SENMC Fills Void Through Community Education

By Misty Cryer

Line dancers from North Mesa Senior Recreation Center, home of the Country Gold Line Dancers, are assisting te instructor of Southeast New Mexico College’s evening line dancing classes, developed for those who cannot attend the daytime classes at the center.

Adding evening line dancing classes through the Community Education Department at SENMC was inspired by significant community interest in the art form. “We started last season. We’ve had about 20 attendees,” said Maria Quintana, Community Education Manager with SENMC.

The classes for this season began on Wednesday, September 3, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. According to the schedule, they will continue each Wednesday through November 19.

Quintana said they previously charged per session. Now, the fee is $5 per class. “We don’t want to overcharge,” she said.

“It is going to be a beginning class,” said Diana Huston, the class instructor. She said it will start with easy dances and build up by learning new line dancing steps and bringing in a couple of more songs as the semester progresses.

For students, Huston said, “They just need to wear good shoes, and something that they are comfortable moving in.” She said in the first class, she plans to discuss shoes and sliders.

Huston said she teaches math at the Early College High School. “Before that, I taught math as an adjunct at the college for years,” she said.

Teaching as an adjunct at the college was part-time, Huston said, giving her time to go to the senior center and learn how to dance.

“When I started working full-time at the high school, I didn’t have time to line dance anymore at the senior center,” said Huston. “I love to teach, and I love to dance,” she said.

“Last year, another one of the senior center ladies, Jayne Murrill, was asked by Maria to teach the class,” said Huston. Jayne called Huston and asked her if she would help her lead it.

“I was what they call an ‘angel’ last year,” said Huston. She explained that the easiest way to teach line dancing is to have people who know the dances stand on the other three sides of the room, so that every time you turn to a different wall in the dance, there is someone who knows the dance and knows all the steps that everybody can watch. “Those people are called angels,” she said.

This year, Huston said Jayne asked her if she would instruct the class, as Jayne dances regularly at the senior center.

“I really love it and it’s really fun,” Huston said. “I’m glad that I have this opportunity to teach a class in the evening so I can actually dance.”

Huston said she plans to have all the angels present the first night so the people taking the class can meet them.

“All of these ladies that are coming to help me, they really do dance multiple times a day at the senior center,” said Huston. “I am just going to have one. They are going to sign up, and I’ll have one person come to help me every week,” she said.

“There is a huge line dancing community that’s nationwide,” said Huston. This includes various choreographers and different levels, along with workshops and retreats that line dancers can attend, she said.

Most of the dances she learned at the senior center go with country songs, said Huston. “Any song that has a good beat, you can put specific steps to the line dance,” she said.

At the college classes, Huston said she plans to play a mix of country, oldies, and pop music. “We’ll have stuff from the 1950s and stuff from 2025,” she said.

“I will give the people at the class the senior center schedule in case they want to do more with line dancing,” said Huston. She explained that the college class is an option for people who work full-time or are under 40. Classes are offered at the senior center Monday through Thursday, but you have to be 40 to join the senior center, she said.

“Last year, Jayne taught the college class, and we shared the angel positions,” said Paula Autry, line dance instructor for beginners at the North Mesa Senior Recreation Center. “We gained two students from there to our Country Gold group,” she said.

Huston said that line dancing is really good exercise for both the brain and the physical body. Referring to remembering steps and sequencing them, she said, “It’s actually really good for your brain, your balance, and your coordination, too.”

To learn more about Community Education through SENMC, visit the website (https://senmc.edu/communityeducation/index.html) or contact Maria Quintana. Many topics of interest are offered each season.