The Gift of a Dancing Community
Dancing with the Flow Ezy Line Dance Crew in North Charleston, S.C.
Returning home from my first ever line dancing class, I was exhausted. After two hours of dancing, I stole an hourlong unplanned nap on my couch. I woke up happy and excited.
On my social media, I shared my location at an athletic center and friends assumed I was taking a Zumba class or weight training. Later, I revealed it was line dancing.
I love dancing. I always have. I have never taken a line dance class until January of this year. When I was invited to the class, I wasted no time accepting the invitation. Upon arrival, I thought it was a class for seniors. But a closer look made me say, not so fast. The leader of the group is a lean woman donned in a sequined, red cowboy hat, who moved with grace. She smiled, was welcoming, and came in ready to set up her sound system for us to begin dancing. The first song she played was a soft and easy cha-cha routine. I jumped in near a woman with a fan who looked like a pro. She talked me through the moves, and I caught on quickly.
There were 5-6 instructors or just good dancers; not quite sure if they had official roles or not. They were helpful and moved with ease. These ladies looked out to see who was having trouble, standing beside those who needed closer instruction, and coaching them along the way. During this class, there was a birthday celebration dance break for those celebrating January birthdays. Complete with a birthday song, the celebrants were circled by the rest of the class, singing, and shining their cell lights on them, as they danced to the song with, “Shine a light on ‘em!” in the chorus. I joined in with my cell phone light too. During class I bet we danced to at least 12-15 songs. I knew none of these dances.
Since the music was hype and included jazz, R&B, and my new favorite genre - Southern Soul, it was easy for me to move. Once I got the moves down, I started grooving. It felt like a party with benefits: cardio, laughter, therapy, social interaction, etc.
Noticing the demographic was multi-generational, I witnessed examples of how I can enjoy life 10 or 20 years from now.
As I danced, I heard, “What’s your name?” and “You’ve danced before. I can tell.” “Don’t’ look down, face forward, and listen to me.” I loved it. These were pure confidence building words delivered with love from people who didn’t know me and accepted me as though I’d been there before.
After finding out the group had a YouTube page, I watched the recent class which happened to be the one I attended, and danced along. This is a way I could practice and have fun in my living room.
At the end of this first class and after my nap, I reflected on the impact my Zumba Community in Columbus had had on my life there. This group in North Charleston exudes that same sense of organic community.
Both communities embraced me immediately. Both offered instruction and encouragement to keep going to get the moves. Both were energetic. Both were multi-generational. Both gave me a sense of joy. Both made me want to come back again. Everyone here was relaxed, having fun, and vibrant.
I was open to a new experience and discovered a community around an interest I didn’t know I had. That was the icing on the cake. I’m not sure how long I will engage with this community but in the meantime, I’ll keep dancing.
Related blog post:
