Jennifer Kokoski did not grow up dancing, but the creative outlet was often on her mind.
“I know a lot of kids do ballet and jazz and tap. I was never that kid,” she said. “I’ve loved music and dance and thought, well, maybe now is the time.”
Kokoski signed up for the Harrisburg chapter of the national nonprofit, USA Dance, less than a year ago. Not long after, she became a board member, helping spread USA Dance’s mission to improve the quality and quantity of dance in the country.
Even though USA Dance has been around since 1984, and Harrisburg’s local chapter has operated for decades, Kokoski’s status as a newcomer was anything but daunting.
“It’s a very welcoming, warm, energetic community,” she said. “If you don’t know anybody, you can still come and find your place.”
You can even come without a partner, she added.
The organization hosts monthly meetups on the third Sunday of every month with dance lessons and practice, focusing on a range of ballroom styles like the foxtrot, waltz, tango, cha-cha and more.
“We also include a lot of pop dancing, such as the Hustle, more known as disco in the dance world, and some country dance, line dance,” said Ken Pandozzi, president of USA Dance’s Harrisburg chapter and vice president for social dance for the national organization.
The group holds all their events at PA DanceSport Ballroom in Hummelstown, and anyone is welcome. Kokoski said that the group is especially in need of leads, even those who are new to dance.
“It’s a wonderful skill to have,” she said.
Lots of Smiles
Pandozzi started dancing about 31 years ago and has served as the chapter president for a decade. To add to it, he’s a local dance instructor and ballroom DJ for the area. Besides his love of dance, Pandozzi is in it for the health of it all.
“There’s a lot that’s going on with the human body,” he said.
Research shows that dance provides both physiological and psychological benefits to people who are otherwise healthy, as well as those struggling with medical issues. Dance is known to have a positive effect on people with Alzheimer’s disease, improving their physical and cognitive function as well as quality of life. It can also help improve functional mobility for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Besides her work with USA Dance, Kokoski participates and volunteers with Move A-way Parkinson’s Disease. Move A-way PD is central Pennsylvania’s only musical and movement program for adults with Parkinson’s Disease. The group hosts weekly movement classes featuring live music accompaniments.
“Even with the challenge of a neurological disorder, there are health benefits for this type of movement,” Kokoski said.
Harrisburg’s USA Dance has a waltz lesson planned for their March meetup. While the pandemic threw off their ability to plan special events outside of the regular monthly meetups, they’re currently in talks to bring those back.
How are they different from a standard dance studio? It centers around their status as a nonprofit organization.
“We’re not in business for profit,” Pandozzi said. “We are just trying to promote the sport and the hobby and keep it alive.”
Modest entry fees simply allow them to cover their costs, he added.
Less than a year after joining, Kokoski said that there are times when she can be quite critical of herself.
“You always want to be better, or you admire people doing more complicated moves,” she said. “But just being out there, there’s a lot of smiles.”
And, for most, dancers, that’s enough.
“I didn’t start this to be a competitor or win a mirror ball,” she said. “Quite frankly, if you’re going to a bolero lesson, and you’ve never done the bolero, in a 45-minute lesson, you can learn a pattern. That doesn’t mean you can do every formation but you’re like, ‘Okay, I got this.’”
To find more information about USA Dance local chapters, including Harrisburg, Lancaster and York, visit www.usadance.org/page/USADanceChapters. You can also join the public Facebook group, USA Dance Chapter #3009 – Harrisburg Area PA, or simply stop by the PA DanceSport Ballroom, 585 E. Main St., Hummelstown, 2 to 6 p.m., on the third Sunday of each month.
Find more information about Move A-way PD at hbgarts.org/move-a-way-pd.
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