Show shares joy of ballroom dancing

By Rowena Coetsee

STAFF WRITER


WALNUT CREEK - As samba music blared, the tiny blonde shimmied on-stage with her pint-size partner in a hot pink, off-the-shoulder costume as if she'd been dancing in the spotlight all her life.

Although Mary Fiterman has been taking lessons for just two years, the 7-year-old from Campbell already has learned how to shake her hips to the Afro-Brazilian beat like a Vegas showgirl.

An appreciative audience erupted in cheers as the diminutive duo hustled off stage where, flushed and out-of-breath, Fiterman made a startling confession: Samba isn't actually her favorite step.