The first - but, organizers hope, not the last - all-ages dance at Capitol Hill Hall drew in nearly 100 community members. Organizer Helen Ward said they were pleased with the turnout at the June 24 event, and they hope to put on the next one as early as September.
"Ages two to 88 in attendance, with parents and kids, a lively contingent of teens and also SFU students," she told the NOW. "Really a beautiful sight."
The dance, held on Friday night with live Irish music by Gaoler's Muse, included a mini-lesson in the Irish ceili tradition of simple foot-stomping group dances.
"Most there were newbies to ceili dancing, but almost all were up on the floor for all the dances, swinging and smiling," she said.
Ward and fellow North Burnaby resident Ruby Johnson teamed up to help organize the event.
Johnson, 88, remembers being carried on her father's shoulders to dances at the hall as a child. At that time, Hastings was still a dirt road travelled by horse and wagon.
"No one had a babysitter. The kids came along and fell asleep at the back of the hall while the others kept dancing," she said.
Ward told the NOW that part of the goal of the dance was to bring together community members of all ages.
"Good things happen when young and old and in-between can be together," she said.
The cost of the dance was $15, or $12 for seniors/students/unemployed, $5 for ages six to 12 and free for up to age five.
