If you read last month’s article, you may recall that in December I reminisced about the former Bootleggers when I went to Country at the Boot in Yankee Lake Ballroom. Throughout the month, I continued dancing down memory lane to close out 2023.
On December 16th, the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Company in PA held an inaugural night of line dancing at their building. I have two friends who haven’t line danced for several years and were looking for a fun night out. I took them to this event; we had such a great time visiting and catching up on each other’s lives! To start off, there was an hour-long line dance lesson which filled the floor; unfortunately, it was sometimes difficult to see the teacher as she moved around the room. My friends chose to follow me and I also tried my best to direct the dancers near us; my goal was to help anyone struggling so they learned the steps and didn’t get frustrated!
After the lesson, DJ Jake (Stuck On Repeat DJ Services) played a wide variety of requests and kept everyone dancing for the rest of the night. My friends enjoyed themselves while dancing and also loved taking breaks to watch the various groups dance. The songs brought back memories of past decades along with current hits. I remembered some of the dances and for the ones I couldn’t recall, I followed someone to spark my memory. My favorite was one I always wanted to learn; thanks to Jordan and Jake, I was able to dance this one:
Peace Train
On December 31st, even though there were bands playing at a variety of venues, I decided to stay home. I watched the television program “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” and I’m so glad I did, because that decision gave me the inspiration to finish this article. Country artists performed at different places; I was unfamiliar with some of the songs, but most of them caused me to say the dreaded words of any line dancer: “I love the dance that goes to this song…how does it start?!”
For the entire program, my memory failed me more times than I care to admit! Thank goodness for the CopperKnob website, which I used repeatedly to find the step sheets so I was able to do the dances. Once I saw the first few steps, muscle memory took over and (for the most part) I recalled the rest. It triggered my mind to go back in time to the bars where I taught and I danced down memory lane with my students from those years.
At the former Rodeo Dance Hall in Austintown:
Snapback
At the former Social 45 near Lisbon:
Unforgettable Too
At the former Rolling Mills Bar & Grill in Girard:
It Ain’t My Fault
Dori Yez will continue to write her monthly article here; and may also “guest instruct” at local venues/events!
