The couple are celebrating their 10^th year teaching Stawell Secondary students ahead of the school’s annual dance in May.  

“We get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from what we do, we love the reaction from the kids, they show a great level of interest and are very responsive,” Mr Thornton said. 

“It is a challenge for them, it is a chance to step out of their comfort zone and it is also good at teaching them social skills.”

Mrs Thornton said teaching students to dance was a special moment they would remember later on in life. 

“It is learning something they would not normally do in everyday life, it is a great skill to have, it comes with discipline, learning more about the adult world and being happy,” she said.

Mr and Mrs Thornton met on the dance floor at a jazz club in Richmond a long time ago, they could not recall the exact year, but it was the wonderful memory that counted. 

“Dancing is a huge part of our lives, it brought us together and it makes us happy,” Mr Thornton said. 

“I have been dancing for 70 years, I started at age 11 and trained at a dance school in Melbourne, I still kept dancing after that and it progressed from dancing into teaching.

“A lot of people can dance, not all of them can teach.”

Mrs Thornton started dancing at 14 and said it was something she always wanted to have in her life since that first moment. 

“It is special, it makes you feel great, it is so important,” she said.

“Even when I met Neil, he was already teaching people how to dance and then I started teaching with him, we have so many great memories.”

The couple have also taught students in Ararat in preparation for their annual debutante balls and have taught adults at Landsborough. 

Students from Stawell Secondary College will step out onto the dance floor on May 12-13 at the Stawell Entertainment Centre from 8pm.