As a child I loved to dance. I took ballet classes for a while, but stopped because I was afraid of the dance teacher who taught in a room above the older students. He had long black hair, Superman thighs and carried a cane. Every week I heard a knock on the wall. I thought it would hit the students. Looks like he was just biding his time.
In college, I danced with abandon—at parties, in friends' dorm rooms, and when I felt like it, spinning in circles in random parking lots. Then I stopped dancing altogether. I do not know why. A while ago I said to my husband, “Saturday night we played techno and danced in the living room. » Luckily he was wild and we let him run free. It was fun (and a little tiring) and we both wondered why we didn't dance more often.
According to greatgood.berkeley.edu, we've all been dancers at some point in our lives. From the age of 3 weeks, babies synchronize their movements with the music they are exposed to. Dance exercises, listening to music and connecting with others put us in a flow state that regulates our biological systems and promotes our health.
At MV Ballroom, people clearly see the benefits of dancing; They have been teaching and dancing together since 1996. Members practice all types of ballroom dances, including swing (East Coast and West Coast), salsa, mambo, cha-cha, rumba, bolero, samba, foxtrot and the English waltz. Viennese waltz. , Quickstep, Tango and sometimes Argentine Tango.
However, when Covid hit, the group was dealt a blow. "It was a tough time," said Janet Holladay, a member of Ballroom Dance MV. Holladay hosts dance classes and maintains Ballroom Dance MV in the winter when attendance is low. Since the pandemic, Ballroom Dance MV has undergone many changes. They lost the dance hall and disappeared for a while. But in the summer of 2022, a group of dancers met privately to improve their dancing skills, and in October 2022 they partnered with the Island Theater Workshop and were able to secure a place at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Vineyard Haven.
"When we came back after Covid, we were a smaller group than before," Holladay said. "Unfortunately some people have died and I think some people are used to staying at home. "So we wanted to invite more people to join us and get people out. »
And there you have it: local dance and off-season music was born. On Sunday afternoons from January to May, various island groups gather and perform on stage with ballroom dance MVs. “Our goal is to provide music and dance year-round,” Holladay said. "People are used to staying at home, but there is a lot of evidence that socializing is really good for us."
All off-season dance and music lessons are free and co-sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library in partnership with Pathways Arts. Bands performing at 2024 include Serendipity, Delaney & Johnny, Darby & Sam, Becky & Rich, Barbara & Jesse, Andy Herr Duo, Jesse & Rock, DJ Smooth B and Flying Elbow.
"The bands that are playing are really excited," Holladay said. "Winter can be harsh and these Sunday events give bands a place to play and people a reason to get out."
Island musician Johnny Hoy appreciated the opportunity. "We love playing family concerts like this for all the kids and people who don't go to bars at night to listen to music," Hoy said. "It's an alcohol-free scene where you can dance or just hang out and tap your feet and watch people of all ages (not to mention Delaney and I) having a good time."
If you think you can't dance, you're not alone, but it's not about being Misty Copeland. You can simply touch your feet, as Hoy suggests, or simply close your eyes and let your body take over. He knows how to move. "Not my body," you say? Well, you can take lessons too. Ballroom dance classes are held the first Saturday of each month at the West Tisbury Library.
“People can come to a class on Saturday and then come to us on Sunday when the bands are playing,” Holladay said. "It's so much fun and it's so important to keep socializing."
Off-season dances and musical events are held at the Unitarian Universalist Society on Main Street in Vineyard Haven. To learn more about Ballroom Dance MV and to see a list of bands and their performance dates, visit ballroomdancemv.org .
