Back in February of this year, I ran into a former line dance student of mine; I originally met her when she attended my classes at a small bar in downtown Sharon, PA. I taught there from August 2011 through May 2014. During the ten years since then, I honestly didn’t keep in touch with Sharon, so it was nice to see her again. She was planning her “country wedding” and asked if I would attend to lead some line dances at the reception. I was honored to be included in her special day and put 9/28/24 on my calendar.
Her wedding venue was Buhl Park in Western PA; the ceremony was outside and the reception was in the activities building. While waiting for the wedding party to arrive after pictures, I walked around the outdoor garden and grounds. I took a stroll down memory lane, because 60 years ago, I attended kindergarten at this facility! Ironically, one of the pieces of playground equipment has survived all those years; I took this picture and decided on my subject for this month’s article. My former kindergarten playground is now “Sandy’s Place.”
A number of memories came from the corners of my mind: looking at this stagecoach, remembering when I decided to see what sand tasted like as a 4-year-old and realizing I would never try that again! Looking at the current baseball field which used to be a horse stable and track back in 1964; I fondly recall my kindergarten class riding ponies as part of the curriculum. Those were definitely the “good old days.”
The wedding party arrived at the reception and I was back in 2024; after dinner and the usual wedding couple dance plus cake cutting, it was time to line dance! I told the bride whatever dances she wanted to do, just tell the DJ to play the songs. We got the crowd going with some typical wedding line dances (Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide) and then danced some of the classics, including this one:
The DJ took turns playing slow songs along with requests to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves; he also had Sharon’s song list so we line danced in between. I told her that I was impressed on how many dances she remembered from taking my classes over 10 years ago! After we danced to all her songs, she needed time to “be a bride” and finish visiting everyone.
On my way out, I was happy to chat with a guest who told me that Sharon was so excited to reconnect with me and that I was able to lead the line dances for her. I didn’t admit that it took some searching into the corners of my mind to recall all the different steps!
Dori Yez will continue to write her monthly article here; and may also “guest instruct” at local venues/events!
