Leaving a big city (Atlanta, GA) and moving to a small town (Murphy, NC) has provided more opportunities than we could ever have imagined. (Murphy is 2 hours from everywhere - Atlanta, Chattanooga or Asheville.)
Kit and I thought we were beginning our retirement plan in the summer of 2000 when we bought a mini-farm in the mountains of western North Carolina. The plan was to enjoy the mountains as a weekend retreat/getaway until we
were ready to leave the big city for good - about 15 years away. We knew that we wanted to continue to have dance in our lives when we moved permanently and that a program in "virgin territory" would take awhile to develop, so we began looking for a place suitable for round dancing.
We happened upon the Murphy School of Dance, a facility teaching about 400 kids various types of dance from ballet and jazz to hip-hop and disco. Much to our surprise, the owner of the facility knew about round dancing and was very willing to work with us. I'm sure she thought it would last a few weeks and be gone as, to her knowledge, no dance program had ever proven successful for adults in Murphy or the surrounding area.
We knew 2 couples, each about 45 minutes away, who were very interested in having a round dance program closer than 2 hours from their homes. With that in mind, we advertised in the newspaper, with flyers in the stores and by word of mouth of our friends. On Wednesday, April 18, 2001, we held our first round dance in Murphy. Five couples showed up and we were thrilled!
We danced by request, worked out a plan to dance through the spring and summer and begin classes in the fall.
By Thanksgiving 2001, our 15 year plan was out the window and we were living in Murphy full time and driving back to Atlanta 5 days a week for our round and square dance clubs! (Who says you have to be brilliant to be a round dance leader???)
In May 2002, perhaps a miracle occurred. The principal of a K-8 school and his wife were talked into coming to our round dance class. He walked in telling me he had no rhythm (his brother got it all) and would never be able to dance, but if Mike (another student) could do it, he was willing to give it a try! Almost immediately, Kit and I began to wonder about the possibility of teaching at his school, but said nothing. He was struggling with everything and we didn't know if they would continue and, to be honest, we weren't sure how to approach the question. But, 8 weeks later when we changed rhythms and opened the class to new students, they returned - all smiles. Then, during break one evening, Kit overheard him saying to his wife and another teacher (whom they had convinced to join us) "wouldn't it be great if the kids could learn to do this." That was all it took for Kit to step in and say "what kids?"
We were surprised (and thrilled) to learn that NC has dance as part of their core educational curriculum. By the end of the evening, we had committed to being in his office at 10 AM the following day to discuss the possibility of teaching as part of the school's P.E. program.
When we arrived at school on Thursday morning, he had already talked to the P.E. teacher and the office staff - and goodness only knows whom else. We were taken to the gym to meet the P.E. teacher and work out a schedule. They were so willing to have us teach dance to the kids that they would arrange their schedule around ours. We settled on Wednesdays and Fridays (when we didn't have to drive 2 hours to Atlanta for a round dance club) - and started the NEXT day - August 28!
We were assigned the 6th grade because, we were told, there was the best ratio of boys to girls in that class. This was okay with us. I knew 11 year-olds were capable of focusing and learning to dance since that's when my son learned but, more importantly, that would give us 3 years to work with the kids before they moved on to high school. The next day we arrived to find ten boys and seventeen girls! Of course, the principal's daughter is in that class, but you don't think that had anything to do with it, do you? With the principal, 2 P.E. teachers plus Kit and me doing the man's part, we were able to handle partners for the extra girls.
We started with Two Step because we wanted to build a basic understanding of the different timings and positions AND, we knew the kids liked country-western music. We very quickly learned that there were only 2 positions - Butterfly and Open. These kids absolutely did not want to hold each other (at least not be seen doing it!). So we concentrated on movements we could do in those positions. They learn so fast - and just sit down on the floor when I'm talking too much! Within a few weeks, we were talking about moving into closed position but based on their reactions, decided to switch rhythms instead. We began Rumba (so similar to Two Step in timing) then, in one class we added the Cha Cha to all the Rumba figures they knew and before that week was over, they were doing Axel F - and loving it! With minor modifications to dances already in my box, they quickly developed a repertoire of 10 Rumba, 15 Cha Cha and 7 Two Step dances - which I have recorded on cassette tapes for them to practice at home - as homework. When making a new tape, I always include a few dances with a figure or two they haven't learned to give them something to work towards and - so I know whether they have listened to the tape! Thank goodness the school buys the tapes for us to use. Each time, I make an original and duplicate 30 tapes.
When we arrived at school on December 11, we discovered the Beta Club's Winter Formal was scheduled for December 13. A quick survey of the class told us that most of these kids would be attending their first dance in 2 days! When we asked what they planned to do at the dance, they said "stand around and eat". Clearly, they needed to know what to do when a cuer wasn't around. We spent both Wednesday and Friday classes working on 8 measure modules for them to memorize and utilize with any Cha Cha, Rumba or Two Step music. I would cue the module a few times and then they would do it from memory. Then we worked on rotating the modules. By the end of Friday's class, with 3 modules for the Latins and 2 modules for Two Step, we thought they would be okay IF there was any Rumba, Cha or country-western music played. When we asked about slow music, THEY showed US how they planned to "sway to the music". There was certainly no time for us to try to add anything there. They invited us to attend the dance and, thank goodness we were not committed to another dance and were able to do so. We surprised them by bringing two couples from our Atlanta clubs and one couple from our Murphy club. We watched the kids for awhile, unable to distinguish any real danceable rhythm to their music. The 7th and 8th grade girls were doing hip hop routines (rolling on the floor in a formal is a sight to see!) or the Electric Slide - things they had learned at the Murphy School of Dance while the 7th and 8th grade boys were sitting at tables drinking punch and eating cookies. But the 6th graders were doing couple dancing with Cha Cha modules they had learned in class. Talk about proud! We couldn't have been more please if they were our own kids or grandkids! And, as we watched, we realized the boys were cueing the girls (a few times visa-versa) when they either got confused or forgot the routine! Of course, we got up and free-styled danced with the kids too. After awhile, the principal and his wife, the 6th graders and the adult round dancers took to the floor and I cued Axel F (now their favorite dance). All eyes were on this demonstration and, when it was over, as the applause was still going on, the president of the Beta club (an 8th grade girl) cornered the principal and DEMANDED that the 8th grade get dance classes immediately!
Later in the evening I cued a couple more dances, but we didn't want to "take over" their dance. We just tried to dance something to their music!
Now, we have agreed to teach the 8th grade P.E. class on Wednesdays beginning in January. There are 10 boys and 9 girls - so at least Kit and I should get a break from dancing and the P.E. teacher can start working on the lady's part. Let's just hope the 7th graders can wait until next year - or someone can find another day in the week for us!
We are delighted that we are getting some of the parents of the kids in our adult classes. The mothers who are able to dance with their sons and, of course, the girls who can dance with their fathers are just a delight to behold! Plus, the parents make sure there is practice time at home!
As a result, our adult classes are growing. We are moving to a larger facility - Tri County Community College - and are excited about the prospect of attracting college-aged students to the activity!
One important thing I forgot to mention - our pay for teaching at the school. We receive lunch in the school cafeteria before class each Wednesday and Friday. But the other rewards are tremendous! The biggest payoff will come down the road, as these kids are the future of our activity! What a thrill for us to be contributing in this manner!
As we headed to school last week I turned to Kit and said: "A funny thing happened to us on the way to retirement!"