“It’s an upbeat, fun song,” Greene said. “I’m not trying to be deadly serious or anything. It’s just a fun rock song for me. Everything’s so serious nowadays I feel good to have a kooky, lighthearted (video) out there.”
Courtesy of Blue Rose Music
In the video, Martha is dressed in a variety of her usual, colorful outfits as she moves throughout well-known hot spots in Englewood. As she moves around town she reaches out and touches various objects, and everything she touches turns from gray to vibrant, cheerful color. Life imitating art!
Greene’s video has had a positive impact on all who see it, and Martha is thrilled to lend her good nature and positive attitude to a project like this.
“What dancing has done for me is it’s brought me together with people I never would have met. It’s just an incredible experience.”
Courtesy of Blue Rose Music
We love the fact that Martha never lets her troubles define her! The way she looks at the bright side of life and truly enjoys being herself is truly inspiring. She’s not just surviving — she’s thriving. We should all take a page from Martha’s book.
Watch “the Dancing Queen” doing her thing in the video below, and be sure to share her inspiring survivor story with others.
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