On any given Monday, men and women are flocking to the Longwarry Hall to dance the night away. The Longwarry dance has been running for about half a century and is one of about twenty social dances held weekly or monthly in the Gippsland area. About 40 people from across the region will show up every week or on one Saturday a month to share a supper, socialise and ballroom dance. They follow a set routine of steps over 16 or 32 bars of music. Each routine is danced several times over the length of the music being played, and everybody dances in unison. Jim Garnham, who has attended the weekly event with his wife Heather for about 30 years, is not surprised by the longevity of the popular event. “Every second little town used to have dances. Some have closed. But the ones that keep going have picked up a bit lately. People return every week because they know the dances and can do them with confidence,” Jim said.
“It’s also about the social interaction with each other and the camaraderie amongst us that keeps this dance going. We enjoy each other’s company.” Albert Bateson also attends dancing at Longwarry every Monday night. Albert used to attend weekly dances when he was a teenager, but as he got older and work became a priority, dancing took a back seat. It wasn’t until 21 years ago that he and his wife Leanne decided to start dancing again, and he hasn’t looked back since. Jim and Albert both receive dance training of their own from different instructors in Morwell. They then teach amateurs or newcomers’ basic skills or more advanced moves so that they too can be
confident to join the group who dance in unison. Some weeks, groups of school students show up at the Longwarry Hall to learn a dance for an upcoming event. Young couples have attended to learn how to dance for their upcoming wedding. But mainly, the same core group of people have been coming week in and week out. Some of them are aged in their eighties or nineties and have danced their entire life.
“Dancing keeps people feeling their best. It’s good exercise. It helps the mind and body,” Jim said. “Physiotherapists will tell you that dancing, and doing crosswords, is one of the best brain teasers going around to keep you mentally intoned with what you are doing.” Albert agreed. He said that even the music could resonate with aging crowds and bring back memories of their younger years. That is why he often takes a group of dancers to senior citizen’s home to perform for them. “They love hearing the old music,” Albert said. “They love watching people dance and they tap along.”
“And it’s romantic,” Albert added. And because there is a romantic element to dancing, it’s no surprise some relationships have formed between attendees over the years. ““We do get a few single people who come and meet,” Albert said. “And traditionally, that where people used to go to meet people.” Jim and Albert encouraged everyone, young or old, single or partnered, to come along to the weekly or monthly dances to have fun and keep fit. If people can’t make the weekly event, they can attend the social dance on the last Saturday of every month, where music is provided by organists Ronda Richards from Leongatha or Ian Shields from Sale who alternative every month. All money made at the weekly or monthly dances go the Longwarry Hall Committee. Anyone wanting more information can visit the website www.socialdancegippsland.yolasite.com or call Albert at 0401 257 519 or Jim at 5659 6345.
Jim and Albert both believe that the type of dancing younger people do today pails in comparison to the dancing they grew up learning and loving. “What they do in the pubs today is just bouncing around,” Jim said. “(What we do) is structured. It has a meaning to it and it makes you think,” Jim said. “I’m not a rock and roller, some people are, but I find that boring because you are doing the same sequence all the time. Here, you get about five or six different variety of dances.” Those dances include Blues, Rumbas, Waltzes, Tangos, Cha Cha’s, and Saunters. But both Jim and Albert’s favourite dance is the Modern Walz. “There’s a beautiful flow to it,” Jim said.
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