Dance, Dance, Dance

Today I participated in a Day of Dance sponsored by our local St. Luke's Hospital.

Although this was the first year for the Day of Dance in St. Louis, we joined over 70 other cities who were sponsoring the event today. It was billed as "an energizing and interactive healthy living event" where you could "learn easy dance steps for better health". In addition to dancing instruction, the hospital had physicians and health educators on hand to provide health screenings and education.

I didn't decide to go until the last minute, but it wasn't a problem. Although my name wasn't on the registration list, I was able to sign in at the door. When I turned in my registration form, I received a goodie bag, a raffle ticket, and a form to enter a drawing for several large prizes.

The event was held in several different rooms at the Frontenac Hilton hotel. Most of the activity took place in a large ballroom. A stage and dance floor took up one half of the room; the other half of the room had tables sponsored by several vendors and different departments of the hospital. There was a great breakfast station set up out in the hall with muffins, fruit, yogurt, and drinks. All the health screenings were being done in a separate conference room.

The dancing instruction included a wide variety of types: line dancing, hip hop, Zumba, belly dancing, hip-hop, hula, and belly dancing. I tried all of them (although I did better at some of them than others), but passed on most of the "party dances" (Hokey Pokey, Macarena, Duck Dance, Conga Line, Cha Cha Slide, and YMCA) they had in between each of the scheduled events. I used that time to chat with some friends I bumped into and gather information from the tables. The last session was a demonstration and Q&A session by two members of the Kansas City Ballet; the young couple danced part of a Twyla Tharp dance that was choreographed to Frank Sinatra music.

There were a lot of women in attendance; young, old, and middle-aged. I even saw some moms there with their daughters. There were also a few men, who looked a little bored. The day was very well organized and a lot of fun.