Offseason Dancing And Music Gets Us Moving
As a child I loved to dance. I took ballet lessons for a while but stopped because I was afraid the dance teacher would teach the older students in a back room. He has long black hair, thighs the size of Superman, and carries a cane. Every week I hear knocking on the walls. I think it hit the students. It seemed like he was just keeping time.
In college, I danced carefree, at parties, at friends' dorms, and wandering around random parking lots when I felt like it. Then I stopped dancing altogether. I do not know why. Not long ago I said to my husband, "Let's put on some techno music and dance in the living room on Saturday night." Luckily it was wild and we let it run wild. It was fun (and a little tiring) and we both wondered why we didn't dance more often.
According to greatergood.berkeley.edu, we have all been dancers at some point in our lives. Babies as young as 3 weeks old synchronize their movements with the music they hear. Dance combines movement, listening to music and contact with others and brings us into a state of flow that regulates our biological systems and maintains our health.
The people at MV Ballroom Dance understand the benefits of dance; have been learning 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, English waltz and Viennese. Waltz, Quick Step, Tango and occasionally Argentine Tango.
However, the arrival of COVID had a major impact on the band. “It was a difficult time,” said Janet Holladay, a member of MV Ballroom Dance. Holladay hosts dance classes and continues to host ballroom dance MVs in the winter when attendance is low. Since the pandemic, MV Ballroom Dance has undergone many changes. They lost the ballroom and disappeared for a while. But in the summer of 2022, a core group of dancers met in person to maintain their dance skills, and in October 2022 they partnered with Island Theater Workshop and secured a spot at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Vineyard Haven.
“When we came back after COVID, the groups were smaller than before,” Holladay said. “Unfortunately some people have died and I think some people are used to staying at home. “That’s why we want to invite more people to join us and get people out.”
And voilà, local off-season music and dancing was born. From January to May, various groups from the island take the stage together with MV Ballroom Dance on Sunday afternoons. “Our goal is to keep the music and dancing going year-round,” Holladay said. “People are used to staying at home, but there is a lot of evidence that social gatherings are good for health.”
All off-season dance and music lessons are free and co-sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library in partnership with Pathways Arts. Bands playing in 2024 include Serendipity, Delanie and Johnny, Darby and Sam, Becky and Rich, Barbara and Jessie, Andy Herr Duo, Jessie and Rock, DJ Smooth B and Flying Elbows.
“The bands that played were really passionate,” Holladay said. “Winter can be harsh and this Sunday event gives bands a place to play and gives people a reason to get out of the house.”
Island musician Johnny Hoy enjoys the occasion. “We love putting on 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 environment where you can dance or just hang out and tap your feet and watch people of all ages (not to mention Delanie and I) having a good time."
If you think you can't dance, you're not alone, but the goal isn't to be Misty Copeland. You can simply tap 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 on the first Saturday of each month at the West Tisbury Library.
“People can come to class on Saturday and then come to us on Sunday when the bands play,” Holladay said. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s very important to continue to socialize.”
Ballroom During the off-season, dance and music events are held at the Unitarian Universalist Society on Main Street in Vineyard Haven. To learn more about MV Ballroom Dance and see a list of bands and dates they will be performing, visit ballroomdancemv.org .
