Line dancing provides physical, mental exercise, and it’s fun
Do you love to move to the music? Do you yearn for the days when Saturday night was dance night? Did you spend your Saturday nights at the Pav in Orillia or at Audie’s Dance Hall on Atherley Road or at the local church or community hall, wherever you lived?
Perhaps you think those days are gone forever. The Pav no longer overlooks Couchiching Beach Park and Audie’s has become Grover’s restaurant.
But if you still have the dancing spark, line dancing could be for you. You don’t need a partner and you need not go far from home.
A line dance is defined as “a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact with each other.”
Early folk dances in cultures around the world were line dances, observing the social customs that frowned upon men and women dancing together as couples. Today’s line dancing routines incorporate pop, swing, rock and roll, disco, Latin (salsa), and jazz. Among the most popular dances among line dancers are the waltz, the polka and the cha-cha.
Line dancing is a good aerobic exercise, but it doesn’t have to be a strenuous workout. You can go at your own pace, and take a short rest or a drink of water without upsetting the whole group. It’s a good mental exercise as well. You cannot be preparing tomorrow’s menu or worrying about Johnny’s school work while you’re dancing, or you are sure to miss a sequence and go “the wrong way.”
Comfort is the key when it comes to dressing. You need clothes that allow you to shed a layer if it’s warm. In footwear, some need the support of lace-up shoes, while others can dance in sandals. Your body will tell you which is best for you. High heels are a no-no. A sole that will slip is good.
This article was originally published in the March/April 2011 issue of the Ramara Chronicle.
