Evergreen Hospital Medical Center will sponsor a free Day of Dance extravaganza with a wide range of health and dance activities, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Lynnwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. SW in Lynnwood.
More than 80,000 people are expected to take part in health-conscious Day of Dance events organized by Spirit of Women hospitals nationwide, but this will be the only event in the state of Washington.
A well-known square dance caller from Redmond, Susan Morris, will be among the participants and is scheduled to be onstage from 12:40-1 p.m. that day.
Morris is a frequent caller for two local clubs — the Samena Squares, based at the Juanita Community Club in Kirkland and the Square Crows who meet at the Sammamish Valley Grange in Woodinville. She works as an optometric assistant in Bothell and said that she and her husband took up square dancing 15 years ago when they were about to become “empty nesters” and needed something to keep them busy.
Square dancing offers “time to get together, meet new people, move to music … and it’s not stressful and you can do it anywhere,” said Morris.
Since the 1970s, the dance moves have been standardized so that enthusiasts from all parts of the country can jump right in at events outside of their own backyards.
Morris described square dancing as an activity for “ages 8 and up” and said she’s usually seen dancers from age 14 to 85 or even people pushing 100 years old.
“It’s a recreational activity. …. Some come to just try it out, and for some it becomes a regular social activity. We do parties for church groups or youth groups. We get a lot of requests in the fall for barn dances and hoedowns,” she said. And the local clubs sponsor Halloween costume parties and Christmas formals.
No special equipment or shoes are needed, although most square dancers prefer soft-soled shoes that easily slide on wood floors, Morris added.
If square dancing isn’t your style, you can also sample salsa, ballet, tap, jazz and other dance forms at Evergreen’s Day of Dance.
Children can unwind in a special section with an obstacle course, coloring and age-appropriate health displays.
Evergreen physicians and other health experts will answer questions about stroke prevention, stress management and heart health. Also look for an interactive exhibit featuring a da Vinci Surgical Robot, free blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tests, chair massages, healthy snacks and tours of Evergreen’s Mobile Digital Mammography Coach.
There will be prize drawings and the first 500 guests will receive goodie bags and crazy headbands, as seen in the Evergreen Day of Dance video.
For more information about Evergreen’s Day of Dance or the Spirit of Women, call (425) 899-2950.
To learn more about square dancing with Susan Morris, e-mail callersusan@gmail.com.
