Winter dance gives residents a chance to Foxtrot, Cha-Cha

Published 11:15 am Wednesday, February 13, 2008

By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Area dancers will have the opportunity to cut a rug this month at the Gardendale Arts Council’s Winter Wonderland Dance on Feb. 23.

Gardendale resident Andy Anderson, an arts council member and coordinator of the dance, said this will be the fifth Winter Wonderland Dance.

Prior to the inception of the winter-themed event, the council’s dances were geared toward Valentine’s Day. However, the theme and date were changed in an effort to draw more participants.

Anderson and his wife, Judy, have been dancing for about 21 years he said. The couple is also part of a few Birmingham dance organizations and go dancing at least once a week.

“It’s the only place where the man is in charge anymore,” Anderson said of ballroom dancing. “That’s the hardest thing to break because women are accustomed to leading in dancing.”

He said dancing had been great for he and his wife’s 46-year marriage. When the couple go on vacation, they also try to find places to dance.

“It’s a release that lets us get out and forget about the other cares we have,” he said.

As in previous years, the arts council has made dance lessons available to the public in the weeks leading up the dance. Lessons on how to Cha-Cha were the first lessons. Instructors were available at the Gardenadale Civic Center Tuesday night for those who wanted to learn the Foxtrot. Lessons will also be available on Feb. 19 at a cost of $5 per person. A free Foxtrot practice will be held on Feb. 18 at the civic center from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Anderson said that while he’s not surprised by the amount of dancing talent he’s seen at the previous dancers, he is surprised by the amount of young people who attend the dance and the lessons. “In the past, 20 to 25 percent have been teenagers,” he said.

Fultondale resident Hugh Harbin uses dancing to stay young at heart. He’s attended every dance the arts council has sponsored in Gardendale. Harbin and his wife, Barbarba, have been taking lessons for 18 years.

“We like to dance and it’s good exercise,” Harbin said. “It’s a way to get very sociable with people and we do it for the fun of it.”

Harbin said dancing also never gets old because new steps are also being introduced. Like Anderson, the Harbins also dance at different clubs in Birmingham. “We dance at any place they have a band,” he said. “We even dance to deejay’s.”

Musical entertainment at the Winter Wonderland Dance will be provided by the Edd Jones Little Big Band. Anderson said they were one of the more popular dance bands in the Birmingham area.

The exhibition hall at the civic center will be decorated in a winter motif and hors d’oeurves will be provided. The men’s dress code for the dance is coat and tie, though Anderson said tuxes are invited. Ladies are asked to wear dresses or after-5 p.m. attire.

In between sets by the band, dancers will have a chance to watch exhibitions on Shag and Bop dancing. Anderson said the exhibition will be a preview for a sock hop being planned for the fall.

The Winter Wonderland Dance will last from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Gardendale Civic Center.