DA NCING. SOCIAL DANCING. SQUARE DAN CING . FOLK DANCI NG . . . 3 . , 
Our dancing activities were taken up with a view to more physical activities, 
which we consider very important is favoring good health, 
and also to promote more socia] life and to Eiaintain contact with all ages, 
at a time of life when there is great danger of too much isolation, 
because there is such a strong tendency to retirement from work & life in general, 
Our activities considt in SQUARE DANCING, 
which we have been enjoying regularly twice monthly for five years, 
with the square dance group of the Potomac Appalachain 'frail Club at 
Palisades Field House, 
and now for more than a year xto have had our own square dance group 
meeting every Saturday evening in our home & dancing to calls on the records. 
We started out to enlist people of our own age group, 72 & 73, 
but this age group dropped out so rapidly 
that our group graduall|: became made up largely of couples in their 40’s & 
50' s, practically all of \,rhom started without any previous experience. 
Our SOCIAL DANCING. 
2 1/2 yrs. ago at gge 69 1.2 yrs. I started lessons at Arthur Murray Studio. 
I was so impressed with the value of dancing as an exercise 
that I have continued and have eiilisted Mrs. Barger in it as well. 
Dancing is especially valuable as a satisfying exercise for husband & idfe, 
one that might well be kept going thru the years, 
one that can be practiced easily in the home and therefore daily, 
even with little children about, 
and once one has acquired skill, it becomes a very inexpnnsive activity, 
for home dancing, as couples or small parties, is more pleasure than 
a crowded dance floor or ni^ht club. 
After marriage is not a time to discontinue dancing 
but a most delightful exercise to actively promote in the home. 
We have a group of sicilled dancers who meet in our home every Sunday, 
just after church and lunch, for an horn' of active danc5.ng. 
We have four or five cauples, and clear three room s for dancing. 
There is constant change of partners. 
Among our dancers are one gold medalist and two or three silver medalists. 
We dance to records, and occasionally introduce folk dances or formation dances. 
Our wall charts show x#iat must be learned at the Arthur Itoray studio 
to win the feionze and silver medals and certificates. 
I have won the bronze award and have nearly completed qualifying for the silver. 
FOLK DANCING. 
This is also a fascinating form of dancing, but more active than the others? 
however there are many folk dancis that are quite mild in activity. 
We have been in the FoMc Dance classes of Dave Rosenberg at the YWCA & at Cardoza. 
We are gradually introducing folk dance numbers to our social & square dance 
groups. 
BE SURE TO TAKE WITH YOU A COPY OF THE PROGPdM OF THE FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL 
at Cardoza High School Auditoriimi on May 6 & & 8. 
Hiis should be of great interest to all educational workers and to 
the church women who have been studying the habits & customs of foreign peoples. 
At our weekly dance parties 
we fold up the furniture or move it to make 1, 2 or 3 rooms available. 
We have both an individual phonograph for records 
and a radio-phonograph unit with two speaker units, playing all speeds. 
We have mechanized our activities to eliminate drudgery 
and to allow time for reading, hobbies and . social life & church& other 
activities. 
