A Heart-felt Dance Party

by Victoria Worth
for Hilltown Families

The songs are still humming in my head, and when I look down, my feet are still moving to a recent rhythm. Long after Saturday night’s Valentine’s Family Contra Dance has ended, the joyous gathering lingers on in my mind. At the Town Hall, good food filled our tummies downstairs, and when dinner was over, we joined a crowd of children and adults already moving to the beat of the music.

It may have been a cold winter evening, but the warm cider and our colorfully clad bodies joined in spirited dance turned the hall into a heated array of swirling arms and legs. Our hand-held circle, lead by Diane Sanabria, spiraled around the room, through arms raised, backwards and forwards, sometimes falling but always laughing as the spirals took us in increasingly twisted shapes. At the end of each dance, we ended exhausted but impressed with our abilities to move together in such a cohesive group.

Our beloved Ashfield Community Pre-School reaped the financial benefits of the generous ticket sales, but the entire 100-plus crowd enjoyed the ecstatic rewards of a lively caller, adventurous band and Hilltown good cheer.

The decorations also put the hall in a Valentine’s Day spirit. Thanks to the pre-school children and teachers bands of pink and red rings of color adorned the hall. Also, on the stage was a glittering poster telling all of us to, “Dance, Dance Dance!!!” Well, we certainly didn’t need the reminder; the music was too good, but we sure appreciated that this was, indeed, part of a true community spirit.

About the author
Victoria Worth is a board member of the Ashfield Community Preschool and organizer of many fundraisers and community events in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. She lives in Ashfield with her family in a beautifully restored New England farmhouse.