In the glare of cameras and beneath a spotlight, recently elected Missouri
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon dances with Georganne Wheeler Nixon. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor)
Gov. Jay Nixon and wife, Georganne, danced for the first time as the Show-Me State’s first couple. Their form was perfect; the tempo was just right; and Mark Wheeler, a professor in UGA’s department of dance, breathed a sigh of prideful relief.
Wheeler, who is Georganne Nixon’s cousin, flew to Missouri two days before the inauguration and in one 45-minute lesson taught the first couple in the fine art of waltzing.
“The governor always dances to ‘The Missouri Waltz,’ so they had a CD with two versions. Most of the time, though, Jay and I just sang the tune,” Wheeler said.
It was a lesson two years in the making. It began when Wheeler visited the couple when Jay Nixon was attorney general for Missouri. During a conversation about his possible run for governor, Georganne said, “If it happens, we’re going to need some help, Mark,” Wheeler recalled.
In his 30 years at UGA, Wheeler has taught college students, bridal parties and others how to ballroom dance, but the governor’s inauguration was one-of-a-kind, he said.
“I had them do the most basic waltz one could do. And they did very well,” he said. “They did a good job, and the photos show how fine their form was. I was very proud of that.”
