Charles D. Zarachowicz, a dancer and dance instructor, died in an automobile accident Sunday while on vacation near St. Augustine, Fla.
A resident of Southeast Baltimore, he was 67.
Mr. Zarachowicz, known professionally as Charles Zara, was born and raised in Highlandtown. A graduate of Patterson High School, he began working as a secretary before breaking into modeling in his early 20s.
He appeared in fashion shows and print advertisements selling a wide range of goods and services, including luggage and health spas.
Mr. Zarachowicz began dancing as a youngster when his sister Carolyn showed him a few steps. He was primarily self-taught and was considered a natural by other dancers.
"There is no one who couldn't dance with Charles. He was such a strong lead. You could be the worst dancer in the world and you'd look good with him," said friend and fellow dancer Anne Greif.
As a teacher and performer, he specialized in ballroom and Greek dancing.
He also loved disco, mastering the steps from Saturday Night Fever after seeing the movie and introducing disco to other teachers, including those at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio and the Towson Dance Studio.
He began dancing professionally in the 1960s, and his career spanned more than four decades.
Based primarily in Baltimore and Washington, he was a choreographer and a dancer at Baltimore Actors' Theater Inc.
He also performed as a folk dancer at local restaurants and in Baltimore television advertisements. He also appeared on a telethon for multiple sclerosis and at a political fund-raiser for former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.
Mr. Zarachowicz often made his own costumes with help from his mother, Brenda Zarachowicz.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a dancer and dance instructor for cruise lines, where he worked with partner Shelda Bond, a former Miss Maryland. He had taught her how to dance, and the two performed together for years, traveling throughout the world. The couple performed at charity events, raising money for cancer research and for the American Heart Association.
Mrs. Bond described her former dance partner as "an ordinary guy with extraordinary talent" and said he was the only ballroom performer she knew who could dance with two women at once.
When his sister, Carolyn Mabry, died in 1973, Mr. Zarachowicz left the cruise line to help raise his two nieces by working as a hairdresser and beauty supply salesman while giving dance lessons.
He spent much of the past decade helping care for aging parents. His mother died in 1994 and his father in February.
In recent months, he teamed up with a piano player and a group of dancers to form A to Z, a performance group that entertained at nursing homes. As part of the group, Mr. Zarachowicz often entertained elderly women by twirling them in their wheelchairs.
Martin Ellis, a friend of 28 years and fellow A to Z performer, described him as "the kindest, gentlest soul I've ever known. Charles' shoes simply cannot ever be filled."
He also loved dogs and was an advocate of animal rights. His dog, a Maltese poodle named O.C., accompanied him at his nursing home performances.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11 a.m. Monday at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, Foster Avenue and Conkling Street, Highlandtown.
Survivors include two nieces, Pamela Mabry Kolb and Stacy Mabry Keller, both of Perry Hall; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.
