Dance Kickin’ Therapy is turning line dancing into more than just fun on the dance floor

Line dancing can involve more than just having fun on the dance floor One man is turning it into therapy s Heather Walker shows us how in this Spotlight Darryl Thomas line dance instructor Let s go let s go Step by step beat by beat this is much more than a dance class For Darryl Thomas who goes by the name Coach D line dancing is a form of therapy Darryl Thomas You release endorphins of happiness and pleasure I have never ever ever seen a mad or angry line dancer you will never see it He started line dancing after an injury kept him from lifting weights Darryl Thomas One thing led to another and next thing you know I m a line dance instructor with a whole line dance class with a line dance club These classes started a insufficient weeks ago in Miami They are offered for free by the nonprofit organization Circle of Brotherhood Coach D is the healthcare and wellness coordinator for the group and named the class Dance Kickin Therapy Darryl Thomas The whole essence of the line dancing is to bring the area together Anyone can take part All you have to do is show up get in line and if you mess up Coach D says just catch up Sharon Johnson line dancer The instructors they re very nice and individual Nicole line dancer It just awakens you because you know I was kind of like getting lazy so I was like You know what I need to get out I need to get back in and start dancing and stuff like that so it s a form of exercise We really sweated in here a lot so people have this misconception that line dancing is not hard work It is you put a lot of cardio in in line dancing Nicole brought her grandkids along -year-old Eugene and -year-old Fait Eugene It was fun Heather Walker It was What made it fun Eugene Because I was dancing and I love to have fun Nicole Show him what your favorite part was Specific come to learn new moves or get a workout Others find line dancing as a way to work through life s challenges Sharon Johnson I had a lot of grief I was going through and dancing really helps For Sharon Johnson the unexpected benefit has been the friendships she has formed Sharon Johnson Coming and meeting new people that s the best part meeting a lot of new friends Nicole Even if you don t know the person that you are dancing next to it kind of like brings people together By the time you are finished everybody is like yeah you are rooting each other on and you know boosting everybody up These shared strategies are turning strangers into supporters Darryl Thomas With all the things that are going on in our nation you know I think the best thing to do is just to dance And that s moving in the right direction Heather Walker News The class are held on Wednesday night and Saturday morning For more information click here If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com