Beloved Clovis dance instructor wants to rescind his resignation. City says no
Clovis senior dancers have launched a campaign to reinstate their beloved instructor Jim Ray after he quit in frustration amid a dispute with the city.
Ray, 74, resigned as an instructor at the city’s Senior Activity Center in late August after the city repurposed a dance floor as an indoor pickleball court. Ray said he quit in protest after city staff denied his request to remove blue painter’s tape left on the dance floor for pickleball use. The tape, he said, posed a safety hazard to his elderly students.
After dozens of Ray’s students addressed the City Council earlier in September, the center’s managementremoved the temporary tapes marking the pickleball courts and replaced them with permanent painted lines.
However, Clovis is reluctant to meet the dancers’ other request to rehire Ray as the dance instructor at the senior center. Instead, the city has hired Tammy and John Pemberton, who began offering two weekly dancing sessions last week.
“[They] are not reinstating him and have not said why, other than that he retired,” said Debbie Graeber, a student of Ray. “But he rescinded that and is not collecting any money [from CalPERS].”
In an email to The Bee, city officials declined to comment on the status of Ray’s position, saying it’s a personnel matter.
“However, we’re happy to share that western dance classes resumed at the Clovis Community Center, and we’ve had a great turnout,” said Taylor Danielson, the city’s spokesperson.
Pemberton, who’s also a well-known musician in the Clovis community and performs frequently at public events, now hosts line dance therapy every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, and a Country Nights & Line Dancing event on Wednesday nights, according to Danielson. The senior center also organizes a free Friday night couples’ dance event.
Ray taught seven classes per week, plus a weekly couples’ ball during his decade working at the senior center. More than a hundred students had enrolled in his courses this year, he said.
The new instructors fill in two of Ray’s seven classes, and Ray just wants the five classes back that they have not been hired for, Graber said.
Ray has been a Clovis employee since 2015, according to Transparent California, a database for public employees’ pay and pension. Last year, Ray received a total pay and benefits of $27,706.
An online petition launched by Graeber this week has gathered over 270 signatures.
“Jim’s western dance classes are the best within 100 miles of my home,” one of Ray’s students wrote. “I chose to drive 114 miles round-trip to attend Jim’s classes two to four times per week. Jim’s classes were a major part of the exercise portion of my doctor’s supervised weight-loss program, where I lost 40 pounds in 27 weeks.”
The group plans to continue appearing at City Council meetings to plead for Ray’s reinstatement. At a meeting earlier this month, more than 50 dancers showed up in support of Ray.
Searching daily for a dance floor
Meanwhile, Ray’s month-long search for an alternative dance space has yet to pay off.
Several local businesses stepped in and offered temporary options after his students spoke at the council meetings, Ray said, but the limited space and opening hours make it difficult to fully resume classes.
“I have a small room at My Gym that the owner has been kind enough to let me use at certain times. It only holds eight students max, whereas my class size average is 30,” Ray said. “I have a spot at the Legion as well, which holds about 20 comfortably, twice per week, three weeks per month.”
Last week, Ray apologized to his students in a Facebook post after learning about a location scheduling conflict during the planned class time. He encouraged folks to try the new instructor’s class at the community center.
“Although I do not support the senior center at this time, I do support my dance community and believe we all need to stick together,” Ray wrote.
Reclaiming their floating dance floor at the original venue as a community group might not be feasible due to the high rental costs. The banquet hall’s rental fee is $750 for the first five hours, or a non-profit rate at $100 per hour, the city’s fee schedule shows.
Ray said he searches daily for a permanent location.
“Some are taking the new classes at the center which is great,” he said. “I want them to dance. But I have loyal people who are waiting for me to find a permanent spot that will accommodate everyone.”
