Dancing Through the Decades With Julie Wilson!
This week in Creative Corner, I sat down with longtime friend and dance instructor Julie Wilson, a woman who’s been moving to the rhythm of life since she was three years old. From her early days training under Mary Wempner to competing across the country in Ballroom and Latin dance, Julie’s story is one of passion, community, and joy. Now teaching out of the same studio she grew up in, she continues to share her love of dance with Fond du Lac, one step, spin, and smile at a time.
I’ve known Julie Wilson for a long time, and if there’s one thing I can say about her, it’s that she truly lives and breathes dance. When I sat down to talk with her, it was clear that she has a lot of passion, not just for movement, but for the people and stories that come with it. “I think I started dancing in the womb,” Julie laughed. She officially began at age three with the late Cleo Smith and continued her training with Mary Wempner, who she describes as a second mother. “She taught me the discipline and dedication needed to be a good dancer.” Julie studied tap, ballet, pointe, and jazz through her early twenties before discovering the world of Ballroom, Latin, and Swing in her thirties. Eventually she began to compete across the United States in the International Latin category, and she’s been moving ever since.
When I asked what inspired her to open her own studio, Julie said it wasn’t something she originally planned. “I never really thought I’d teach dance,” she told me. “I was happy competing and performing, but having to travel over an hour just to take lessons or compete made me realize Fond du Lac needed its own studio.” So, in 1999, she opened Shut Up & Dance! and began bringing that big-city energy home. “At first, I hired other instructors from Milwaukee and the Fox Valley,” she said, “but I quickly realized I needed to teach myself if I wanted to share my love of dance with my community.”
Julie still teaches today at the same studio she grew up in, Wempner School of Dance at 7 Sheboygan Street in Fond du Lac. “It feels like coming full circle,” she said. These days, she teaches mainly on weekends, offering Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Salsa, and even Cardio Dance. She also runs a performance team and offers private lessons during the week when she’s not spending time with her 12 grandchildren and great grandson. “They keep me busy,” she smiled.
When we talked about her biggest influences and accomplishments, she paused for a moment before answering. “There have been so many people who’ve inspired me, I’d need to write a book,” she said with a grin. “But my biggest achievement isn’t a title or a trophy, it’s all the wonderful people who’ve crossed my path. Relationships have formed in my studio, people have met and gotten married, careers have been launched. Hopefully, when people hear Shut Up & Dance, they’ll think of me and not the song… I came first!”
