The Granville Center for the Arts doesn’t look much like a barn, but it will feel something like one next Saturday night when Everett McKee kicks off a series of folk dances there.
McKee, of Newark, is hosting a “barn dance” for the first time since the pandemic at the center on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Barn dancing includes square dancing, line dancing and a number of other styles of folk dancing from across the U.S., and gets its name from the days when folks would clear a space on a farmer’s barn floor and host a dance.
McKee is both the DJ and caller for the dances, which will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. He will start with lessons for beginners at 6:30 p.m.
“If you can walk, you can dance,” he said, noting that the dances are free and open to everyone.
Prior to the COVID pandemic, the dances had been held in Granville for four years, and McKee said it was time to bring them back.
He is passionate about how dance brings communities together. “It is a community event. It’s very social because you are interacting with everybody else,” he said.
In addition to the social benefits, dancing is great for your health, too, he said. “This is one of the few activities that has all of the benefits that you can possibly have, health-wise and mentally,” McKee said.
McKee is hopeful that folks will give it a try, connect with others and have a good time. “It does require a minimum number of people for it to work well. The more the better,” he said.
The Granville Center for the Arts is at 119 W. Broadway. More information can be found at www.motleydanceclub.com.
McKee also leads barn-dance lessons for people 60 and older from 1-2 p.m. every Wednesday at the Licking County Community Center, which meets in the Bryn Du Mansion, 537 Jones Road in Granville.