There was no need to roll up the carpet to make space to dance at a party held over the weekend in La Grange.
About 35 guests from their 60s to their 80s took to the driveway in front of Camille Connolly’s house on La Grange Road to strut their stuff to tunes spun by a dj. They may have caused a car or two to slow to see what was going on as they did country line dances, twirled ballroom style and trotted out their cha chas.
Connolly has held the outdoor party for the past three years as a thank you to her friends.
“I am so grateful to these people. They’ve been kind of my support group,” said Connolly who owns Francia Bridal Fashion in Downers Grove.
Connolly’s dance friends helped her get over the death of her husband, Bob, seven years ago. The couple had been married nearly 40 years.
Some of the group first met at a dance class at Christ Church of Oak Brook. Though they don’t have a formal name, they now meet at least twice a week to dance at such venues as Glendora House in Chicago Ridge, Palos Country Club in Palos Heights, Ty Warner Park in Westmont or at summer festivals throughout the area.
Connolly said having a social outlet of like-minded people who dance to stay active and savor life has helped her move past her grief.
“It’s a fun group. Everybody is caring and helps one another,” she said.
“We’ve become friends,” said Maryellen Heim another member of the group from unincorporated Bensenville. “We do things together. It’s kind of a tight knit bunch.”
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Heim lost her husband, Donald, several years ago to cancer. She said being part of the group was a life-saver.
“It completely brought me out of my shell and depression,” she said.
In between taking to the driveway to dance, the group enjoyed a pot luck dinner.
Connolly’s daughter, Christine Jaksy of La Grange, said the party was a bit different from their usual outings because they could spend time chatting during breaks in the music.
“They danced. They ate. They talked. They got the chance to sit and just be with each other,” Jaksy said.
Besides dancing together on regular basis, the group a few years learned the steps to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance which they sometimes perform at local events.
“They’re a pretty hip group,” Jaksy said.
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