20 | APRIL 2 • 2020 

Jews in the D

continued from page 18

Along the way, Coronella was 
told to Americanize his name 
for broader appeal, so he became 
Joe Cornell. And Joe Cornell 
became such a household name 
and built such a community that 
phone calls and messages haven’
t 
stopped flooding in for days 
from those who want to contrib-
ute to the story of his life and 
what he meant to people. 
Cornell found a niche teaching 
kids in the pre-bar/bat mitzvah 
crowd. Though they learned the 
dances of the day, including the 
Foxtrot, Cha Cha and Jitterbug, 
the classes were about so much 
more, said his daughter, Trina, 
who lives in Phoenix. 
“So many amazing kids, the 
lives they have, the confidence — 
it shaped who these young kids 
became,
” she recalled. “I know 
so many of the students who 
have become doctors, lawyers, so 
well-established in the commu-
nity. That all came from how he 
shaped them. It’
s all about ‘
do the 
right thing and be courteous.
’
”
Known for seeing the best in 
people and always having a kind 
word to say, everyone was his 
friend, she said. “He was magic. 
And always an adventure.
”
Cornell had two children, 
Trina and Salvatore (Tori), with 
his first wife, Irene. His son died 
in 1983. Cornell divorced, and 
married Kathy in 1977. They 
moved to California in the late 
’
70s, and he flew back and forth 
to Michigan for work. 
Jasgur attended Cornell’
s 
dance program in 1982 as a sixth 
grader. Students took classes at 
synagogues and country clubs. 
They were paired up and would 
practice for the big May Ball. 
During his year, Jasgur and his 
partner came in second out of 
hundreds of couples. A few years 
later, sister Rebecca and her part-
ner also took second place. 
In 1985, Rebecca, 14, was 

asked to become a junior 
instructor. Steve, then 16, drove 
her to that first meeting — both 
were hired. They built names for 
themselves on the party circuit. 
In 1991, Cornell sold the busi-
ness to the duo. Star Trax Event 
Productions bought it in 2015, 
and still runs the Joe Cornell 
Experience dance program. 

CORNELL’
S GIFT
Jasgur says “Uncle Joe” made 
everyone feel comfortable.
“Nobody was a stranger,
” 
Jasgur said. “
And he was such a 
good dancer.
” 
Rebecca Jasgur Schlussel of 
West Bloomfield recalls waiting 
eagerly to be old enough to take 
the Joe Cornell class. 
“I loved the camaraderie,
” she 
said. “This was the highlight of 
my week. Watching him dance 
was an unbelievable joy.
” 
Larry Miller of Bloomfield 
Hills learned to dance at age 3 
from Cornell, who worked at his 
grandparents’
 summer resort, the 
Greenbush Inn in Greenbush, 
Michigan. “I think that started 
my love for dance,
” he said. 
When his grandparents sold 
the resort in the mid-1950s, 
Cornell opened his dance studio.
“He really taught us how to 
handle ourselves,
” Miller said, 
“more than just how to dance, 
how to communicate with the 
opposite sex, how to be polite.
”
Then, in the early ’
60s, Miller 
says, bar and bat mitzvah dance 
lessons picked up. 
“He didn’
t just teach thou-

Cornell flew in to accompany Sharon 
Gould Easton at her son’
s wedding. 

continued on page 22

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Have a 
Happy and Safe
Passover

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COURTESY SHARON GOULD EASTON

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