Abbey J. Plotkin

1961 - 2021

Abbey J. Plotkin of Coconut Creek, Florida formerly of New York City, died January 7, 2021, at the age of 59. Her good heart gave out, ending a lifetime of devotion to joyful dancing, as well as her love of diverse friends and a large Jewish family.

Abbey was a professional dance performer and educator, with a special interest in Latin American dance styles. She had relocated from New York to Florida in November 2020 to continue her career. Friends and family admired her personal warmth and joie de vivre and also enjoyed watching her experience the ecstasy of dancing.

Abbey was born March 31, 1961, in Athol Memorial Hospital in Athol, Massachusetts, the daughter of Charles S. Plotkin and the late Natalie (Steinberg) Plotkin. She attended public elementary and middle schools in Athol, and received her high school education from the Northfield Mt. Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts, graduating in 1979. Her studies included a semester in Israel and one in France, studying Hebrew and French, respectively. She attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, received a bachelor of arts degree in 1983. While in Atlanta, she formed a dance group called the Cracker Jacks.

Abbey took tap dance lessons when she was very young, developed an interest in hip-hop, and quickly fell in love with salsa upon moving to New York City, where she frequently attended salsa dance events. In her early New York days, her friend Edmee Valentin and her family embraced her.

Abbey founded Mambo Mamas, a female dance troupe which had an impact on the salsa scene. "Big Women," as she dubbed herself and others, were considered incapable of the fast moves, and sometimes were not welcomed, but the Mambo Mamas proved otherwise. She worked as a dance instructor in salsa, mambo and line dancing. She was employed by the Arthur Murray Dance Studio as well as by senior centers, often arranging for her students to perform at various functions, including parades and celebrations. She loved living in New York City and essentially was a big city girl from a small rural town.

Friends tell how Abbey changed many people's lives because of her example. She arrived in New York at a time that the AIDS crisis was devastating the gay community, and Abbey became especially close friends with a gay man named Manny, who was also active in the dance scene, but she was soon was mourning his death from the disease.

She loved all dance, not just salsa, but that was her favorite. "On the two! On the two!," she would always say, a reference to where the beat should be. She traveled to salsa conventions in Italy and elsewhere, becoming well-known in the international dance community. Her friends from her days in Athol and beyond noted "she had touched so many lives through her passion for dance, culture, social justice issues, LGBTQ rights, etc."

Abbey's friend Edwin Rivera was one of the last people to talk to Abbey when she was hospitalized with heart failure. In a Facebook post, he wrote, "I felt your fear over the phone. Not fear of passing, but fear of not being able to dance with us again. Even in our last conversation, you were thinking about the dance community. 'Edwin, I hope I get to dance with everyone again,' were your last words to me. You were a gift from God to us, a trail blazer for the community. You did not see race, color, size, nor sexual orientation. You just danced, inspired and brought so many of us together. ... You were a PIONEER! These traits of yours definitely passed on to me and I will forever be grateful to you."

Abbey is survived by her father, Charles S. Plotkin of Delray Beach, Florida.; her brothers Jeff (and sister-in-law Deborah) of Prescott, Arizona.; Bruce Plotkin of Denver, Colorado; John Plotkin of Deerfield, Massachusetts (whose wife Karen Plotkin is deceased), and Michael Plotkin of Orange, Massachusetts.; her uncle and aunt Nathan Steinberg and Rosemarie Thoms of Orange, her aunt Sylvia Jaffee of Florida, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and many friends, as well as her cat, Tito Puentes. She was pre-deceased by her mother, Natalie Plotkin, brother Alan Plotkin, maternal grandparents Abraham and Ida Steinberg, paternal grandparents Isadore and Lillian Plotkin, her uncle and aunt Sherman and Selma Plotkin, her uncles Norman Steinberg and Stuart Jaffee, M.D., and her aunt and uncle Ginger and Steve Fiore.

Donations in Abbey's memory may be made to the Al Plotkin Music Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 338, Athol, MA 01331.

Burial will be in Sharon Memorial Park, Sharon, and due to COVID-19 restrictions, the family is planning a private Zoom memorial.