Improvisational Moves at Dance Benzie

Chorophobia is the irrational fear of dancing. If you are a dance-phobic – like a certain editor of The Betsie Current – you might not want to jump onto the dance floor because you might not know the specific style of dance or you may be afraid of forgetting the steps.

Even if you enjoy dancing or are excited to learn how to dance – like a certain intern of The Betsie Current – you may have no idea where to start.

Dance Benzie, a local dance group that is driven by donations-based classes every Tuesday night, is a great icebreaker for dance beginners of all types. About a dozen smiling faces prove that there is nothing to be afraid of, and an easy-to-learn dance style makes the time fly by. This fun group can change you from standing alone beside a dance floor to dancing with freedom and joy.

“This fun, social dance gives connection between individuals,” says Dan Kelly, one of Dance Benzie’s organizers. “It’s nice to get to know people in this way.”

While having whole a lot of fun, you can make connections with others: making friends by sharing moments of freely dancing. You can jump, roll, jive, shimmy, tap dance, or moonwalk! Anyone is welcome in Dance Benzie – young or old, beginner or professional dancer.

At Dance Benzie, you will learn an improvisational connected-partner dance, which does not demand instruction for certain dance moves or limit your freedom of expression. There is no right or wrong in this type of dance: two people dance by moving with the rhythms of the music and by following the movements of your partner.

Although this type of dance might seem unfamiliar at first, it quickly becomes almost second nature. It is a unique experience of sharing space while keeping the balance between you and your partner. First, you close your eyes as you are dancing to feel and acknowledge your partner’s presence and moves, and then you respond to his or her moves without planning the exact choreography. And not to fear: if you think you are lost when it comes to understanding the concept of improvisational partner dancing, then ask any Dance Benzie dancer to show you its fundamental concepts. Through this free-style dance, you can create your own dance moves with your partner and engage in a co-leadership way of dancing – equally expressing and accepting each other’s dance moves, two people move as one dancing body on a journey to make connection, getting to know each other through cooperative and interactional dancing.

Dance Benzie classes begin at 8pm and last until 10pm at Mills Community House in Benzonia..

Suggested adult donation:

$5 for couple

$3 for single

$1 for student

Website: https://www.facebook.com/dancebenzie

http://dancebenzie.com/