The Grand River Arts Council hosts a “More than Marching” series starting this month in Lemmon.
The council received a Creative Forces grant for the series from the National Endowment for the Arts and Mid-America Arts Alliance. It provides funds to help improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military members and veterans exposed to trauma and their families and caregivers—all through art.
For the Grand River Arts Council, that art is Western dance classes and social activities.
We talk with Julie Goeres from the Grand River Arts Council to get a preview and talk about the need for this type of program in the council’s area.
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The following transcript was auto generated and edited for clarity.
Julie Goeres:
We are located in Lemmon and our area is Northwest South Dakota and Southwest North Dakota. We are very very rural and for some veterans and their families, access to services is a challenge. So we saw that there is a need for this and in 100 mile radius of Perkins County where Lemmon resides, are approximately 1,500 veterans. That's just veterans, not their families. So it's a sizable population that we can serve with our program and our events.
Krystal Miga:
Are you seeing initiation from veterans asking for this?
Julie Goeres:
Veterans don't ask. They do their job and they did their job with their country. They come back and they don't ask for services and they don't expect, but what we've seen is that they thrive when they're put in environments where they can interact and where they're comfortable. So, we saw this. As a member of the auxiliary, I go to the Legion Post quite regularly and when I see the veterans there and their families interacting and then we have community events, the atmosphere and the community spirit is just so encouraging and so inviting, you want to do more of those.
So when this opportunity came up to apply for this grant, we have an entire team of people. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to provide these dances, which were already sporadically happening. And then we had dance lessons that were happening. They were starting to occur in our community and then the fact that we could pull this all together in our veterans home, the American Legion Post, it just was a natural fit.
Krystal Miga:
Okay, so let's talk about the classes and just tell us how this series of classes is going to work. Give us some of the highlights.
Julie Goeres:
It's a series of ten events and it's made up of five dance lesson days and five dance day events. They'll all be held at the American Legion Post in Lemmon. The dance lessons will be taught by a Western dance instructor from our Lemmon area and they'll be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. And then from 9 to 11 p.m. that same day, there's going to be a mini dance, which allows some more practice—some showing off of those skills. So that particular day it's actually 7 to 11 p.m. with two hours of dance lesson instruction and then two hours of practicing, dancing and just overall, a fellowship with other classmates.
And then on a separate Saturday of the month, they'll be a full regular country western dance from 8 to 12 p.m. Come on out and show off all those skills that you've just learned. These are free and they are open to the public. So, we're starting in September and then we're going to have—barring any weather issues—we'll have them each month through February.
Krystal Miga:
What are you hoping or how are you hoping this will benefit the veterans who attend these events?
Julie Goeres:
We see that it increases the social interaction with the veterans and their community members. The camaraderie is vital for our veterans' mental health and these events are going to help foster that sense of community by providing them with this extended network of peers who appreciate them and who want to understand their experiences. The aim is to increase veterans' sense of achievement and self-esteem, which then will, in turn, improve their mental health in addition to all the mental health benefits that dance provides. There's a plethora of physical benefits. It improves cardiovascular health, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility. It's a very good physical activity. Dance combines the artistic expression and social interaction and it really makes it this holistic activity that really supports your mental well-being in a variety of ways.
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The series starts Sep. 21 and runs through February at the American Legion in Lemmon. It's free, open to the public, and no registration is required.