4-H ambassadors teach dance

by Ed Moreth

Farm animals and 4-H seem to be synonymous, but maybe dancing should be added to their repertoire.

The members of the South Side Sparks 4-H club want to be ready for the Christmas Dance on Dec. 23 at the fairgrounds pavilion, so the local 4-H ambassadors held a dance workshop Saturday evening at the pavilion. Twenty youngsters from the South Side Sparks and three from the Kootenai, Kids & Critters 4-H club from Lincoln County participated in the two-hour workshop.

"It was fun to teach the class," said Claire Wrobleski, a 4-H ambassador, who taught the class with 4-H State Ambassador President Mikiah Cook. "I love dancing, but teaching it can be complicated because you have to explain everything you do, but it's worth it in the end to see people picking it up," added the 17-year-old Wrobleski, a 4-H'er for eight years.

The ambassadors taught the basics of Swing, Waltz, and Polka. Students ranged from 10-year-old Kyla Warner to 19-year-old Martin Wrobleski, a former 4-H'er and Claire's older brother. Cook and Wrobleski first demonstrated each of the moves, followed by the students practicing a move before moving onto the next step.

"Most of the moves we taught were pretty easy, just basic spins. With the harder ones all it takes is doing it a few times and having someone there to lead you through step by step and answer the questions about it or correct any mistakes," said Wrobleski. They started with the basic Swing moves - the Tornado, the Pretzel, the Tabletop, and the Window - along with inside and outside swings. Wrobleski and Cook started with the basic box step for Waltzing, followed by turning the box and adding in spins and a promenade. They also included some line dancing instruction for moves, such as the Virginia Reel, the Scottish Polka, and the Church Clap, according to Wrobleski, who has been dancing a long time and knew most of the moves.

Honda Ryan, who gave a dance demonstration for the 4-H Communication Days last year, gave some input. He also put together a playlist for the workshop. Periodically, Alan Hafner, whose children, Cody and Anna, a 4-H ambassador, volunteered as a partner on the floor. Once the kids had a general idea, Ryan put their steps to music.

This is the second year that they've held a dance workshop and it, too, was in preparation for the Christmas Dance. Wrobleski said the Christmas Dance is for the entire community, not just 4-H, and anyone can attend. "Our goal is to connect with the community for some fun dancing. We also invite out of town people, but the main focus is putting it on for the community," said Wrobleski. The dance takes place Dec. 23 from 7-10 p.m. at the fairgrounds pavilion.

"I think the class went super well, we had a decent turnout and people learned some new moves and got to practice old ones," said Wrobleski. "They were a great group of people to teach. Everyone was paying attention and wanted to learn everything you could teach them."