There’s going to be a Halloween party at Drendel Ballroom on October 25. Starts at 6 p.m. Costumes are optional.
Chances are, most folks will probably show up as Dracula, Frankenstein, a Ghostbuster, goblin, skeleton, or a famous entertainer or politician, with fake beards and noses, and maybe “extreme” face painting. Someone will probably put cemetery and haunted house noises on the PA system.
So, what’s the occasion?
Members of Sun City’s line dancing fitness group get their steps in shape for their upcoming line dance party. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Well, it’s the latest line dance party sponsored by the community’s line dance fitness group. Its theme, naturally, is “Monster Mash.” The party’s activities include Electric Slide, Sway Me Now, Mamma Maria, Shake That Bass, Boot Scootin’ Boogie, Watermelon Crawl, Double Shot of Crown, Cotton Eye Joe, Bounce, Bounce Bounce, and maybe for a grand finale, Ooh Poo Pah Doo. Sounds like a weird and wild time, right? It’s line dancers fitting right in with Halloween’s weird and wild themes.
To celebrate the Halloween season, three new dances will be taught: “Addams Family Dance,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Monster Mash.” The strange terms listed above are the names of some of the 18 other line dance styles that will performed that evening. They will be led by students and instructors that participate in the weekly classes conducted at Meadow View Lodge.
This is the third line dance party held in Sun City this year. Dance Party coordinators are Gail Rose and Jeanette Zielinski. Instructors are Nancy Buhr and Nick Damalas.
“We hope most people will come in costume,” Rose said. “Jeanette is coming as Cleopatra, I’ll be there as ‘the good witch,’ Nick will be a ‘gangsta,’ and Nancy will be a 1920s flapper.”
“These parties have been going on for about 12 years, and we’ve had as many as 125 or more people at some of them,” Rose added. “We’ve expanded our publicity efforts this year, because attendance has dropped in recent years. We also plan to spice up this evening with some themed games and group interactions in addition to the dances.”
“Many people think that line dancing is only done to country-western music and that country-western attire is worn,” Zielinski said. “This is not true. Line dances include waltzes, rumbas, cha-chas, boogies, etc., in addition to favorite country-western dances, and any comfortable attire is fine. In April, we did a variety of music spanning several decades, ranging from a medley of Glenn Miller’s music, to more recent hits such as Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep.’
“I got into line dancing some years ago when my wife Diana and I went to the Wisconsin State Fair, when line dances were mostly country-western style,” said Damalas. Later, we took lessons at Harper College, including a wedding dance class at Harper in the ’90s. When we came to Sun City in 2000, I was happy to discover the line dancing activities.”
Line dancing instructor Nick Damalas taps to the beat at a recent exercise. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Damalas conducted the dance parties for 10 years until last year, when Zielinski and Rose took on the activity.
Damalas said Kathy Leone was the first line dance instructor in Sun City when she was the director of fitness.
“Later, classes were led by Elaine Rodgers, Pam Kozlowski, and Dennis Romanczak,” he said. These folks were the pioneers who stimulated interest in line dancing here and filled Drendel Ballroom with as many as 100 students at a time.”
Today’s classes are taught by Buhr and coordinated and scheduled by Sun City’s fitness department, directed by Kathy Kent.
You’ve probably attended a wedding reception where the DJ spiced up the rock ‘n roll and slow dances with a line dancing event or two. You may have enthusiastically joined in, or hung back because you “didn’t know how.”
This party, and the ongoing line dance classes, are your chance to learn how much fun this “weird and wild” stuff really is, said Sierpinski.
A previous line dancing party. (Photo provided)
“Three levels of classes are offered: novice, beginner, and intermediate. Novice covers basic steps and easy-to-learn dances. Those who want to learn more challenging dance with more difficult choreography can progress to beginner or intermediate classes. Dances from all three levels are being offered throughout our ‘Monster Mash’ event.”
“Come to the dance and listen on October 25 listen to some wonderful music, and have a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s a great way to socialize with your friends, make new friends, and just have a good time. In addition, music and dancing provide many benefits for the body, spirit, and the mind.”
