Not only is Sherry Miller a wonderful mother and grandmother, but an unbelievably strong and dedicated woman.

While she was on a special journey of her life, traveling the world, she discovered a shocking passion that completely changed her life.

“My neighbor at the time asked me to go to the YWCA with her, just to try a belly dancing class,” said Miller. “She could barely drive home because her muscles were so sore, but I loved it. I continued on with the classes and by the time they were over, I was hooked.

While belly dancing is also known as Middle Eastern dancing, Miller found herself falling in love more and more with everything about this type of dance.

“I absolutely loved the music and I loved it long before we moved to Saudi Arabia,” said Miller. “Once I got to Saudi Arabia, I loved the whole culture and everything about it.”

Christopher (Angel) Miller is Sherry’s son and has grown up with his mother as a popular and loved dancer.

“It was really cool because everyone respected and admired my mom for what she was doing,” said Miller. “I’d go along and sometimes play my little drums because I was just this little guy and watched my mom work.”

She also learned many different kinds of belly dancing, such as dancing with a sword or a cane (stick) on her head.

“I practiced and practiced, I practiced walking with a book on my head for a while, then I purchased a sword,” said Miller. “That’s something that comes a lot later after you’ve learned to discipline different parts of your body, like when you can walk without bobbing your head up and down.”

After Miller moved away from Saudi Arabia, she found herself not only performing, but also teaching about the culture when moving to West Virginia.

“In the 12 years I taught at the Oglebay Institute, I had over 500 students,” said Miller. “I always made it a point to clear up any questions that people had about the middle east, such as their traditions and culture.”

Not only did Miller teach at the Oglebay Institute, but she performed demonstrations and culture seminars all over West Virginia.

“I performed at many schools, including Wheeling Park, Brooke, Linsly, John Marshall, Wheeling Country Day, and Wheeling Jesuit University,” said Miller. “I also performed at weddings, birthday parties and a lot of different organizations.”

Although Miller quit teaching in 2012 to pursue other things, she has danced for over 50 years.

“I may have stopped teaching, but I have never stopped dancing,” said Miller. “I look forward to the Lebanese festival every year because I get to dance. A lot of people still come up to me that I don’t know and say can you teach me, so I also do that.”

Sherry is now almost 80 years old, but she hasn’t let her age slow her down. She still enjoys putting on her old homemade costumes and belly dancing for good exercise.