Image Up Advertising & Design

| OHCC LIVING | SEPTEMBER 2023 | 15 Village Squares Village Squares began in 1984, just as Ocean Hills Country Club was being established. Murray and Ida Rose originated the club, having been square dancers previously. ey gathered a few other couples together, and the Village Squares was born. Murray and Ida served as presidents from 1984-1987. Publicity went out aer the club was formed, and classes were established on Tuesday aernoons and club dances Wednesday evenings. e club grew to the point where every dance had five or six squares, and classes usually started with about 20 students. Our club has gone through many changes over the years. In 1993, under the presidency of Jim and Dottie Nelson, a club color was chosen and outfits purchased at Square Up Fashions in the color purple. All dancers were required to have a partner. Students could take three classes as singles, but aer the third, a partner was required. Eventually the club color and the rules changed. For some now unknown reason, the club color was changed to raspberry, and new outfits purchased. e club colors were to be worn on the first Wednesday of the month, and other outfits the other times. Everyone wore the typical attire — women in full-skirted outfits and men with matching long-sleeved shirts and bolo ties. During the presidency of Steve and Marcia Ward, the idea of having the fourth Wednesday a black and white dance was initiated. As time went on, rules relaxed. Singles were admitted to the club, and some of the women began to learn the "boy" part, as there were always more women than men. Women oen le the crinolines behind and began wearing prairie skirts and even pants outfits, men leaving the long-sleeved square dance shirts behind. en the pandemic closed us down completely. Aer resuming in 2022, we dropped the whole idea of club colors, but kept the black and white for the fourth Wednesday. We also changed our long-time caller, Jim Randall, who had led us for 30 years. We felt with a new program, Social Square Dancing, a change was in order. Mike Haworth was hired as caller and began this program designed to get students dancing sooner. However, our club is still evolving, and Mike is bringing in more mainstream and plus calls. We hope to continue growing and to enjoy square dancing at Ocean Hills for many years to come. Ballroom Dance Our monthly dances are usually held on the second Friday of the month. e September dance will be on Fri., Sept. 8 in Abravanel Hall from 7 to 9:45 pm. e cost will be $15/member or $20/non- member. e band will be Musicstation. e club sponsors ballroom dance lessons each week on Wednesdays in Abravanel Hall from 2 to 4 pm. • 2 – 2:45 pm Beginner Class • 2:45 – 3:15 pm Dance Tips and Techniques for both Beginners and Intermediates • 3:15 – 4 pm Intermediate Class e cost for the Beginner or Intermediate class is $10/person per class for both members and non-members. Pay at the door (no reservations required, just come). e Dance Tips and Techniques discussion is open at no charge to both Beginner and Intermediate dancers. Carrie Kloss, a champion dancer and professional instructor provides the dance instruction. She has many years of experience providing dance instruction to all levels of dancers from beginners to dance instructors. e dance being taught changes each month. e following is the class schedule through November this year: September, Night Club Two Step; October, Viennese Waltz; November, West Coast Swing. e dance being taught in September is Night Club Two Step (NC2S) which is a very simple, beautiful, and elegant dance that is perfect for slow songs. It was developed in 1965 by Buddy Schwimmer who became known as the "King of Swing." It is a great alternative for dancers who want to go beyond a simple slow dance with their partner. It has all the grace, flow and movement of waltz but can be done to mainstream music or anything in 4/4 time. It's a great dance to learn how to dance to slow music. It is an easy partner dance to learn, with a relaxed frame, and is very practical to learn as it can be danced to all sorts of contemporary so rock music. e Lesson Review and Open Practice sessions are held in Abravanel Hall from 2:30 to 4:30 pm each week on Mondays. Marvin and Lynn Wheeler, who are very experienced dancers, review Wednesday's lessons and provide help upon request. Aer the review, you can practice your dancing to a variety of Ballroom music. e party is FREE, just drop in. ese sessions are open to all OHCC residents and guests of members. e annual membership dues for the Ballroom Dance Club is $10 per person. With this membership you will receive regular emails describing club activities as well as discounts for dances. To join, just drop your check off at the front desk. Indicate your email address(s) on the check. For further information, please call Marv Todd (978) 239-5440 or email mtodd941@gmail.com.

• Cover