Way back in the old days, dancing was the only way young men and women were allowed to touch each other in public. Because that was so, people spent hours learning dances like the waltz and the foxtrot for the times when they could try their techniques with someone of the opposite sex.

Not only did you want to know the dance, but you wanted to be good. If your only chance to schmooz the man/woman of your dreams were on the dance floor, your dancing shoes would be pretty shiny.

Harry Fox originated the foxtrot around World War I, and it became a fad dance. In the 1930s, Fred Astaire, Mr. Dance himself, created the magic step, which was jazzed up in the black ballrooms to become the swing.

In the late 1930s, young people created the Lindy Hop after Charles Lindbergh, who, in 1927, made the first solo transatlantic flight. The Lindy Hop is like the swing with a heel-toe, heel-toe, back step motion. An observer would see young people swinging around the room, talking and laughing, but never forgetting the precise footwork that made the dance what it was.

The 1950s spawned such dance crazes as the twist, the stroll and the mashed potato. Young people, guys and gals, would practice in front of their black-and-white TVs as they watched “American Bandstand”. When these same kids went to the sock hop, they would add variations to theÿdance moves to impress members of the opposite sex.

Then God said: Let there be disco. And it was good. Disco music and dancing are either loved or hated by our generation, but for the young people of the 1970s it brought about a fresh wave of solitary and partner dancing. Stars like John Travolta and Danny Terrio brought disco dancing into the lives of young people through movies like “Saturday Night Fever” and TV shows like “Dance Fever” and “Solid Gold.”

We all know the 1980s had great music, and great music usually inspires good dancing. With Michael Jackson as our role model, we all learned how to flick our feet at our knees, grab ourselves and spin into a quick turn. Jackson’s precise footwork and contorted body movements also led to the phenomenon of break dancing. This athletic and flexible form of dancing was all the more intriguing because the average Joe just couldn’t do it right.

Then came along dances like the running man, the Roger Rabbit and, of course, the African anteater ritual to help us through a series of junior high and high school dances with some fancy footwork.

But now it’s the 1990s and what do we have for dancing? If you walk into any Campustown bar with a dance floor, you won’t see intricate footwork or spinning couples. Instead you’ll see one of two things — couples clasped to each other, moving their hips in synchronicity or girls standing in a circle trying to out-perform each other with their latest aerobic-video dance moves. None of our “moves” has any footwork, and most of them can be, and are, performed without rhythm.

While mindless bumping and grinding can be fun, there are places in Ames to learn to dance for real, not just the classical steps, but line dances and dances from other cultures.

Country line dancing involves footwork, timing and rhythm. On a recent trip to Hunky Dory’s Night Club, I was thrilled to see the way the experienced dancers worked their way across the wooden floor, kicking and scuffing and stepping lightly. While most of the dancers were over 30, there were also about 15 college-aged students on the floor trying to learn the quick steps.

Hunky Dory’s offers informal line dancing lessons Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. The two-step is also taught on Saturday nights. And hey, bonus — if you come by 7:30, there’s no cover charge.

For people who worship Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, ISU offers a Ballroom Dancing Club and a Ballroom Dancing Company. Visitors are invited to try out the organizations Friday 7 to 9 p.m. in the the Physical Education Building. Other ISU dance clubs include the Ames Few Dance & Theatre Company, which focuses on Afro- centric performing arts, and the Scottish Country Dancers.

If Latin dance is more your style, come learn or practice at Cafe Lovish on Friday and Saturday nights. The manager said the dancing usually starts around 10:30 or 11 p.m.

Whatever your dance style or level, there are places to learn a new form of dance. Our nation has a rich history of dance. It would be a tragedy to let that history die on the dance floor of Tazzles.

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Erin Walter is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.