Dancing 1934

In the farm community there were two-kinds of weekenders, those who went to church and those who went to the Richardson Pavillion on Saturday night. My parents preferred the dance hall.

Father and mother kept chickens so father could afford to dance, drink Grain Belt beer and smoke hand rolled cigarettes.Mother did not drink or smoke. Mother danced while I was in her womb. After I was born they carried me in their arms on the.dance floor. Once I was three I climbed onto the raised bandstand and clung to a wooden railing to watch the musicians play and sing. The drurmner's feet always caught my eye. Once a trumpet player winked at me so I winked back. Since then I always winked at the trumpet player in every band.

Now and then people picked me up and danced with me including the musicians. Whoopie John once lifted me up and danced., He was not a good dancer. I danced by myself a lot. When I was thirsty I would pick up a beer glass, it didn't matter whose it was, and take a sip, sip, sip, and move around the floor. I was the clown of the evening and I did a good job of keeping the drunken people laughing. They loved me. I didn't get drunk.

When we moved to Minneapolis I could no longer go to dance halls with my folks because they were off limits to children unlike the farm conmunity dance hall.

Instead I went to Polish weddings, school dances, and to the Prom Ballroom. The Prom let under aged dancers in if we didn't drink. That was no problem for me.There I got to hear the big bands, eat popcorn, and dance. I :was always asked to dance by older men because I was a good dancer. 'That helped me.

I enjoyed the Polish wedding dances but the alcoholic behavior was disturbing. One night two young men got into a beer bottle fight. Since then I've felt uncomfortable around alcohol.

In junior high I helped the teacher teach dance. The tango and the fox trot were my favorite modern dances. If you can do the tango, you can learn any dance step there is. The teacher called me out of other classes when she needed a partner for square dance. I never liked the military aspect of the square dance. Still don't. Ted snickers when I do my line dance or square dance routine.

In high school I attended an evening at the Arthur Murray Dance School open house and was asked to come back and talk with them about teaching. When they found.out that I was.only 15 they were disappointed. One had to be 18 to teach.. When I play my accordion I feel the old time music the most.

So Seems, it's in the genes. You must dance.

LaVona Sherarts
© May 2000