The Magic of Dance

By: Angie Stryker

What if your talent had magical powers?

There is a woman amongst us who keeps her super powers hidden to most. If you meet her in the grocery store or out on the street, you might not know what she is capable of or what happens when the music is turned on. And she certainly wouldn't call herself a superhero NOR introduce herself as such. However, crank up one of about 60 songs and you will start to get a glimpse of what she does.

Let me introduce you to Cherry Ward. Then I have to introduce you to her crew of around 40, mostly women but also a few gentlemen, who share Cherry's superpower.

Imagine yourself either residing in or visiting a typical nursing home. What do you see? What do you experience? Kindness? Sure. Nicely decorated small living spaces? Sometimes. What I see when I visit are TV's. So many screens. Endless hours of movies or commercials or tv shows.

Now imagine that 20ish people ages 13 to 84, are visiting you in the nursing home. And what do they bring with them? They bring music. And they bring line dances for each and every song that is played. What happens next can only be described as magic.

Our elderly friends are transported back to the earlier days of lives spent dancing and laughing. They are enlivened with the joy of music. They find themselves clapping their hands and moving into the hallways to get to the music. They are awake and full of joy as they are entertained by such a fun loving crowd. Sometimes, if they are able, they will join in with the fun.

Twice a month, Cherry and her Randolph County Line dancers, show up at two different nursing homes in Oxford and Roanoke and bring the residents their magical powers.

The magic doesn't stop there. The dancing is a gift to our elderly friends that the line dancers gladly share. However, the most magical part of what they give is to each other.

Every Tuesday, from 9:30 - 11:00, up to 40 women and men gather at the building next to Bobber's for practice. That's 90 minutes of dancing. They learn new dances and practice old dances. Who come to dance? Well, all kinds of people. The young, the old. THey come for the exercise that they get. They come because it keeps their minds sharp (have you tried learning a line dance recently?) There are 60 different line dances and hundreds of songs in their repertoire. There is always something more to learn and remember. They come for the social outlet. They come because they have become family. They come because they have a place and a group of people where they belong.

They come because they have lost spouses or loved ones and have people who know their name and love them and laugh with them. They come because it's the most fun you can have on a Tuesday.

And then they take the magic and share it. Not just with our friends in the nursing homes but they share it at festivals like Wedowee's Frog Level and Woodland's Founder's Day.

Someone recently said to Cherry, "Y'all know how to have a party." Cherry says, "We are the party."

Sometimes at a local establishment where 5 or more line dancers are gathered, they will start to form up and get the crowd ready to get off their feet. They are the ideal hype crew.

Cherry has been teaching the line dancers since 2014 in Wedowee. The group existed before in Woodland. Once Cherry started teaching, she moved it to Wedowee. She says that she gets new dances from YouTube or other dance groups and then teaches them to the others.

Be on the lookout for these superheroes the next time you are at a festival or an impromptu dance when a local band is playing. Their superhero costumes are t-shirts that say Randolph County Liners but their favorite t-shirt says Crazy Si'stas. You'll know them by the life and magic they bring to the party.

If you want to learn to bring the magic, classes are Tuesday 9:00 - 11:00 next door to Bobber's. Call Cherry Ward for more info: 334-803-2301