Image Up Advertising & Design

Village Line Dancers Can you Hokey Pokey? Then you can Line Dance… While most of us would now agree that the Hokey Pokey is not actually what it is all about, there are some things they may have gotten right. First of all, it is a song and dance about movement. We recognize the importance of moving our bodies. We have all heard the health impacts of exercise. We know about the benefits for our physical bodies, and we are learning more about improvement of our cognitive functions. You don't think of the Bunny Hop or the Hokey Pokey as line dances, but they are. Learning more complicated line dances is no more difficult than learning these childhood favorites if you have a good teacher to guide you through the steps. We are so fortunate to have a GREAT teacher, Christine Alesiani. We were so excited to hear from Christine last month. She misses us and is anxious to get back. The Line Dancing program has grown so much since she started teaching here over ten years ago with Betty Heyer's help. Christine said it is a great joy in her life and that she plans to teach indefinitely. We know Christine will start us back s-l-o-w-l-y. She is also a long-time fitness instructor and understands body mechanics. To practice with a video or to check us out, log on to: OceanHillsCountryClub.com, go to Resident Log-in, select "Recreation," in the pull-down menu, select "Social Clubs," scroll down to "Village Line Dancers." See all the options along the bottom of the web page. Check us out, practice at home, keep moving. Did someone say, "Social Distancing?" With just a little more room between us than our usual class, Line Dancing can meet again one day soon (we hope!), getting us moving, and having fun. That's what it's all about! Today we introduce the President of our Club, Allison Stewart. Allison moved to OHCC in 2015 and like so many of us, was eager to try out the fun activities offered in our community that she never had time to do before she retired. Dance was always a love and preferred exercise option for Allison. She took ballet as a child, was on the pompon squad in High School and studied tap and jazz briefly in her 30's but the demands of a busy career made spending much attention on dance impossible. When Allison joined the Dance Troupe, she insisted that there was NO WAY she was performing on the stage! Because new tap/ jazz classes were waitlisted at Dues Day, (the Club was rehearsing for an upcoming show) Allison started out with Hawaiian dance. It wasn't anything she had ever done before but she heard it was really fun and the classmates were really supportive. Within a very short time the dancers were able to dance several Hula and Tahitian dances that were graceful, authentic, and really beautiful. It was a like mini vacation to the South Pacific! It quickly became a favorite! When Allison attended her first OHCC show in 2016 she immediately saw how much fun the Dance Troupe had. The show was professional, the costumes were amazing, and the dancers had the time of their lives on stage! And they were all so fit and beautiful! That show really inspired the newly-formed "Beginner" tap and jazz class that started that summer. And, to make a long story short – all the new dancers (including "Never Say Never" Allison) who joined that year danced in the two shows at OHCC in 2018 – and LOVED IT! The Dance Troupe remains very popular with several new members joining each year. Since 2020 was another show year we again have a waiting list for new jazz and tappers to begin – which we hope is soon. Both the beginner (now intermediate) and advanced classes have spent the past two years learning very challenging and entertaining dances we hope our audience will enjoy. We have indefinitely postponed our show and suspended practices and classes due to COVID-19. We hope you can join us when we can reconvene – either in class or at our show. The Club offers classes in Tap, Jazz, Hawaiian, and Belly dance. Please contact Allison Stewart directly if you have questions. | OHCC LIVING | AUGUST 2020 | 19 Ocean Hills Dance Troupe Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.

• Cover