"Dancing Instruction"

 While I haven’t had the opportunity to see the new Richard Gere movie, “Shall We Dance”, the Library does own the original Japanese version—again entitled, “Shall We Dance”. The Japanese version is a hoot! I’ve taken it home several times to watch. The scenes in the dance studio had me practically rolling on the floor with laughter. I understand the American version is also pretty funny.

In the late 1950s, when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school in southern Idaho, my mother decided that my younger sister and I needed to take ballroom dancing. She contacted several of our friends’ mothers and worked out the arrangements with a dance instructor in Twin Falls, the nearest “large” city to our farming community. Once a week for an entire winter, eight or so of us high schoolers would drive to Twin Falls for an hour’s instruction in the basement of the home of the dancing instructor. We learned to fox trot, jitterbug, waltz, and cha-cha.

Back then, ballroom dancing was a big thing. In my school’s gymnasium, where we had our lunch break, a hi-fi record player would be turned up loud and the students—from the 8th graders to the seniors—would rock and roll to the 33 1/3 rpm records—one song per side. The girls wore long pooffy skirts and saddle shoes with white calf-length socks and the boys wore low-slung Levi’s and shirts with back of the collars folded high, The boys had their hair combed in a Pompadour with a duck’s butt---just like in “Grease”. We may have just finished milking 30 head of cows in the morning before we boarded the bus for school, but we all dressed just like the kids on “American Bandstand”.

Although I first thought my mother’s dance lessons idea was pretty lame, after a month or so of instructions, I really enjoyed those school lunch break dances because all the girls wanted to dance with the boys who had taken dancing lessons. The proms were also a big thing back then and the better dancers always had the advantage when it came to asking the girls to the prom.

A lot of people have not had the opportunity of professional dance instruction and while they would like to be on the dance floor with their partners, they don’t want to embarrass themselves with their awkwardness
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The Library has an outstanding collection of dance instruction videos that can be viewed and followed in the privacy of your home. The dances taught by these videos range from the jitterbug, waltz, swing, tango, cha-cha, fox trot to square dancing and line dancing.

A dance instruction video is particularly helpful as the viewer—dancer—can stop and rerun the tape to make certain that he is following the correct step or maneuver. In a dance studio the instructor either explains the step or walks you through it. It’s tough to interrupt the instructor to ask for a repeat. With a video, you just back up the tape and go though it again—as many times as you need. With help from the Library’s collection of dance instruction videos, you will never worry about being a “wall flower” at the next dance you attend.

The Columbus Library Foundation has received several memorials. The memory of Robert Brega was honored by a donation from Mr. and Mrs. William Klug. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Alt gave a donation in memory of Joe McKown, Sr. And, the memory of Valetta Kluever was honored by a memorial from Mr. and Mrs. William Klug.

Donations can either be made to the general fund of the Library Foundation or the donor may specify particular types of books or other library materials to be purchased in memory of the deceased.