Healthy Hudson Valley OCTOBER 24, 2013
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ULSTER PUBLISHING
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HEALTHYHV.COM
Healthy Body & Mind
A couple doing the tango at Bard College's Spiegeltent this August.
Start smiling again Social dancing has many forms and many benefits By Lynn Woods
O
n a recent Friday night, I attended the monthly Cajun dance at the White Eagle Hall in Kingston. Since I was a neophyte, I felt a little nervous. I shouldn’t have been. Everyone stood in a circle for the basic lesson, and I was relieved to discover I could do the simple Cajun two-step following the lead of my various partners, with my upper body locked against theirs, my mind focused on the beat. The energy of the all-female C’est Bon Cajun Band was infectious, and part of the fun
was observing the more graceful dancers in the crowd of 100 or so. Some were doing swing. Others were gliding across the floor while barely moving their feet. But what a workout! Cajun dancing was much more exhausting than the free-style, soul-based rock boogying I had done over the decades. It was fun, challenging — and great exercise. The monthly Cajun and Zydeco dances scheduled over the fall and winter at the White Eagle Hall — its downstairs bar is right out of the The Deerhunter, the classic film about working-class guys going to Vietnam — are among the numerous traditional dances that have gained a following in the mid-Hudson Valley. On any given weekend, it’s likely there’s a swing, contra, English country, Texas twostep, or ballroom dance happening somewhere. There’s a first Saturday English country
dance at the Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie, third Saturday contra dance at St. John’s Lutheran Church, fourth Friday swing dance at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club, and more. Sponsored under the umbrella organization Hudson Valley Community Dances (HVCD), a nonprofit organization whose volunteer members organize the dances — the $10 or $15 entrance fee covers the cost of the band and rental of the hall — the dances always include a beginner’s lesson (with the exception of contra, in which the moves are called out during the dance). The age of the participants ranges from 18 to 80. This is not an entertainment exclusive to couples. That said, everyone on the dance floor has a partner, which is part of the fun. “The joy for me is moving to the music with a partner, because there’s a give and take,” said Bena Continued on Page 8 PHYLLIS McCABE
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