Dancing Queens: After a pandemic hiatus, local dance groups gather again in person
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
In-person dancing is back at the Chartiers Township Community Center, where folks gathered March 30 to step to the beat. Linda Caputo will lead monthly dances at the center this year.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Linda Caputo instructs dancers how to step to the song “Earthquake” inside the Chartiers Township Community Center. Caputo has led dance groups locally since 2014.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Linda Caputo leads a group of dancers at Chartiers Township Community Center. Caputo, who has hosted dances locally since 2014, will teach line dances monthly this year.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Mary Jane Stewart moves to the beat during a line dance at the Chartiers Township Community Center. Stewart said dancing over Zoom during the pandemic was challenging, and she’s glad to be back to in-person dances.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Athena Brown, of Washington, has been dancing with Linda Caputo since 2019. Brown said the monthly dances are a great way to exercise and spend time with friends.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Monthly in-person line dancing is back at the Chartiers Township Community Center. Dancers, led by Linda Caputo, learn different steps while dancing to a mix of several types of music, including rock and country.
When lockdowns forced Americans inside two years ago, a local dance group led by Linda Caputo began meeting over Zoom.
“I was always losing people,” said Caputo, who has taught dance at the Chartiers Township Community Center since 2014. “In the pandemic, we did it outside. The cement is hard. I’m so happy to be able to come back.”
Back, and in full swing. Since dancers returned to the floor earlier this year, Caputo said the tempo picks up each week, with as many as 100 dancers crowding on to the floor some evenings. On a recent Wednesday, about 20 folks slipped on their dancing shoes and stepped to the beat of country music, soft rock and other favorite genres inside the community center.
“I’m glad we’re back,” said Athena Brown, who has attended Caputo’s dance group at Chartiers for nearly three years. “Probably the last time I was line-dancing was in the ’90s. I started coming because I enjoy dancing. It’s fun. It’s just a good time. Come in, you meet lots of new friends, new people. It gives you some exercise, too.”
Most regulars agree exercise and camaraderie are the biggest reasons for dancing. And, as Mary Jane Stewart pointed out, memorizing steps is a good workout for the brain.
Peggy Montecalvo joked that she doesn’t always remember all the moves, but she does have a blast following Caputo’s lead at the monthly dances. Montecalvo began dancing about four years ago after reading about an upcoming event in the newspaper.
“I didn’t know there was any line-dancing anywhere,” she said. “You’re here to have fun. You have to keep up with it. It doesn’t matter what you look like. You’re here to have fun.”
The group is so much fun that a trio from Oakdale makes the drive monthly to get down on the dance floor with other regulars, and another girl group heads north from Carroll Township to dance with Caputo.
“We go to all the same dances. We sponsor a dance, and Linda will come to ours. She’ll have a dance, and we’ll go to hers,” said Jean Ellsworth, of Richeyville, who teaches classes in Carroll Township. “You can learn so much better whenever you’re watching, dancing in person. It just makes such a big difference.”
Caputo invites pros and novices alike to dances scheduled through the end of this year, including a Welcome Spring Dance Party this Friday, April 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Chartiers Township Community Center.
Tickets are available at the Chartiers Borough building, or you can purchase them by calling 724-263-4369.
Dances will be held the first or second Friday of each month at the community center, with a second evening of dancing to pop, oldies, polkas and more at American Legion Post No. 902 in Houston the last or second-to-last Friday of the month.
Themed dances are also planned through the remainder of 2022, including a Cinco de Mayo dance May 13 and a Prom Night June 3 in the community center.
For more information, or to purchase tickets to a dance, contact Caputo at 724-263-4369.