The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Dance the night away
Family music mixer part of library’s mission to strengthen community
MIDDLETOWN — Children’s Librarian Laura Larson is always trying to find ways to share her enthusiasm for stepping, bopping, twirling and grooving with little ones and their grown-ups.
The Russell Library, at 123 Broad St., is offering another after-hours family dance party Friday at 6:30 p.m. The last such event in August 2017 culminated the summer reading program.
This year, the administration chose to hold it midway through the book program to generate excitement. It’s put on by the Friends of the Russell Library and held in the lobby and children’s area.
“I tell the parents when they come in ‘you are not going to be sitting, you are going to be doing dance,’ ” said Larson, who holds the very well-attended parties periodically. She holds an undergraduate degree in dance and movement.
This is the first time the event is being held after the library closes, to ensure a festive and free atmosphere.
It’s part of the mission championed by new CEO and Director Ramona Burkey, who most recently led the Cheshire Public Library.
“This really is to bring community together and strengthen that bond. We found great success when we did this in Cheshire. People really couldn’t get enough of it,” she said.
A couple hundred people show up to these affairs — often whole families turn out.
“I had such a good time watching a grandfather with his 4-yearold granddaughter. It was so cool. It’s not just little people, it’s everybody,” said Community Services Librarian Rolande Duprey.
Larson’s brother has agreed to act as DJ for the evening. She’ll have kids doing the Limbo, something they are all familiar with, along with dances they may not know.
“I always end with a parade and give out all the instruments — like drums, tambourines, bell shakers (which the kids really like), and a bubble machine donated by Rockfall Foundation,” Larson said.
She’ll even encourage them to do the chicken dance with boas undulating colorfully around the room.
Another favorite is a throwback from the 1960s: the stroll dance. It’s an impromptu one, so everyone can use their bodies to act out whatever the music inspires in them.
“I have two lines facing each other. They get together and dance down the center. It’s really cute, because I put the kids on one side and the parents on the other side. The parent and child meet up, and they dance down the middle, and do whatever they want,” Larson said.
She employs props like scarves and shaker eggs to bring participants out of their shell.
“Hopefully, when they come away from this, they say, ‘wow. That was really fun. We need to do that at home, too,’ ” she added.
During her 17 years at the library, Larson has cleaned out closets and collected donated instruments, so she’s got a full array of music makers.
Tai chi and other such programming has proven immensely popular at Russell Library.
“Dance and yoga and all of these movement things get a lot of people interested,” Duprey said.
There was a huge turnout last year for a piano concert by the Noyse School of Rhythm of Portland. For St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish step dancer led a session, and the library has held several hip-hop workshops that have made the space the place to be for movement.
“Any time there’s dance, the people of Middletown come out. The one last November was totally out of sight — people love to dance in Middletown. Participation dance is a big part of what people in Middletown like. That seems to erupt,” Duprey said.
Larson can’t wait to see what happens Friday night.
“I am so excited. A lot of kids come in sort of tentative, and the parents do, too. They see everybody else is having a good time, and the parents are focusing on their kids, and doing something active together,” she said.
“One of the things I tell them on their way out is ‘yes, you might not have shaker eggs or a parachute or a bubble machine. You guys can dance anywhere, anytime.
“You can remember this and say ‘mom, let’s go put on some music and dance,’ ” Larson added.
“It really helps to build excitement about the library — that we’re for you 24/7 if you look at online services,” she added.
The friends organization is instrumental in helping raise money to supplement library programs.
Members will have a table at the event, trying to recruit people to volunteer for events, particularly its popular book sales, a major fundraiser. These are held eight times a year, and will start again in the fall: Sept. 7 to 8, Oct. 12 to 14, a holiday sale Nov. 16 to 18, and again Dec. 14 to 16.
For the book sales, members spend hours and hours sorting through donations, categorizing them by genre, grouping authors together, and discarding any moldy or ripped titles. They also organize and publicize the event, Burkey said.
“They do all that physical labor, and they do it for free through volunteers. They have a really good time doing it,” she added.
On Tuesday mornings, “they get together, they enjoy one another’s company, and they accomplish a lot on behalf of the library,” Burkey said.
The friends contribute more than $25,000 to supplement library programs annually and are always looking for new members.
“Without our friends, we would be without tens of thousands of dollars per year,” the director said.
More and more often, people have become very interested in making an impact locally, Burkey added.
“If you’re looking for a fun and really impactful way to support your community, the friends is really up there,” she said.
The program, which will take place in the activity room, requires no registration.
For information, visit the Russell Library on Facebook, russelllibrary.org, call 860-3472528 or visit the event page on Facebook.