Gotta Dance!

Do your feet start tapping the minute the music starts? Or do you love watching the fancy footwork of experienced dancers? Have you been dying to learn line dancing, but don’t know where to begin?

Whether you love to dance—or love to sit and see talent on display—the answer to your wishes can be found right here in Johnny Appleseed Country!

Line Up!

The very mention of “country” is likely to conjure up images of synchronized bootstomping country line dancing. And you can find plenty of opportunities to get your feet moving in this region.

Here’s a tip: check out the Facebook pages for the Wachusett Brew Yard in Westminster, or local sporting clubs like the Snowbound Club in Winchendon, Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club, or Templeton Fish & Game Club. Most have options for beginners and “beyond beginners,” so you’re sure to find just the right fit for you.

Add a Little Heat

Love salsa? You can dance the night away at Mt. Wachusett Community College in Gardner. No partner? No problem! You can learn the basic steps in salsa dancing (as well as some flashy and fun moves) for the first hour and a half and then have time to perfect and dance all those fun moves during the social dance portion afterwards.

Think Green

If you’re fascinated by Irish step dancing, you’re in for a treat. The Flying Irish troupe has several exhibitions scheduled in the region this season, along with their annual Spring Feis competition.

Based out of their studio in Ashby, the dance school students are sure to entrance audiences with their colorful costumes and intricate routines. Thumb through the calendar in this guide, to find details about their exhibitions in Ashburnham and the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg in April, as well as their participation in the Pepperell Fourth of July parade. And for a day packed with Irish music and dance, look into the New England dance championships in Townsend in April. You can learn more about the dancers and their upcoming events at flyingirish.com.

Finnish It

This regions’ residents come from many ethnic backgrounds, including a hardy group of Finnish descendants who have a home-away-from home at Saima Park in Fitchburg. Along with frequent Saturday breakfasts featuring Finnish foods, the group hosts a Finnish dance troupe, the Revontulet Folks Dancers. Join them for some dancing fun—and lessons!—on the second and fourth Friday evenings of each month. Visit the dancers’ Facebook page to learn more about this fun Finnish experience.