Shake, rattle, and roll

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This article was published 20/12/2018 (2579 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’re looking for an excuse to get out of the house and cut a rug, Valley Gardens Community Centre has just the thing.

On Thursday evenings, Ritchard Istace and his wife Karen Klassen host a jive dancing class at 218 Antrim Rd. The couple, originally from Saskatoon, Sask., have been teaching for 10 years now.

“One of the reasons we like teaching is sometimes if you want a community of people to dance with, sometimes it’s easier to build it,” Istace said.

“It’s the most fun you can have with the least effort to learn,” he added. “It’s easy to get good. There are easier dances to learn, but not as fun, and dances that are more interesting but tougher to learn.”

The cost for eight classes is $40 per couple. From 7 to 8:30 p.m., Istace and Klassen will provide elementary dance steps and a welcoming environment for beginners to let loose.

“Jive is specific to fairly fast tempo music in 4/4 time, specifically ’50s rock n roll,” Istace said. “The style of jive we do is very smooth, low-impact, so suitable for people of any age.”

Istace said he “fell in love” with early rock n roll music as a youngster.

“I always wanted to dance to it,” he said. “And I married a woman who just loved to dance. So we started taking lessons, and it turned into something we were pretty good at.”

The couple hosted their first session at Valley Gardens CC in the fall. Before that, they’ve taught in a variety of venues.

“Last year, we taught through the ANAF Club on Portage Avenue, but that’s a long drive,” Istace said. “We also taught dance for the Forever Young Club for a couple years.  We’ve done a couple rounds of lessons with people in our basements.”

The winter session of the jive dancing classes begins Jan. 24 and runs most Thursdays through March 28. However, on the few Thursdays that the community centre is already booked, Istace and Klassen will offer free supplementary classes at home.

“We don’t get paid for this,” Istace said. “We just want to share what we’ve been given.”

For more information, email ritch.is@gmail.com or call 204-809-5495.

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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