SUN CITY – Dance has been known to help you with footwork and footspeed. There’s a reason why football players, basketball players, and soccer players, take ballet. Sun City tennis players have taken the courts to improve their footwork with line dancing lessons with tennis player Nancy Fontana.
What gave her the idea for tennis line dancing?
Fontana said, “Many things added up to me wanting to do this. Approximately 10 Years ago, I did some simple line dances in my basement with neighbors and friends. I continued to take line dance lessons and advance line dance classes with Elaine Rodgers here in Sun City. That stopped during Covid and so did much of my line dancing.”
What started it up again?
Fontana said, “At a free concert this summer in Sun City and after line dancing, Judy Krohn asked if I either teach or would I teach line dancing. She would be interested and she could think of others. The tennis end-of-year dinner/dance party was canceled due to Covid and mask requirements indoors. Indoor tennis started, leagues ended, and it was dark sooner. The stadium court has a big floor and lights and I thought why not try it! So, I started with a new group from my neighbors to see how it would work and they wanted to continue. I asked the tennis club to have a line dance lesson- since we couldn’t have our party. It was fun and one time was not enough, they wanted to continue the dancing every week. A couple of walkers came by and joined us twice as well! So that is how it evolved to Monday nights at 6.”
Karen Michaels said, “I have never been a line dancer, I am just an avid senior tennis player. I decided to join Nancy’s line dancing on the stadium court because I thought, football players are into ballet to improve their focus-concentration and endurance through the aerobic aspects of ballet. So, what could be better for a tennis player than line dancing on a beautiful stadium tennis court under the lights? Line dancing involves a focus on the different steps while the aerobic nature is without question. You will see us going for our water bottles in need of a rest moment.”
Gail Tepper agrees.
“Line dancing on Monday evening with Nancy and friends is so much fun. It is good for the brain and the body; it keeps us moving. Nancy is a fun and patient instructor. Hope the weather holds for us so we can continue into November,” she said.
