BURRILLVILLE – Foot-stomping country music was coming from inside The Lodge in Pascoag where a dozen happy-looking people were moving to the upbeat sounds.
Energetic and enthusiastic-looking, the dancers executed complex moves in as smooth a fashion, like disco dancers from a scene in the film Saturday Night Fever from 1977.
Except the dancers at the Lodge were clad in casual attire, a group of senior citizens having a gold ol’ time whipping their heels up to country hits at a line dancing class. Each Monday the exuberant class from Burrillville Parks & Recreation is taught by Melissa Caldarone, owner of Get in Line RI.
The dancers twist and turn, clap and kick in time to the catchy country beats.
“Lots of the same core group are coming to class each week,” said Caldarone.
At first, some newcomers to the fast-paced dance moves of country music “are a little nervous.” However, “they’ve been coming back, having fun, and making friends, and we’re building a little community,” said Caldarone.
“I retired in May, and we were looking for something fun to do,” said Robert Alves about himself and wife Rosemary who reside in the area. “We like it” he said of the dancing.
Friends and locals Mary Bolduc and Irene Watson were line dancing like pros.
Watson had previously danced at Mardi Gras, the once popular now closed country music nightclub in Cranston; then, she later met instructor Melissa Caldarone at Copperfield’s Burgers & Beer House. When Watson was seeking a new place to dance, she was pleased to find the teacher at the Lodge was Caldarone.
She’s a good instructor because “she takes her time, and is very friendly,” said Bolduc.
Bolduc has danced at the well-known country Western music hub the Mishnock Barn in West Greenwich.
“I was a dancer during my 30s and 40s,” she said.
Dancing at the Lodge in Burrillville, “is nice because it is more than once a week. I like the teacher, and it’s close to home, and there’s enough room to move around,” Bolduc said.
Teacher Caldarone “is excellent; she can break it down, chunk it, and put the pieces together,” said local dancer Noveline Beltram. “She makes sure everyone understands. A great teacher.”
“I love it. I look forward to it,” Caldarone said of her teaching and her students as she returns to the dance floor after a quick break and once more cues up the lively country music.
The dancers get in place and return for more twisting, turning, clapping, and kicking in time to the catchy country beats at the Lodge.
