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As this article goes to press, the Dance Troupe's excitement is intensifying because the activities and classes that were on COVID hiatus for so long will be resuming! Many of us in the community have experienced the dreaded COVID-10 in unwanted weight gain and the opportunity to get back to some healthy and fun exercise will be a welcomed change for all of us! Our Troupe President, Allison Stewart, is developing a list of beginning dancers for a new Tap and Jazz class which will be beginning later this summer. If you are interested in joining this class or the Hawaiian or Belly Dance classes, please email her (als2art@gmail.com) or call her number in the Ocean Hills Directory so she can include you in the new schedule. The COVID hiatus provided the Dance Troupe the opportunity to update our website. This sentimental journey through the archives of photos and show programs was a delight to see the beautiful faces of our friends and reflect on the long and ambitious history of the Ocean Hills Dance Troupe. The Dance Troupe was formed by Lillian Ashton and Ginny O'Hara (we are sad to have lost Ginny in 2020) when our community began 30 years ago and in its early days, performed frequently at Ocean Hills, throughout San Diego County and in fact, around the World! It was so fun to find the photos of the Dance Troupe performing at the Sydney Opera House in 1992 and the 1996 Grand Opening of the Village of Portofino as our own community blossomed into what we know today. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Village Tappers, Snappy Tappers and Tap Cats (as our performance troupes were previously called) performed at farmers markets, retirement homes and other 55+ communities, and private events around San Diego and Orange Counties frequently throughout the year. Originally, there were several Dance groups in what we now know as the Dance Troupe – Tap and Jazz dance consisted of the performance group and a non-performing group led by Nancy Caldwell, who had been a Disney Mouseketeer! Our Belly and Hawaiian Dance classes were part of the original troupe, but there were also the Country Dancers and the Couples Theatre Dancers. Dancing has always been a popular pastime at Ocean Hills! Here are some of the treasured photos we uncovered, we hope you enjoy them! 14 | OHCC LIVING | JULY 2021 | Ocean Hills Dance Troupe Village Squares New Exciting Beginnings The Village Squares board is very excited and wants to share the good news! We are currently planning to start again in August and once again enjoy the camaraderie and fun of dancing with our many friends. However, square dancing will be looking different this time. We have hired a new caller, Mike Haworth, who many of us have enjoyed dancing to at various clubs, including our own. He is an energetic, experienced caller whom I am sure all will welcome. Another change is that we will be using a new system that national callers have proposed and spent much time perfecting. It can be called Sustained Square Dance or Social Square Dance. The innovative idea is to get people dancing and enjoying it in a shorter amount of time, eliminating the necessity of spending a year in class and the difficulty that sometimes can exist in completing the course. The callers have put together a collection of 50 calls. On any given night, a new call could be introduced, practiced for use that night, and then be put on the shelf. The callers have created a list that is varied, challenging, and fun. It is a course where students will feel encouraged and returning dancers will still find challenging and enjoyable. We plan to start again on Thurs., Aug. 12, to accommodate our new caller's schedule. Also, Steve Ward and Tim Griffin will again lead a practice session. Our board has spent a lot of time on this, but we are also open to your input. There will be more information and a sign-up sheet in all tubes before the starting date. We are very excited about our new season and hope you will be too!