DANCING AWAY THE YEARS--
Twice weekly at the local Y, 15 to 20 ladies exercise their way to fitness, often in random assortments of individual versions of the same dance movement.
After all precise choreography is not the goal here, it’s fitness wrapped around lots of fun.
Nevertheless, class instructor Shirley Weddell, a brutal technician-says she-and a retired, 40
year proprietor of her own Studio of Dance, is deeply focused on the anatomy of dance; of a Demi Plie (dem-ee-plee-i) movement for example.
She can wax poetically about the sensual beauty of an Arabesque. She regards ballet as the most exquisite of all dances.
She is intense about her class in a nearly 75 year young body supported on two artificial hips. They give her pain while she continues her pursuit of pleasure in her profession.
She spoon feeds her pleasure to her somewhat geriatric students who have a more pedestrian interest in the anatomy of dance yet a nuclear-charged interest in the process.
Just so it isn’t too serious!
That’s Shirley upper left massaging her temples while students in the top photo achieve less than perfection in a supposed-to-be uniform exercise movement.
“Lord give me patience,” she chuckles as Marian Blahnik (small photo lower right) giggles when she discovers her movement is slightly out of synchronization with her companions.
That’s Gayle Davis in the upper photo appearing to “Pray for perfection” Shirley chuckles, when actually Gayle is doing a delicate balance exercise; quite nicely as a matter of fact.
Twice-weekly sessions include a jazzy warm-up period, floor exercises, across-floor movements and some basic routines. A real frolic develops when Shirley announces it is time for the ladies to change into tap dance shoes.
That alone clips about 10 years of aging off most participants.
Besides the Monday and Friday sessions the ladies now are beginning some intermediate ballet.
In those Wednesday sessions Shirley can pursue her real joy with the anatomy of dance in instructing students that Demi Plie requires the precise centering of the knee cap over the third toe.
Yes, it will be awhile before this dance group performs on a New York City stage.
Twice weekly at the local Y, 15 to 20 ladies exercise their way to fitness, often in random assortments of individual versions of the same dance movement.
After all precise choreography is not the goal here, it’s fitness wrapped around lots of fun.
Nevertheless, class instructor Shirley Weddell, a brutal technician-says she-and a retired, 40
year proprietor of her own Studio of Dance, is deeply focused on the anatomy of dance; of a Demi Plie (dem-ee-plee-i) movement for example.She can wax poetically about the sensual beauty of an Arabesque. She regards ballet as the most exquisite of all dances.
She is intense about her class in a nearly 75 year young body supported on two artificial hips. They give her pain while she continues her pursuit of pleasure in her profession.
She spoon feeds her pleasure to her somewhat geriatric students who have a more pedestrian interest in the anatomy of dance yet a nuclear-charged interest in the process.
Just so it isn’t too serious!
That’s Shirley upper left massaging her temples while students in the top photo achieve less than perfection in a supposed-to-be uniform exercise movement.
“Lord give me patience,” she chuckles as Marian Blahnik (small photo lower right) giggles when she discovers her movement is slightly out of synchronization with her companions.
That’s Gayle Davis in the upper photo appearing to “Pray for perfection” Shirley chuckles, when actually Gayle is doing a delicate balance exercise; quite nicely as a matter of fact.
Twice-weekly sessions include a jazzy warm-up period, floor exercises, across-floor movements and some basic routines. A real frolic develops when Shirley announces it is time for the ladies to change into tap dance shoes.
That alone clips about 10 years of aging off most participants.
Besides the Monday and Friday sessions the ladies now are beginning some intermediate ballet.
In those Wednesday sessions Shirley can pursue her real joy with the anatomy of dance in instructing students that Demi Plie requires the precise centering of the knee cap over the third toe.
Yes, it will be awhile before this dance group performs on a New York City stage.
But, that hardly matters when these ladies, known as the Y Miss Steppers, can have this much fun on their own Mansfield, Ohio dance floor.
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