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Ocean Hills CC Living October 2021

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Ballroom Dance Dancing is awesome exercise for both the body and the brain. Come join the fun! Lessons are Wednesdays in Abravanel Hall. Carrie Kloss is an award-winning dance professional who takes pride in teaching both newbies and experienced dancers. Step out and show off your new moves at weddings, Doo Wop dances, Club parties, and Ballroom events. Beginners at 2 pm, Intermediates at 3 pm. The cost is $7/member and $10/non member. $10/year membership fee. Pay at the door (no reservation required, just come!) Practices are Mondays in Abravanel Hall from 2 to 4 pm. Experienced dancers spin tunes and provide free coaching to help master the steps learned on Wednesdays. Dances are in Abravanel Hall on the second Friday of each month: Oct. 8; Nov. 12, dance to Alias from 7 to 10 pm; Dec. 10, dinner at 6 pm, dance to MusicStation from 7 to 10 pm. If you have questions, email club president Carrie McBride carriesmcbride@gmail.com. | OHCC LIVING | OCTOBER 2021 | 15 Village Squares It Takes 2 to Tango - 8 for a Square When we moved to Ocean Hills in November of 2009, I never thought I would be able to get my husband Ed to attend a square dance. The printed January Open House invitation got filed in our recycle bin. Unbeknownst to me, a couple of fellow bridge players extended an invitation to Ed, and he felt an obligation to go. The night of the Open House, we were both surprised to dance our way through one of the best date nights we ever had. Before our youngest child entered her freshman year in high school, she attended band camp. It made all the difference in the world for her. The first day of classes she bumped into band family members at every turn. Something similar happened for us. When we attended an activity at the Clubhouse, we usually would bump into one of our 120 square dance buddies, which helped make our transition to living in our California paradise pretty seamless. My experience with square dancing in grade school physical education class matched that of many boomers. The Chicago suburban grade school I attended was a very old building with a basement all purpose room that on a rainy or snowy day served as our dance venue. Our teacher would put on a square dance record and as third or fourth grade girls we were content that we didn't have to change into our vintage blue bloomer gym suits and didn't mind dancing with the sometimes-disagreeable boys. Little did we know that Henry Ford, of auto fame, campaigned to bring square dancing to the curriculum across the country, believing it would teach children social training, courtesy, and good citizenship along with rhythm. By 1928 almost half of American schools were teaching it. Twenty-eight out of 50 states have declared square dancing as their official dance. Ronald Reagan signed a resolution designating it as the national folk dance of the U.S. during the 97th Congress. One aspect of square dancing that I didn't choose to embrace at first was the colorful outfits with the full skirts and yards of crinolines. (Many of our dancers of late have transitioned into wearing any type of casual attire.) I kept thinking about the French playwright, Eugene Ionesco's Theatre of the Absurd play Rhinoceros in which the main character, Berenger, does not submit to the peer pressure of his entire town turning into animals. My mantra was that I wouldn't give in to peer pressure. It didn't take long though for me to experience that when Wednesday night rolled around and I put on my square dance outfit, I felt like I was 16 again and taking notice of a certain young man in my square. This occurred even when daily life had not been full of rainbows, unicorns and cupcakes that week. I have a theory that there is an ideal formula for retired married couples: x amount of shared activities plus y amount of individual pursuits equals two happy campers. Square dancing for us is the perfect Relationship Refresh Button on our marriage computer. Village Line Dancers Line Dancing is fun exercise for the body and brain and has always used physical distancing. Do you want to try line dancing? You don't need a partner or experience, simply a love of music and dance, from pop, country, Latin and even waltzes. Both men and women are in the classes. Mark your calendars for every Thursday at 2:30 pm in Abravanel Hall. Just drop in and pay $5 for each class (exact change, please). After two classes, if you would like to continue, simply become a member of our Club. Check our web site for a membership form or pick one up from the rack near the front desk. The receptionist has them behind the desk too. Dues are half price, $5, for the rest of this year. Make your check payable to Village Line Dancers and drop it off at the front desk with the membership form. You may join the Village Line Dancers Club at any time during the year. Line Dancing classes offer three levels. • Monday, Improver class at 12:30 pm. • Tuesday, Intermediate class at 10:30 am. • Thursday, Beginner class at 2:30 pm. Also see the Village Line Dancers' website to get a peek at what a class looks like: OceanHillsCountryClub.com, Resident Login, Select: Social Clubs/Village Line Dancers.

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