Two Slidell women are proving you’re never too old to learn to dance.

Rose Marie Sand, 58, and her mother, Julia DiGiovanni, 82, are among the local dance students who will take the stage during the Louisiana Challenge, a statewide dance competition to be held June 6-8 in Baton Rouge. Taught by Al Henriquez of Geaux Dance Ballroom, the two have been dancing less than a year, and in DiGiovanni’s case, only a few weeks.

Their dance journey began about three months ago, when Sand spotted a Geaux Dance flyer at an art exhibit.

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“It’s something I always wanted to try, but I never thought I would be in a competition,” said Sand.

Noting how her mother had always loved to dance, Sand decided on a whim to give her lessons for her birthday last month. Within three weeks DiGiovanni noticed her heart rate had dropped and she had increased stamina.

DiGiovanni has suffered from emphysema for 30 years, and recently finished treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. When she first started the lessons, Henriquez, who constantly monitors DiGiovanni’s pulse, said she frequently had to take breaks to rest or drink a glass of water.

“Now she wants to push harder than I do,” he said. “We all have to slow her down.”

Sand agreed, saying her mother has “blossomed” through the experience.

Neither of the women has ever danced in any professional capacity, although Sand, who runs a theatrical production company, has some familiarity with the stage. DiGiovanni said she only danced with friends and family at parties or community and school dances.

“Whenever I didn’t feel well, all someone had to do was turn on the music,” said DiGiovanni.

DiGiovanni will compete in single-time swing and the waltz, while Sand will dance the waltz, foxtrot, tango, rhumba, swing and cha-cha.

The pro-am competition is open to dancers of all ages and skill levels and is geared toward the student dancer. Ten students in all, including Henriquez’s 8-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, as well as some prominent area business owners, will represent the Northshore.

This is the first time Geaux Dance students have participated in the event, now entering its eighth year. Henriquez, who has been teaching for 20 years, hopes one day to open a facility on the Northshore that will cater only to social dancing.

“The hardest thing is to find a venue that is accessible,” he said. “Covington, Abita Springs and Slidell all have great spaces where you could hold a function, but they’re very expensive.”

Tickets to the Louisiana Challenge are $10. For more information, go to www.gumboofballroom.org, or call 201-4042.