Dancing the Polka

"For me, Ashkenaz is much more than a club; every show is a family reunion, with a family you actually get along with." This is how one person describes the community dance center in Berkeley that offers world music and dance most nights of the week. It's children-friendly and all kinds of people come together to connect with joy. I went last night to hear a new friend, Odile Lavault and her group, Baguette Quartette. Odile plays accordian and sings Parisian cafe songs from the '20s and '40s. One of the songs was La Mer, a song we know as Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea.

It was a big dance party which started with a lesson. There were leaders and followers of all ages, sizes, shapes and costume. We changed partners every few minutes or so. I got a little intimidated by the partner that told me I was putting my feet in the wrong place, but most people were friendly, helpful and pretty joyful. I later danced a polka with a man named Richard who told me we would do a "low-impact" version. I was surprised that I remembered how to do it and that I could follow his lead as we flowed around the dance floor. It was great exercise and really got my heart pounding. In fact, I'm inspired to take some folk dance lessons, maybe Scottish. Learning the steps would be a great challenge for my brain and the community aspect is healthy too.

One of the friends I went to Ashkenaz with is Costanzia, who is from Tanzania and she had commented that in her country, they are always dancing. After seeing the joy on the faces of the dancers last night, I think we should all dance more, work less. Which reminds me of my favorite bumper sticker. Wag more, bark less.