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2010-02-09

2010-01-19

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 11:00 AM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Lanette Silvey, center, leads Marian Cunningham, left, Gardner; Maxine Scott, right, Baldwin City; and the rest of her class in a line dancing version of the Charleston Tuesday morning at Wellsville Nutritional Center. “Dancing is good exercise and a good way to meet friends,” Scott said.

Dancing an exercise for the mind

By RACHEL HAWKINS, Herald Staff Writer

Line dancing can be the best type of dancing, Lanette Silvey says.

After all, it’s more than physical exercise, she says.

“Line dancing is one of the best exercises because it exercises your mind,” Silvey, who teaches line dancing in Wellsville, said. “You have to apply learning to your feet.”

Silvey’s class in Wellsville is just one of a number of dancing opportunities throughout Franklin County.

‘SOMETHING FUN’

Jack Thompson always wanted to learn how to dance.

So last winter he, along with about eight others, decided to do just that.

“We decided to learn formal dancing,” he said.

The group took a dance class through The Ottawa Performing Arts, the home of Sabrina’s Dance Academy, 1519 S. Main St., Ottawa.

“It was just something fun to do during the cold months,” he said. “I’ve always seen people on cruise ships dancing, and it looked fun.”

Studio H, suite 162 Washburn Towers, 526 S. Main St., Ottawa, also offers classes for adults.

“We have four yoga classes starting, and in January we will have another ballroom class,” owner Heidi Lynch said.

Lynch said she hopes to start a ballet and tap class for adults as well.

“There was so much interest from our neighbors in Washburn Towers and the parents of our students,” she said.

During their class at Sabrina’s Dance Academy, Thompson and other dancers learned to swing dance, waltz, tango and cha-cha.

“I never did very good on the tango,” he said.

Those in Silvey’s line dancing class have learned dances like the electric slide, cha-cha, waltz and others.

“I’ve been trying to incorporate a lot of different rhythms — not just country-western,” Silvey said. “Everybody likes different things.”

And sometimes that means bringing back some classics, she said.

“I’m trying to bring back some of the oldies types of dances that were popular,” she said.

‘SOCIAL THING’

Practices for Thompson’s group were once a week at the studio, and the group enjoyed spending time together.

“It was just a good social thing to do during the winter,” he said.

Socializing is something Maxine Scott, Baldwin City, uses Silvey’s line dancing class for.

“Dancing is good exercise and a good way to meet friends,” she said.

Although Thompson has not been out dancing since last year, he has enjoyed dancing at other functions.

“I’ve danced at weddings and stuff,” he said. “And that’s been fun now.”

In November, Studio H hosted a “Parents’ Week” where parents were invited to come and watch their children dance, and they got to warm up with them.

“I had the parents dance and stretch with their children, which was a big hit for the kids and the parents ended up getting some exercise,” Lynch said.

Although Thompson and his friends are not taking another dance class now, they are looking into taking another class this winter.

“I’m looking forward to doing it again,” Thompson said. “It just looked kind of neat, and it’s fun. I would definitely recommend it.”

Herald News Editor Jenalea Myers contributed to this report.

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