Dancers Need Not Sit Out the Holiday Break

With Easter festivities around the corner and kids out of school for spring vacation, chances are that country music fans will be doing more Bunny Hop than Cowboy Hustle the next couple of days. Even the bands seem to be taking it easy. But there are still enough country entertainment events slated around the county and up the coast to keep you in touch.

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Dancers looking for wide open space close to home will find it tonight at the American Legion Hall in Ventura. Deejay Vince Fiske puts one of the biggest and best ballroom dance floors in the area to good use with lessons in the latest line and couples dances at 7:30 p.m. Then he spins tunes for open dancing until 11:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. The cost is $3 per person.

American Legion Post 339 is at 83 S. Palm St. To verify, call 647-1893.

Instead of trying to wrangle kids tweaked out on sugar goodies Sunday, take them to the outdoor concert at Ventura Harbor Village and let them dance off that energy. The Frank Umbro Band and special guest Buck Page will play jazz, country and swing at the Carousel Stage from noon to 4 p.m.

Ventura Harbor Village is at 1559 Spinnaker Drive. For more information, call 644-0169.

The Country Lovers Dance Club holds a casual dance party with deejay music most Tuesdays. All ages are welcome, and you don’t need a partner. Drop in at 7 p.m. for a line dance lesson or at 7:30 p.m. to learn dances for couples. Admission is $3 per person for visitors. Dances are held at 10269 Telephone Road in Ventura. To confirm the schedule, call the Country Lovers Hotline at 647-1893.

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From the novice to the accomplished dancer, the Borderline in Thousand Oaks offers a smorgasbord of styles and levels of country lessons from 6 to 9 seven nights a week. The club is at 99 Rolling Oaks Drive. For a schedule, call 446-4435.

Once you have mastered basic footwork for two-step, cha-cha and line dances, a midweek best bet is the ongoing country-western dance held from 7 to 11 p.m. most Tuesdays at the Rancho Santa Susana Community Center in Simi Valley.

Instructors Joe and Pat Unsworth teach line dance and couples dance the first hour followed by guided practice of previous dances, especially choreographed couples dances such as the Cowboy Cha-Cha. Partners are recommended but not necessary.

Admission is $5 per session. The center is at 5005-C Los Angeles Ave. off the Stearns Street exit of the 118 Freeway. Call to confirm at 584-4400.

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For live music up the coast, it’s the Galleon Room. Last Call will play for the couples dance crowd at 9 p.m. tonight and Saturday. On Thursday, the Mike Shelton Band will perform at 9 p.m. The club is at 5925 Calle Real in Goleta. For details, call 967-0128.

In Santa Barbara, a country-western night is going strong at the Yucatan Restaurant Bar & Grill on Tuesdays. “Absolutely Country” deejay-dance instructor Skip Stecker hosts this weekly shindig. The $5 cover charge includes dance lessons at 7:30 p.m. followed by open dancing until closing. The Yucatan is at 1117 State St. For more information, call 564-1889.

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Robyn Loewenthal can be reached by e-mail at drrkl.juno.com.