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Dancing is a form of self-expression and entertainment. With an incredible variety of dance classes offered right here in Fairfield, you can express yourself in many ways, from quiet, orderly 16th-century English Country Dancing, to sensuous, feminine Near Eastern Dance, to the wild and crazy 20th-century Lindy Hop--and a lot in between.
Thursday, 7:00 p.m., Roosevelt Recreation Center
Twenty-five barefoot women rock to Middle Eastern music. Their skirts swing, their belts jingle. It's practice night for the Near-Eastern dance class, and instructor Marie Wilkes is leading the group warm-up. The ladies wave their hips and arms in unison, watching themselves in the mirror. As the beat speeds up, their faces slowly start to smile.
They move their bodies with ease and grace, and as the music turns even faster they shake their hips--only their hips--impossibly fast. They are enjoying themselves.
"This is a woman-oriented environment and it's supportive of all ages and sizes," says one dancer.
Picking up their silk veils, they line up behind their teacher and walk forward in rows. Their veils fly in the air like colorful wings and fill up the entire room.
"You want to be like this huge person. Take up the place, be bold!" shouts Marie, and they walk back.
Friday, 8:00 p.m., MUM Student Union Ballroom
Tonight members of the English Country Dancing Club are gathering for an evening of dance and socializing. Dancers line up in two rows facing each other, men on one side, ladies on the other.
"This dance is a living tradition," explains John Stimson, their instructor. They begin a dance called Early One Morning.
"First corner cross, face out, lead out, turn your partner," John calls the figures from the stage as if he were conducting an orchestra. Dancers walk in and out in rows, turn in fours, change places. The formations comfortingly repeat themselves. Even beginners can catch up.
"It's an unwritten rule that you dance each dance with a different partner," says a regular. "When new people come, we try to include them."
Some of the dancers sew their own costumes and regularly perform at local festivals. In addition to English Country Dancing, the ladies do garland dancing, the men do sword dances and Morris (ritual) dancing. Just like in the old days.
Sunday, 7:30 p.m., MUM Student Union Ballroom
In a free lesson sponsored by the Fairfield Ballroom Association, Terry Becker is teaching Rumba to beginners.
"Quick, quick, slow," she says as the couples practice their steps.
More and more dancers arrive for the practice. "This is the highlight of my week," says a long-time member.
"We're like a big family," says another. "We have parties at Christmas and Halloween."
When the lesson is over, Terry puts on some music and the dance begins. They start with Rumba to give beginners a chance to use their new skill. Then they Waltz around slowly with long elegant steps. Next comes Swing, with its quick and vigorous movements.
"We try to get more variety," Terry explains, "and encourage people to change partners."
Some dancers stick to their usual partners, while others try to dance with many other people. They chat and laugh while they rest. There are nearly 15 couples dancing now. They glide through the Tango, facing each other in a mock-serious manner. For the faster beat of the Cha Cha, they move their hips and spin around.
"I try to look for good rhythm when I pick the music," says Terry. The sounds we're hearing are mainly contemporary and popular tunes by Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan.
Five of the more experienced dance couples recently performed an exhibition dance in Saint Louis, and over 30 performed last fall at MUM.
Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., Morning Star Studio
Jeffrey and Andrea Smith take Swing and Lindy Hop lessons from the best dancers all over the country and bring back the coolest moves to Fairfield and Iowa City. Tonight they are teaching a new routine to the Lindy Performance Group.
"Swing started in the late 1920s and it became the most popular dance in America for more than two decades," says Jeffrey. "The easiest version is the Swing we teach, and the most complicated and exciting one is Lindy Hop."
He puts on some music and watches as the dancers practice the same steps over and over. They are getting it.
"Rotate," shouts Jeffrey, and they switch partners. Kick, kick, jump, turn and turn and again. "Bring it closer with your partner," says Jeffrey, "it's much easier." The men keep rotating their partners and the couples dance faster and faster.
"It's a very fun dance," says one of the guys.
"And a lot of aerobic exercise," says another, who has broken out in a sweat.
"I like the variety of steps," says one lady. "They give so much room for improvisation."
Swing is popular again, and the group performs several times a year. In June they appeared at the Glenn Miller festival in Clarinda, Iowa, where performers participate from all over the world. Lindy Hop could be challenging for some, but anyone can learn Swing.
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This is just a sampling of the dance classes going on right now in Fairfield. You can also choose from Israeli folk dancing, classical ballet, American contra dance, Duncan Dance, and West African dancing. Whether you want to improve your dancing skills or spend time with others in a fun activity, there's a dance class for you.
