Every day, many Athens residents visit the Athens Community Center, at 701 E State St., to get in a workout, take a fitness class or utilize childcare programs. Some locals are looking forward to the center’s next Scottish country dance class, an activity for those looking for exercise and bonding with fellow dancers.
Scottish country dance was established in England in the 17th century and was often danced to Scottish music. The style of dance reached Scotland in the early 18th century, and the social dance underwent changes to better reflect Scottish dance styles, according to the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Most notably, precise footwork was added, which is still seen in modern Scottish country dance.
Anna Hess, dance instructor for the Scottish folk dance class, said the dance is a “living traditional dance form.”
This year, the Athens Scottish Country Dancers group are performing at Porch Fest May 16.
An intermediate session for the class begins on Sunday, March 29. The next beginner session begins in June, and the class requires a one-time fee of $45, although Hess said they offer a “no questions asked” scholarship for those who might not have the funds, or if they are not sure about spending money on a class.
Hess said she has practiced Scottish dance since her freshman year of college, when she took a physical education class for credit. She ended up loving Scottish dance and continued it throughout her time at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, which has a large folk-dance community.
Hess welcomes all interested in the class and enjoys teaching participants the footwork and a variety of dance figures, which are specific patterns meant to be danced with a group. She said they usually have about 12-20 people show up for the class, and they dance in groups of eight.
“I think that people really get into it as a puzzle, which is like you're working out your body, but you're really working out your brain and having fun,” Hess said. “I have people who come into class who are like, ‘I'm not physical at all,’ and then they leave with a big smile, because they had such a great time. They didn't even notice they were exercising.”
Nancy Story, a library support specialist at Ohio University, said she joined the class three years ago when Hess first started it. She said she joined the class on a whim and had no idea what she was walking into. She said Hess was extremely welcoming and felt better knowing the rest of the class were also beginners.
“I'm not a natural at dancing by any means, but when I was in college, I took a ballroom dance class one semester and I took a folk-dance class one semester,” Story said. “I liked those, but I didn't ever feel proficient at any of it, and there was no opportunity to continue with any of it. With this, I think it was a combination of people, and the music was just fun.”
Story said she knew she wanted to go back after the first class, and she could not remember the last time she enjoyed herself so much.
The class encourages younger people to join, or for OU students to try out the class. Hess said the class is mostly locals, with one student. She said the issue with students joining is they eventually graduate and move away, but she would enjoy a variety of ages in the group.
Hess said stress melts away in her classroom, and people can join the class to forget about their anxieties and focus on reaching a goal as a group.
“You can be having a terrible week and a terrible day, and you show up and you're like, ‘Oh, why am I even here?’” Hess said. “And then you forget it all so fast. Everyone is so glad to see you, and everybody's working together on this project … a lot of people don't get to work together on group projects that are easy, and you see the result in 15 minutes, you're like, ‘We did that together? That was so much fun.’”
The community center also offers other dance classes, including belly dancing and ballroom dancing, as well as tumbling and ballet for children. Many people also love the fitness classes, joining the yoga, Tai Chi, lifting and cardio classes.
Bob Radebaugh, an Athens local, has been visiting the community center for 12 years. He mostly utilizes the center for its pickleball courts and help with his Medicare in the fall. He said there is a consultant in the senior center who made sure he was signed up for everything he needed with his Medicare and helped him get everything he was eligible for.
“They provide a lot of services for seniors,” Radebaugh said. “Kids come and play basketball. We play pickleball three times a week. You know, I bet I met 35 people that I probably wouldn't have met if we didn't play pickleball.”
More information on classes, events and activities can be found by stopping by the community center or by visiting the Athens Arts, Parks and Recreation website.
