• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

MarionMade

People, Places, Products, Programs

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Instagram
We Are Generous!We Are Having Fun!We Are Presidential!
  • Get Involved
    • Honoree Nomination Form
  • About
  • Events
    • MarionMade! 5k Sign Up
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Martha Douce

By MarionMade! on September 22, 2017

MARION’S FIRST LADY OF DANCE.

Nearly every little girl dreams of being a princess…and Martha Douce Maniaci has helped that dream come true for thousands of Marion youngsters. Affectionately known as “Marion’s First Lady of Dance,” Martha is a living legend who has been teaching dance since 1943.

Known for her flashy fashion sense, Martha can carry off glitter, feathers, and sequins with the best of them and has a heart of gold for making others shine. She is the namesake behind a chain of seven dance studios throughout Ohio, teaching ballet, tap, jazz, and ballroom dance; all of which started with her teaching a group of 31 students baton twirling in her parents’ South Prospect Street front yard.

Her students have gone on to reign as Miss Ohio, become drum majors and cheerleaders at several major colleges, and Broadway performers. Her studios give annual recitals each spring showcasing the area’s tiniest ballerinas through high school seniors.

Dance instruction has always been a family affair for Martha, who taught alongside her late husband, Joe, and her three daughters, Marilyn, Luann, and Suzanne, who now manage the studios. Joe and Martha studied ballroom dance at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and won a dance contest at the World’s Fair. She served for many years as the Midwest regional director of Dance Educators of America. Martha also studied piano and voice and loved the drums. She was a percussionist in the Harding High School band, 1946-1949, as well as a cheerleader.

Always loving and giving, for 25 years Martha organized benefit dances, raising in excess of $90,000 for leukemia research in memory of Michael Rollins, an 8-year-old cancer victim from Marion. She has also served as the secretary for Marion Midget Football for 35 years.

The consummate performer, Martha danced in every one of the Junior Service Guild’s Follies at the Palace, conducted the Grand March for Harding High School’s prom for 25+ years, and still–at 86-years of age–dances a mean Cupid Shuffle on demand.

“I love Marion,” she said. “I think it’s the greatest place. I just love it.” And, thousands in Marion love Martha Douce.

#marionmade #wearedancers

Recent MarionMade! Stories

  • The Peace and Freedom Committee

    Many in our community attended the sold-out Peace and Freedom Breakfast Celebration on January 20, 2020.  This was the thirteenth year of this successful celebration, which includes the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Central Ohio Regional Oratorical/Art/Poetry/Essay Contest. It is hard to believe that this all began in 2007 with a small group of six […]Read More »
  • Center Street Community Health Center

    Take a peek at our video and find out more about the Center Street Community Health Center and why we are Marion Made. We challenge all Marion businesses to create a video showing why they too are Marion Made.#MarionMade #MarionProuD #WeAreCommunity #MarionChallenge #CSCHC Posted by Center Street Community Health Center on Tuesday, March 21, 2017Read More »
  • WDIF-LP 97.5 FM

    HOME OF THE BLUES. Marion native, Spencer Phelps, has been a fan of radio as far back as he can remember. His official start in the radio industry was as a regular voice on local WDCM in the early 2000’s. He describes other ventures in local media including a regularly televised program on TV22, production […]Read More »
  • Popcorn & Marion

    We have the Popcorn Festival and the Wyandot Popcorn Museum but do you know what the importance of popcorn is to Marion?  We’ll start with the importance of the snack to the United States. According to the Popcorn Board, a non-profit organization funded by U.S. popcorn processors, forty-three quarts are consumed per person annually in […]Read More »

Share Your MarionMade! Story

Click Here to share your story about MarionMade! people, places, products, and programs!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Downtown Marion Love INC Marion Public Library Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Marion CANDO! Marion Community Foundation United Way of Marion County Marion Technical College

© 2022 · MarionMade! is a community initiative led by Marion Technical College · Website is powered by Neighborhood Image