Beyond the Bell: New parish employee excited to implement programs in Alidore
January 13, 2015Jindal in Europe on economic development trip
January 13, 2015
“Shake what ‘ya momma gave ‘ya and dance like nobody is watching.”
At least, that is what Carolyn Soley tells her clients when she teaches line-dancing lessons at the Lafourche Parish Library in Cut Off once a month.
The lessons are free and open to the public, where folks can learn dances such as the Wobble, the Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide and the Darlene.
“It makes me feel good inside. It is not just because of the dancing. It feels good to help other people do something they like to do. When we get started, I always tell the ladies to shake what their momma gave them. They have fun and laugh,” Soley said.
Dancing in public isn’t always easy for many people, but Soley wants everyone to become comfortable in their own skin after just one of her classes.
“I can tell you that 75 percent of the group comes in shy. We get new ones every week and they say, ‘I don’t think I could do that because I am not coordinated,’” Soley said. “I always tell that by the end of the class, you will know at least one. A lot of them can pick it up right away.”
Soley began teaching line dances in 2010 to give folks of all ages an opportunity to exercise and have fun.
“You can line dance to anything if you have the right beat. It is usually older line dances. We have older ladies that come in who can get exercise and have fun because we have music,” Soley said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you come in and we are going to do some dancing. Some people can’t always keep up so I tell them to take a break and get back up whenever they are ready. It makes them comfortable enough to come and not feel pressured.”
Soley had to stop shortly after because of a back operation. After some people asked when she was starting up again, she decided to bring the lessons back last September.
“I met a ton of people along the way and they kept asking when I would start it up again. I decided to start again once I thought I could handle it,” she said.
Her knack for dancing began during the disco era. She remembers attending Disco Tech and watching “Saturday Night Fever,” and she was hooked.
“I always loved line dancing. With line dancing, you don’t need a partner. You can get up there and people will follow,” she said.
Now Soley has an average of 18 to 20 people each month who come in and “shake what their momma gave them and dance like nobody is watching.”
Line dance enthusiast, Carolyn Soley helps her class learn the steps to the Wobble. Before learning the new steps, the class warmed up with Darlene, Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle
