Dance holiday gives a Longwood studio chance to show off its moves
Larissa Humiston has a feeling that most people, if not all, have a happy dance they pull out when good things happen.
It might be a brief step or two in private.
Or it might be an elaborate production.
Either way, the owner of Emotions Dance Studio in Longwood tried to appeal to the inner dancer in everyone during National Dance Day on Saturday, offering free classes all day.
Dance appeals to people because it can have a soothing effect when things are hectic or offer pleasure when people are sad, Humiston said.
“Everybody should dance all the time, regardless of age or ability,” said Humiston, 36. “It's something that can really bring people together.”
That feeling of unity can be accomplished in person or online.
As social media has exploded, so, too, has the frequency of dancerelated memes and videos.
The Orlando Police Department, for instance, got caught up in the #InMyFeelingsChallenge on July 20.
The viral phenomenon features videos of people duplicating the dance moves used in Drake's song “In My Feelings.”
In about a month, the hashtag has been used more than 350,000 times on Instagram.
The ability for those kinds of phenomena to catch on can help spread the word that dance is for everybody, Humiston said.
The hashtag challenges “are good because they can push people out of their comfort zones,” she said. “Anything related to dance is good. If it's going to take a hashtag to get people to participate, then fine.”
Orlando has had moments when dance helped the city through a tragedy.
Less than two weeks after the Pulse massacre on June 12, 2016, the group “Keep Dancing Orlando” released a two-minute video of people around the city dancing to Whitney Houston's “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
The video was watched than 2 million times.
Carrie Crawford of Orlando has been teaching several forms of dance, specializing in jazz and theater, for about 17 years.
The physicality of dance always improves her mood, she said.
“Anything physical will always make you feel better,” said Crawford, who teaches classes throughout the Southeast. “It opens a different energy within yourself. It can be a chance to be something you're not normally.”
That is one reason Kellie Main brings her 13-year-old daughter, more who is usually shy, to dance classes.
She said her daughter, who was first enrolled in a beginner's class when she was 2 years old, opens up when she's on stage.
“Every year we have the conversation about, ‘Do you still want to dance?' ” said Main, 44, of Altamonte Springs. “She likes expressing herself on the dance floor.”
The free sessions at Emotions included several people who don't normally take dance lessons.
But it also drew those who have been dancing for decades, like 59-year-old Lynn Hayden, who says she has been dancing for more than 50 years.
“It's such an emotional release,” she said. “It releases endorphins. I still love the challenge. Dance allows you to just enjoy the moment, let go and forget about everything.”