Highways and honky tonks

June 26, 2025

by Jeff Williford

TYLER — By day, Nicholas Martin is coordinating road designs with precision and purpose. By night, he’s gliding across hardwood floors with rhythm and flair.

As a design project coordinator for TxDOT in Tyler, Martin brings the same dedication to his work that he brings to the dance floor—where his love for dancing isn’t just a pastime, it’s a passion that took root during his childhood in San Antonio.

“When I was a kid, I remember my grandma and grandpa would set up a booth at the Night Out in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) festival—a big celebration full of music and dancing,” Martin said. “My grandma taught me how to dance different styles, including Cumbia and Bachata. It was a big part of my childhood.”

As he got older, Nicholas worked for his grandparents, who owned a wedding venue in San Antonio. He was a bartender and helped with sound, lighting, and most importantly, the music.

“I worked a lot of weddings and quinceañeras. Music was always around, and we were always stepping,” he said.

That influence ran deep. His father, a breakdancer and DJ, and his mother, a hip-hop dancer, actually met at a dance club. Dance wasn’t just a hobby in Martin’s world, it was woven into his family’s identity.

Those formative experiences didn’t just entertain Martin—they lit a spark.

“I really started doing a lot more dancing when I was in college at UT Tyler,” he said.

While Cumbia and Bachata weren’t exactly the norm at his local dance halls in Tyler, Texas-style two-stepping certainly was. After seeing the intricate styles and moves, he was hooked.

“I would see people doing different moves and different styles, and I would always want to learn more—so I did,” he said.

Martin honed his skills weekly—sometimes even nightly—on the dance floor, paving the way for what would become a defining part of his life.

He quickly became a standout on the Tyler dance floors, eventually helping launch the Tyler Country Dancing group. The group aims to create a welcoming community for dancers to connect, organize events, learn from one another, and of course, dance.

That community has given Martin the opportunity to travel to numerous states, compete in events, learn different styles, and meet like-minded dancers.

“The styles in Tyler differ from somewhere like Dallas or Nacogdoches. You see all kinds of different styles just in Texas. It really is unique,” said Martin.

The Tyler Country Dancing group also brought him something even more meaningful: his wife, Sarah. The two married in 2024, and now share their love of dance everywhere they go.

“Two-stepping has really given me a lot of memories,” Martin said. “Everywhere my wife and I go, we try to find a place to dance. We try to spread our passion and experience to others.”

Though Texas two-step remains his specialty, Martin is looking to reconnect with his cultural roots by exploring more Latin styles like Salsa and Tango. But no matter what style he’s dancing, one thing remains the same—his passion for movement, music, and making meaningful connections.