Let’s Dance
Sometimes the best exercise does not feel like exercise at all. The music starts, our feet begin to move and, before long, people are smiling, laughing and trying to remember whether the next step goes left or right. Dancing gives us movement, music and human connection in the same hour. In Oakmont and our greater Santa Rosa community, there are choices for beginners, experienced dancers, couples and people who arrive on their own.
Line dancing in Oakmont at the Berger Center
Line dancing is simply a group of people moving through the same steps together, usually in rows and without partners. An instructor teaches the dance a few steps at a time, and then everyone practices it to music. You do not have to be an experienced dancer or worry about keeping up perfectly. It is a fun way to enjoy music, exercise your body and memory, and spend time with other people.
The easiest place to begin may be right here at Berger Center. Oakmont’s newer line-dance class meets Monday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. The class started September 21st but if you missed the first class there are more to follow. Instructor Steve Luther teaches a variety of dances to upbeat music, and no partner is needed.
The first class was well attended, and participants learned, among others, the popular Electric Slide. It was an encouraging start and showed that plenty of Oakmont residents are interested in learning the steps and dancing together. The Grapevine and kick-kick step-all-change movements take me back to my pom-pom girl and cheerleading days years ago in Sebastopol. Retirement from demanding, stressful jobs and commutes gives us the time, energy and opportunity to do again what we so enjoyed in our youth.
The series price is $8 per class when purchased as a series, or $10 for an individual class. There are no reservations, so participants should arrive early enough to register. Questions may be directed to Mariellen Munson at 707-975-8370.
I appreciate the helpful information OVA President Steve Spanier provided me about the Berger floor. He explained that a dance floor must balance safety and ease of movement: if it is too slippery, dancers may fall, but if it has too much friction, a foot can stick during a turn and cause an injury. Steve noted that dance instructor Steve Luther, who also teaches at Monroe Hall and advised on the Finley Center floor, believes the Berger floor is now about right for dancing and will be consulted about flooring and acoustics during the Berger renovation. Ballroom instructor Terry Whitten will also be asked for her input. Because Berger hosts many kinds of events, the flooring choice will need to balance slip resistance, durability, appearance and the needs of dancers.
📌 Shoes for Line Dancing at the Berger Center: The class announcement suggested shoes with leather soles. At my first class in the Berger Center, I learned why: my rubber-soled shoes gripped the Vinyl floor, making twists and turns especially difficult and uncomfortable. This is not a hardwood dance or exercise floor like at the West Recreation Center, Monroe Dance Hall, Finley Center or Santa Rosa area fitness and dance centers.
Through my research, I found SwayD, which sells low-heeled dance boots with suede leather soles. Its Urban Step boot is one option. There are others and I have not sampled the boots yet. Suede leather may feel different from smooth leather on this particular Berger viny floor, so you may want to check with the instructor before buying. Shoes that let your feet turn smoothly, while still feeling steady, can help you avoid forcing a twist or turn through your ankles, knees, hips, spine and torso. Which is especially important in our active, over 55-year-old community.
https://swaydshoes.com/products/urban-step-black.
Ballroom dancing in Oakmont
Oakmont resident Terry Whitten teaches ballroom dancing every Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the lower West Recreation Center. In October, the class continues with a second month of Nightclub Two-Step, moving beyond the beginning steps taught in August. Terry usually devotes one month to the basics of a dance and sometimes a second month to more advanced steps. A partner is not required, and students generally have opportunities to dance with different partners during the lesson.
In a 2024 Oakmont Observer article, dancer Peggy Dombeck described the class as both instruction and community: longtime participants make it a priority, improve with practice and come to feel like a family. For current announcements and contact information, look under Let’s Dance Together on the Oakmont Village website or email Terry at twhitten@pacbell.net.
Dinner and dancing at The Oak
For those who would rather dance to a live band, The Oak at Valley of the Moon Club offers Music Mondays. Doors open at 4 p.m., and music runs from 5 to 7 p.m. The October schedule lists the Fargo Brothers Band on October 19 and Coffey Park Band on October 26. Both groups play familiar, danceable music, including classic rock and Americana. The cover charge is $10 cash at the door, and reservations may be requested by emailing Marisa Mangano at mmangano@playvom.com.
The Music Monday schedule overlaps with Oakmont’s Monday line-dance class, so residents will have a choice: learn the steps at Berger or use them on the dance floor at The Oak.
A Santa Rosa dance hall with history
A short drive from Oakmont takes us to Monroe Hall at 1400 West College Avenue. This is a historic Santa Rosa neighborhood hall whose story began when nine women formed the Monroe Neighborhood Clubhouse in 1915. The present hall was built in 1922. Its unfinished maple dance floor, installed in 1947, remains the centerpiece of a room known to generations of Sonoma County dancers.
Monroe Hall describes itself as welcoming to singles, couples, first-time dancers and experienced dancers. Its schedule includes line and social dance instruction, West Coast Swing, Nightclub Two-Step, Scottish country dancing, international folk dancing, square dancing, contra dancing, Jazzercise and special DJ or live-band dances. Several programs specifically say that no partner is needed.
The featured October event is Saturday, October 24, when DJ Steve Luther presents Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s. A jitterbug swing lesson begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dancing from 7:15 to 10 p.m. Mitch Woods is known for energetic boogie-woogie, jump blues and early rock-and-roll. Monroe Hall generally charges $15 for live-music nights and $10 for DJ dances, but it is wise to confirm the event details before heading out.
Friday afternoons at Finley
The Finley Complex in Santa Rosa offers Friday Afternoon Dances for adults 50 and older, normally on the first and third Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. The October dances are October 9 and October 16, a Halloween-themed social. A DJ plays ballroom favorites from the 1940s to the present, including polkas, waltzes, cha-chas and tangos. Participants are welcome with or without a partner.
Admission is $8.50 for members who purchase five visits and $9 for nonmembers. The Finley Complex is at 2060 West College Avenue. For information, call 707-543-3745 or check the City of Santa Rosa Active Adults schedule.
Why dancing is worth considering
Dancing is not a magic prescription, but it combines several elements associated with healthy aging. It can provide aerobic activity, challenge balance and coordination, require us to learn and remember sequences, and bring us into regular contact with other people. It’s important to remember stretching is important too as we warm up to dance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults 65 and older include aerobic, muscle-strengthening and balance activities in their week, and it specifically identifies learning a new dance as a balance activity.
Research is encouraging as well. Structured dance programs lasting at least six weeks produced psychological and cognitive benefits comparable to other forms of exercise, with preliminary evidence of added benefits for motivation, emotional well-being, social cognition and some aspects of memory. A 2024 review found that creative, folk and ballroom dance can improve measures associated with fall risk. These findings do not mean every dance class is appropriate for every person as our joints, spine and connective tissue age, but they support dancing as a serious form of physical and mental activity, not merely entertainment.
Start where you are
You do not need a partner, fancy clothes or years of experience. You do need comfortable shoes that are appropriate for the particular dance flooring, a class or event suited to your present balance and endurance, and a willingness to be a beginner. Anyone with recent surgery, unstable balance, dizziness, significant joint pain or a medical limitation should ask a clinician what level of activity is appropriate and let the instructor know before beginning.
For everyone else, perhaps October is the month to try one class, attend one live-music evening or return to a dance floor you have missed. The steps do not have to be perfect. The point is to move, listen, learn and enjoy being together. Let’s dance!
Sources and current schedules
Oakmont line-dancing announcement:
https://oakmontvillage.com/article/brand-new-line-dancing-class/
Oakmont ballroom announcement:
https://oakmontvillage.com/article/learn-to-dance-nightclub-2-step-in-august/
Peggy Dombeck, Dance Your Worries Away:
https://oakmontobserver.com/dance-your-worries-away/
The Oak, at the Valley of the Moon golf club:
https://www.playvom.com/events
Monroe Hall:
https://www.monroe-hall.com/dance-more/ and https://www.monroe-hall.com/events/
Santa Rosa Active Adults classes and events at Finley Community Center (and the adjacent Person Senior Wing):
https://www.srcity.org/3673/Classes-and-Events
CDC, What Counts as Physical Activity for Older Adults:
https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/adding-older-adults/what-counts.html
