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GREENSBURG – Disco may be dead, but that didn’t stop a large group of kids and adults from bringing back the bygone era of bell bottoms and the Bee Gees for a groovy good time at Greensburg Elementary School (GES).

Decatur County Memorial Hospital’s Spirit of Women took guests back to the 1970s in the 2016 iteration of its annual Day of Dance program, and the result was some “Saturday Morning Fever.”

Mary Angle, DCMH and Spirit of Women marketing coordinator, said the theme this year was “Power of the Boogie,” and the goal was to create a fun, retro-inspired atmosphere that would bring awareness to heart health while giving guests a reason to get off the couch – and to make exercise an important part of every day.

“Instead of staying at home, people can get out and get moving,” Angle said Saturday.

And move they did.

Laura Ault, an expert in yoga, group exercise and several types of dances, led a large group of kids and adults in a disco routine that wouldn’t have looked at all out of place in 1978 dance hall.

The moves might have been the envy of a young John Travolta as the group stepped, spun and pointed to the air while Van McCoy’s “The Hustle” boomed over loud speakers.

The distinct lack of polyester suits was made up for by Afro wigs, flashy bell bottoms, platform shoes and colorful attire straight out of the Jackson 5’s expansive wardrobe.

Free healthy lunches were given out as well, and prizes were given for the best costumes and dance moves. Guests came away with pedometers they can use to track their daily steps and one young attendee took home a selfie stick as a prize.

Meanwhile, guests of all ages were wowed by the skills of the Indy Air Bears Jump Rope Team.

The Air Bears, a group of jump rope experts composed of students from several different Indianapolis-area schools, showcased their skills and helped some attendees “learn the ropes” of their unique craft.

Sisters Cayley and Morgan Golay and teammate Elise McQueen, said the group of more than 30 jump rope experts have performed at halftime at Colts and Pacers games and at sporting events for many Hoosier universities.

The three students, who range in age from 15 to 17, each have almost a decade of jump-roping experience and said they enjoyed performing at Saturday’s Day of Dance program.

Nadine Davis, 11, a student at Batesville Elementary School, was one of many kids who readily hopped into the jump rope fun. She came away smiling as did several other children and grown-ups.

Angle said several children and grandchildren of DCMH staff came out for Saturday morning’s fun, jumping rope and grooving to the inimitable falsetto of Barry Gibb.

The focus on heart health wasn’t at all lost in the ‘70s flashback, however, as an array of booths offered information on various programs and centers at DCMH that may help locals keep “stayin’ alive” well into their own ‘70s – and perhaps far beyond.

The Day of Dance program was intended to inject some funky fun into important matters of health information that may otherwise only be heard in a banal boardroom seminar, Angle indicated.

“It’s not just a regular lecture about heart health,“ Angle said. “We wanted to show people different sides of heart health in a fun atmosphere.”

 

 

Contact: Brent Brown 812-663-3111, ext. 7056; brent.brown@greensburgdailynews.com