Line Dancing Grannies

Grant County Journal
October 4, 2010
By Janet Warren
Journal Columnist

Dave Barry isn’t the only columnist who has alert readers. One of my alert readers, Penny Quist, gave me many suggestions for future columns. According to Penny, “there are lots of interesting people and things around here if you just look.” I thank her for looking because I never would have met Dodie Pierce and the rest of the Line Dancing Grannies if it hadn’t been for Penny’s suggestion.
I met the Grannies at the Ephrata Senior Center on a Monday morning as they were getting ready for the first of their tri-weekly practices. Dodie told me the group originated more than 17 years ago because the ladies loved to dance, but their husbands did not. Out of the four original members, Em Corkins, is the only one still living. Dodie joined shortly after the group was formed and has been dancing since 1993. The Grannies range in age from 62 to 82, but looking around me, I couldn’t figure out who could possibly be 82 years old. As all the ladies agreed, not only does the dancing keep them physically fit, but also mentally fit. And I would add emotionally fit because every one of them has a great sense of humor. They laughed about their memory lapses, and mine, for that matter, since I had a tough time remembering their names. Let’s see…
Brenda Follet is the newest member of the group. When Brenda was widowed four and a half years ago, she wondered what she was going to do with herself. She saw an ad in the paper inviting people to join The Line Dancing Grannies. She tried it out mainly to get herself out of the house; meeting new people and the great exercise were added benefits. It took her over a year before she got up the courage to perform. Not only did Brenda make new friends, she sees The Line Dancing Grannies as an opportunity to give to the community. She especially enjoys performing at the nursing homes in the area because the residents are eager to see them and enjoy the dancing as they clap along to the music.
Six months ago, Joyce McAlpine started dancing again after a 6-year absence. When her husband died suddenly, Joyce found herself a little disoriented. She knew she needed some other activities in her life. She remembered the fun and companionship she had shared in her previous years as a Line Dancing Granny and knew where she could go to fill the void felt by her husband’s death. It was like she never left.
I noticed Genie Faulkner was dancing in her cowboy boots. When I asked her about it she said it was because she had a hard time finding shoes with leather soles she could dance in. The leather soles protect her knees. “If you don’t have good knees, you can’t line dance,” she says. The Line Dancing Grannies have about 10 outfits, but their trademark is their white cowboy boots. Genie loves to dance and she joined the Grannies to meet new people. She’s been a member since 2001.
JoAnn Marx has been a dancer most of her life. She and her husband, Lee, were ballroom dancers, and JoAnn also clogged. She danced with the Grannies for almost six years before her arm was twisted sufficiently, thus finally agreeing to perform. An interesting fact about The Line Dancing Grannies is that they also accept Grandpas. Lee can’t dance anymore because of a hip replacement, but he helps out with the Grannies in other ways. The group refers to themselves as “Lee’s harem” because he usually chauffeurs them to and from their many performances.
There have been four Line Dancing Grandpas over the years. “One of them died…I hope we didn’t kill him,” Dodie said. She then added, “We only do line dancing because you don’t need a partner for it.” That’s a good thing since the grandpas don’t seem to hang around long. Dodie is one of the oldest members of the group and she has a sharp wit. She invited me to dance with them, and even though I was wearing flip flops instead of cowboy boots, I agreed. I have to admit it was fun. I haven’t done any kind of dancing since Jazzercise a very long time ago and I didn’t do very well. But as my Jazzercise instructor used to say: “Your heart doesn’t know what your feet are doing.” I was breathing hard by the time the dance was over, which was only a couple of minutes. Their performances are 25 minutes long. These grannies are in good shape!
So, I say to the grannies: “Let’s say someone comes in here with my dancing ability. Can you teach her to dance?”
“Oh yes,” they all agree, “our instructor is great and the first hour of our sessions is for beginners.” Laura Paulson has been the instructor since 2003. She is Hawaiian and her background is Hula dancing. Laura finds the music and deciphers the written steps…Right Chasse, Back, Rock, Weave, Left, Touch…All the ladies agree no one else can figure them out which is why Laura gets to be the teacher. I was trying to follow Laura while I danced and she is very good.
The Line Dancing Grannies invite anyone to join. The requirements are that you are a Grandma or Grandpa (although they’d be willing to make an exception) and that you have two feet. Even if they are two left feet, they can teach you to dance. There are no fees unless you choose to perform, then you pay for your costumes. The best part is that you are not required to perform. You can learn to dance, get exercise three times a week (M, W, F 9:30-11:30) and enjoy the camaraderie of these fun women. Show up at the Ephrata Senior Center one of these mornings and they will show you the ropes. Don’t be intimidated by how good they are…they all started at the beginning.
The other two Line Dancing Grannies, Em Corkins and Marie Reid weren’t at the practice I attended. Em is also the Queen Mother of a local Red Hat Society, so I will get to meet her when I write a column on those rebellious Red Hatters. Marie’s name kept coming up (in a good way, Marie, in a good way) but I won’t meet her until I attend their performance in Soap Lake on October 21, 11 a.m. at the McKay Nursing Home. As JoAnn said, “We don’t do nights.” I’m with you there, ladies. We grannies need our rest.