A year before the phone rang, Jean Czajkowski-Desai told her daughter she had one more wish for the Stagecoach Ballroom.
“I really want another production at the Stagecoach, one more time,” Czajkowski-Desai’s daughter, Julia Paur, recalled her mom telling her.
Then a stranger phoned the dance hall on a Friday night while Jean was at her usual post selling tickets at the front door. He wanted to film a music video. She thought it was a scam.
It wasn’t.
Within two weeks, the 65-year-old Fort Worth boot scootin’ spot became the backdrop for multiplatinum artist Ella Langley’s music video for “Choosin’ Texas,” a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The video premiered in April and features “Yellowstone” actor Luke Grimes and cameos by Miranda Lambert, Wade Bowen and several rodeo stars.
“Choosin’ Texas” was the ballroom’s second production. In 1983, Czajkowski-Desai wrote a letter to actress Jane Alexander after reading in a newspaper that she was producing a film and searching for locations.
Years later, Alexander followed up and the Stagecoach became a filming location for the 1987 film “Square Dance,” which starred Rob Lowe, Jason Robards and Winona Ryder.
From left, Julia Paur, age 5, Jean Czajkowski-Desai, Dwight Pearson, Jennifer Chidgey, Rob Lowe, Bruno Czajkowski, John-Paul Chidgey and Jannie Czajkowski pose outside the Stagecoach Ballroom during the filming of the 1987 film “Square Dance.” (Courtesy | Julia Paur)
The ballroom has operated under the Czajkowski family since 1976, when Czajkowski-Desai’s grandfather and uncle purchased it. Now she runs the Stagecoach with husband Kiran Desai.
The hall opened in 1961 and was named the Stagecoach Inn under the ownership of Ray Chaney. The Western nightclub, which operated at two other locations before settling into its current address at 2516 Belknap St., hosted artists like Willie Nelson — who played Sunday matinees in its early years — along with Kitty Wells, Mickey Gilley and Tracy Byrd.
In 2024, the Texas Historical Commission recognized the ballroom with an official historical marker for its place in Fort Worth’s music tradition.
April 13 marks 50 years of family ownership. On any given Friday night, Jean still greets patrons at the doors.
“She always said if she retired, she would die,” Paur said with a chuckle.
From left, Jean Czajkowski-Desai with her parents Bruno Czajkowski and Jannie Czajkowski at Stagecoach Ballroom, circa 1977-78. The family purchased the dance hall in 1976. (Courtesy | Julia Paur)
The production for “Choosin’ Texas” came together in under two weeks after producers Lukas Lennon and Wales Toney of Whale Tale Music reached out to the ballroom’s owners. The team had already selected the venue before approaching the Fort Worth Film Commission.
“This project is a really great celebration of film and music in Fort Worth coming together,” said Alex Catterton, director of public relations and content strategy for Visit Fort Worth, speaking on behalf of the city’s film commission.
Langley sold out a show at Billy Bob’s the previous October, Catterton said.
“I think that kind of gave her the energy and feel of Fort Worth,” Catterton said.
Paur stepped in to help Czajkowski-Desai manage the logistics. Paur brought her daughter Eve Kroh, a University of Texas at Austin public relations student, on as a production assistant.
“Working with her like that was one of the most memorable moments of my life,” Paur said of her daughter. “More than the production was her showing up and how hard she worked.”
The layering of generations is part of what defines the Stagecoach to Paur, who regards the space as her childhood home.
Kathy McDaniel is a frequent Stagecoach patron since the 1990s who knew Czajkowski-Desai’s parents before they died. McDaniel agreed that the ballroom is a second home to many.
“We’ve had weddings here. We’ve had people match up here and we’ve had some memorials — this is very much home,” McDaniel said of her fellow regulars.
“That’s why we just keep coming back. It’s better than a nursing home.”
Dancers learn West Coast Swing at the Stagecoach Ballroom on April 3 in Fort Worth. The dance is a slotted improvised partner dance. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)
If you go
On April 10, the Stagecoach will host one of eight official listening parties being held worldwide as Langley’s new album “Dandelion” drops. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dance lessons run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the album will play at 8 p.m.
Czajkowski-Desai’s family plans to celebrate the 50-year ownership anniversary all year starting with the listening party.
Czajkowski-Desai cried as she watched the video premiere online. She said she cried every time she heard the song, even before the video came out.
“Just the idea that they chose us,” she said. “It’s a big opportunity for us to get well known again.”
Nicole Williams Quezada is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.williams@fortworthreport.org
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