Members of the Mount Olive Parks and Recreation Department’s line dancing class learn the steps to ‘Got to Be Funky.’ From left are: Jan Troehler, Jeannie Sutton, instructor Patricia Curtis, Lisa Daughtry, Frances Jones, Neicy Weeks, Sheila Sutton and Teresa Rose. The class meets on Tuesday evenings, 6-7 p.m., and all are welcome. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Lisa Daughtry, left, and Debbie Mize are in step during a free line dancing class sponsored by Mount Olive Parks and Recreation. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Instructor Patricia Curtis, second from right, offers instruction and encouragement to ladies attending a line dancing class sponsored by Mount Olive Parks and Recreation. Attendees, from left, are Lisa Daughtry, Neicy Weeks, Teresa Rose, Jan Troehler, Sheila Sutton, Jeannie Sutton and Frances Jones. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Johnnie Arnold has been line dancing off and on since ‘94. She is a regular at the Mount Olive Parks and Recreation Department’s class on Tuesday evenings, 6-7 p.m. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Left to right, Jan Troehler, Sheila Sutton, Jeannie Sutton, Frances Jones and instructor Patricia Curtis get their groove on during the Mount Olive Parks and Recreation Department’s free line dancing class. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Teresa Rose, front, has pep in her step during a line dancing class offered by Mount Olive Parks and Recreation. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Johnnie Arnold has been line dancing off and on since ’94. “I just love to do it,” she says. “I practice it at home in a little space in my kitchen.” But that’s not the only place she practices. She also attends a line dancing class in Mount Olive every Tuesday evening, from 6-7 p.m. — and if you’re interested, you’re welcome to join in, too.
Sponsored by Mount Olive Parks and Recreation, the class — which is free — usually meets at the Historic Train Depot at 110 W. Main St., but when that building is unavailable, the group meets at the Senior Citizen Center at 711 N.W. Center St.
Despite occasionally meeting at the senior center, the class is open to all ages, according to instructor Patricia Curtis. It’s also open to novices, as well as those with years of experience. “Anybody can come anytime regardless of their level,” she emphasizes.
When newcomers show up, Curtis takes the time to give them basic instructions, and her regulars are just fine with that. “Even if you’ve been line dancing for a long time, it never hurts to refresh,” she points out.
“If you have two left feet, we’ll teach you the difference,” she promises, also noting the importance of giving yourself enough time to learn. Some people show up claiming no sense of rhythm, but often, “those who hang in there become pretty good line dancers.”
Curtis began line dancing after retiring from the Wayne County Department of Social Services in 2010, by taking lessons through Goldsboro Parks and Recreation. When she wanted a class closer to home, she worked with Josh Phillips, director of Mount Olive Parks and Recreation, to get this class started. Becoming the instructor fell to her “by default,” she says. “If I didn’t do it, nobody would, and it means a lot to me to have the class.”
During any given class, if you poke your head in the door, you may hear Curtis calling out a series of instructions: Hop, heel, hop, heel. Swing those hips. Grapevine to the right. Heel, step, heel, step, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle!
You’ll also hear music, of course — and not just country music, though this is the genre most often associated with line dancing. Songs like “Fireball,” “Old Time Rock & Roll,” and “Uptown Funk” are in Curtis’ rotation. A class favorite is K.T. Oslin’s “Cornell Crawford.”
And don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of chatting and laughter between (or even during) songs, as camaraderie is one of the main draws for those attending the class.
“I moved here [from Apex] in August 2021 and I was scared to death there wouldn’t be anything to do,” notes Lisa Daughtry, whose fears were allayed when she discovered this group. “We know how to have a good time and we’ve formed special friendships and bonds.
“Fun, happy, laughing, learning — that’s what this group is all about,” she adds.
Daughtry enjoyed the class so much that she recruited yoga pal Jeannie Sutton to join. After retiring and then being stuck at home during Covid, Sutton was eager to find ways to occupy her time. “It’s fun exercise and I’ve gotten to meet all these nice ladies,” she says. “You need all the friends you can have.” (The class consists mostly of women, although men have attended on occasion and are always welcome.)
After Thanksgiving, the class will break for the month of December, but will begin meeting again on the first Tuesday in January — perfect for anyone with New Year’s resolutions to exercise and get fit. And perfect for anyone interested in making new friends.
For more information, call Mount Olive Parks and Recreation at 919-658-9538.
