Story #54: Jeanne Roddy and the House Where Country Club Kids Learned to Danc

Long before dance competitions and studio drop-offs, Country Club kids were heading to one house just east of the neighborhood to learn their steps.

At 2503 N. 51st Ave., Jeanne Roddy taught dance from the basement studio in her family home, and for many Omaha children in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that’s where they learned their first tap steps, jazz routines and recital numbers. Her studio became a neighborhood institution, remembered by many Country Club families whose children made the short trip over for lessons each week.

And in the Roddy family, dance didn’t stop when class was over.

Jeanne’s sons, Jimmy and Patrick Roddy, grew up in that house surrounded by music, rehearsals and performance. Both went on to remarkable careers. Jimmy danced on Broadway and in touring productions, including George M!, Coco with Katharine Hepburn, and the first national tour of A Chorus Line. Patrick danced with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall before returning home to Omaha, where he became one of the city’s best-known choreographers and dance teachers, including many years at Creighton University.

So while 2503 N. 51st Avenue may not have been officially in the Country Club District, it was very much part of Country Club life — a home where neighborhood children learned to dance, and where one Omaha family helped shape Omaha’s performing arts scene for decades.

Thank you to former resident Francie Hornstein for suggesting this story.

Have a story from the neighborhood to share? Message us and we will follow-up.