Nurturing four careers at one time…a wonderful marriage, four children, three grandsons and six successful dance studios. Then at age fifty-eight she took on a fifth career partnering with Joe Tremaine to produce Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions.
Julie was born in Detroit, Michigan, to American born parents, Joseph and Gertrude Adler and as early as two and a half years old, Julie’s love for dance surfaced in an incident where she was taken to a Broadway-type musical. Sitting beside her mother in the theater, she suddenly disappeared, soon to be found up on stage dancing the Charleston with the performers.
AGE 7:
Her first subsequent performance was dancing at the Fox Theater in Detroit. It was a Franchon and Marco Christmas Production presented yearly.
AGE 12:
To earn money to pay for a trip to New York to study dance, Julie taught dance lessons in her basement for twenty five cents a lesson.
AGE 13:
At age thirteen Julie toured local night clubs in Detroit with Danny Thomas (known then as Amos Jacobs), then with the USO.
AGE 14:
By the age of fourteen, Julie taught dance classes daily in her home.
In the summer of her fourteenth year, she began to study with N.Y. Dance Masters like Paul Draper, Matt Mattox, Ernest Carlos, Jack Stanley, Kathryn Dunham, Luigi and Frank Wagner.
AGE 17:
At the age of seventeen, with only 45 students, Julie opened her first professional studio on Linwood Avenue. Six more successful studios followed throughout her 40 years in the Detroit area, during which time the registration grew from 45 to 1300 a week.
The last 12 years (from 1967 to 1979) Julie administered and ran the Detroit studio from Los Angeles, having moved there with her family in 1967.
Julie’s studios produced many recitals, concerts, benefits and a weekly television show in Canada. Many of her students went on to open their own studios in Michigan, New York, Florida, Maryland, etc.
ANNETTE BERGASSE -Michigan, ROBERT GATZKE -Michigan,
BARBARA FINK -Michigan, LINDA MAKOSKI -Michigan,
JERRY MATTISON -New York, DIANNE & MARY DOLOUNT -Maryland,
DORI MATKOWSKI -Michigan, MARGIE VanDELL -Michigan,
SHERRY MILLER -Florida, DICK GREGORY -New York,
HARRIET FERNANDEZ -Michigan, JACKIE TOMS -Michigan,
Tony Award Winner – JANIE SELL
among others…
Julie Adler married Ed Sparage April 7, 1946, and together had four beautiful children, Harley, Laurie, Gary and Randy…then three added grandsons, Joshua, Dustin and Jeremy. Much happiness filled the Sparage house until the loss of their first son Harley at 7 years old to leukemia. Many years later the family suffered another tragic loss, grandson Joshua Harley Sparage at 9 years old. Julie and Ed enjoyed 68 years together until his passing in late 2014. Their daughter Laurie passed away in 2017.
Julie and Joe having just arrived from Detroit and New York respectively, met in (of all places) a Los Angeles dance class taught by Alex Plasschaert at the Moro Landis Studios in September 1967. A sincere friendship blossomed and Julie invited Joe to teach Master classes at her studio in Detroit.
Julie had great respect and admiration for her father who at that time was the Executive Chief of the Detroit Fire Department. Julie made his lifelong dream come true, a fire chief in tap shoes. At the age of 76 he mastered a three generation tap routine with Julie and 2 grandchildren, (Laurie and Gary) in Julie’s concert. After he passed away in 1979, Julie gave up the studio in Detroit. This, however did not end her passion for dance. It sparked the fifth career for Julie. She and Joe partnered and with great expectations presented the first Tremaine Dance Convention at the Sheraton La Reina Hotel in Los Angeles in the fall of 1981.
The early days of Tremaine Conventions began in Julie’s home in Granada Hills, California, in 1981. The bedroom was the office, the kitchen and dining room were for mailing and shipping, the pantry and linen closet stored videos, albums and t-shirts. The family neighbors cut colored ribbons designating Junior, Senior and Teacher ballrooms.
(high kick with Tremaine script across it) was conceived at the kitchen table when Julie silhouetted a photo of Joe taken during an audition and then had him sign “Tremaine” across the silhouette.
In the beginning, Joe and Julie had weekly business meetings in her family room. Four years later, in 1986, the budget allowed for a real office on Hamlin Street in Van Nuys. In 2001, they moved to Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood, and in 2021, to Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank. During those first years, Tremaine Conventions grew from ten convention cities a year to more than twenty-five conventions and competitions a year.
Julie takes little credit for all her hard work. Instead she praises all the people behind the scenes who brought success to each and every convention, especially in those beginning years. She knows Tremaine Dance Conventions wouldn’t be where it is today without their countless hours of work and tireless devotion.
DORI MATKOWSKI | DENISE STEINMACHER | EDDIE STEINMACHER | HOLLY SCHOLDER | JUDY ERICSON | LINDA MAKOSKI | CURTIS RAPE | PAT COOK | GERRI PEEL | SHELLY PEEL | LAURIE CLAYTON | ANN DELL | MARY JO WINTERS | NANCY SNOWDEN | JERRY MATTISON
among many, many others…
Julie has always said “Hard work never hurt anyone,” and she knows. She worked hard all her life, happily striving to bring the ultimate dance education to every student. With Joe Tremaine, the two accomplished exactly that and more. They shared their knowledge of teaching and performing which helped many young dancers make the right choices.
BILL HINTON – Our first graphic designer who was a great help to us with our advertising in the early years. Bill died in the 80’s after a long struggle with AIDS. She misses Bill knocking on her front door at 7 a.m., ready to layout the current Dance Magazine ad.
GEORGE & JOAN LATHER – Always offering a helping hand. Many Saturday mornings at 5 a.m. They would be helping Julie reset the exhibitors markings to make sure the booths would be open on time. The dearest people with the biggest hearts, George Lather died in 2000, and Joan passed in 2020. We all miss them.
Julie has worn many hats. She was a dancer, teacher, studio owner, choreographer, and business woman but the hat she loved the most was being Ed’s wife, as well as a mother and a grandmother (Nanny).