Line Dancing is a Family Affair for Jackie and Her Kids

With five kids, ages 5 to 16, and involved with many activities, including lunchroom mom, religious ed instructor, hospitality committee worker, and Girl Scout leader, you’d think Jackie might appreciate some down time instead of becoming a line dance fanatic.

“I like the people otherwise I never would have stayed in it.  Most of them are so down to earth and real.  If, I mean if, I ever stop dancing, I will remain friends with a lot of them,” Jackie says. 

“I love the challenge of learning all of these new dances.  I find it amazing that there are so many dances to learn so it does not get boring.  I don't always like the dance that I learned, but I will probably like the next one.  I like that there is a variety in the music.  Line dances are not all country.  Jan (Kruse, who, with husband Jeff, leads Warrenville Park District line dance classes and open dances) has taught me so many dances already – like 200 – and I am still learning more. I have fun while I am learning; I like watching other people learn the same dance and I like seeing the smile on Jan's face when she knows that I got it.” 

In fact, line dancing has become something of a family affair in Jackie’s household. Two of Jackie’s kids, 11-year-old Rachel and 16-year-old Kayla, also caught the line dancing bug, and have each brought friends dancing. Rachel started – she even paid her own way – and then talked her older sister into joining in.

“Kayla gets mad on those occasions when family things come up and we can’t make it to line dancing,” Jackie says.  “And she just did a paper for school about line dancing. She told a whole classroom full of people how much she likes it – it’s pretty amazing.”

Jackie started line dancing with a group of mothers from her kids’ elementary school.

“I thought, I don’t know if I want to do this. And now I’ve been doing it for two years or so. Before Warrenville Park District did dances, I used to take field trips to Cadillac Ranch. That was nerve-wracking. You go to those places, look at dance floor, and they all look like they know what they‘re doing. If you stand next to someone, they’ll tell you the steps. But if you don’t catch on, they’re not going to be as helpful. At the Warrenville Park District the atmosphere is completely different – everybody is learning the dances. Some people have been doing it for a couple of years and others are beginners. When somebody comes and stands next to me, I’m more than willing to tell them the steps,” Jackie says.

“Line dancing is so much fun. My other kids are anxious to join in now. So maybe instead of three of us going, we’ll have six or seven going pretty soon!”

Warrenville Park District offers a variety of options for line dancing, including classes (Line Dance, Beginner Line Dancing, and Intermediate Line Dancing) as well as Open Line Dance nights. For information about the classes and a schedule, please visit our Web site. The next Open Line Dance nights are Saturday, Oct. 20, and Saturday Nov. 3. Open Line Dances are held from 6:30-10:00 p.m. in the Warrenville Community Building gym. Registration is not required; pay $5 at the door. All ages are welcome with an adult. For more information, please call 630.393.7279.