There is line dance, and then there is line dance with heart and soul. Ed Griffith teaches this sort of line dancing to adults of all ages, and it is making them move to the groove. Griffith has developed a choreography that is unique, which garnered him an award for creativity when he and his Verlosity Team performed just a few weeks ago.
In Baltimore, Maryland after the Verlosity performance at the Union Crew Awards 2018, Griffith received the “Creativity Award” as well as the “Group Award.”
There is line dance, and then there is line dance with heart and soul. Ed Griffith teaches this sort of line dancing to adults of all ages, and it is making them move to the groove. Griffith has developed a choreography that is unique, which garnered him an award for creativity when he and his Verlosity Team performed just a few weeks ago.
In Baltimore, Maryland after the Verlosity performance at the Union Crew Awards 2018, Griffith received the “Creativity Award” as well as the “Group Award.”
The UC Awards, Griffith explained, are an annual 3-day weekend event put on by an organization in Baltimore, which has been operating for eleven years, and it gives recognition to choreographers of all regions of the United States. This year was Verlosity’s first time attending the event.
“The creativity award was in honor of my creation of the fan pop to dances, which has traveled across the nation,” said Griffith. “The performance award was for my choreography of my team showcase dance with fan pops which we performed at the UC Awards event.”
Griffith had developed the fan-pop element to his dance routines after attending his first Cali Jam Soul Line Dance event in Los Angeles in 2013. There was a vendor selling 9-inch blade vinyl fans.
“I opened the fan and I heard a light pop noise,” he said. “Then I started snapping the fan open by a quick jerk motion of the wrist and the pop was very loud. When my group returned to Cali Jam in 2014, I choreographed a showcase dance called ‘The V-Sampler.’ People from all the various states that attended the event took that vision back home and started to find a way to put fans into their dance routines.”
For his Verlosity Dance team performances, Griffith develops all the choreography, taking what he calls a “week of brainstorming,” putting ideas together for the steps and music choice.
Most of the showcase dances are no longer than eight minutes. Once he has the music, he moves forward with putting a routine together for the showcase.
“My dancers play a big part in this section to help see my vision,” he said. “There are always some changes that take place or extra tweaking of the routine. From there we practice sections of the dance and then put the whole routine together.”
And who can be on the Verlosity team?
“I don’t turn any student down,” said Griffith. “Anyone in my group is entitled to dance in a showcase. I modify steps for those that need modification due to their limitations. Many of my showcases have beginner dancers included.”
Griffith created the Verlosity Dance Team in 2010 after having been asked to perform a showcase dance at a line dance function. That is when he first put together a group of dancers.
“The name came to me as a group that is high energy and versatile,” said Griffith. “I’ve trained my group to be able to dance to any song that is playing.”
Griffith has a background in regular line dancing, starting in 2003, when some friends asked him to join a church’s Western line dance group.
“I ended up liking it and enjoying the positive energy,” Griffith said.
In 2005, Griffith became the back-up instructor. Four years later, he moved into soul line dancing, creating a soul line dance group.
“Soul line dancing is similar to other line dances,” he said. “The main difference is that the music genre is Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Gospel and Latin. The body language flows with the music.”
While teaching his first class of the nine-week Beginner/Intermediate session at Spring Valley Community Center last week, Griffith went over a series of cha-cha, salsa and grapevine steps with the students. Soul line dance uses different combinations of dance steps, which the students learn.
“I do push them pretty hard,” Griffith said, grinning.
But it’s been worth it—for everyone.
Janice Dickens, a student of the class at Spring Valley, has been dancing for four years.
“This dancing is great for helping my memory and it is good physical exercise,” she said.
Her husband Herbert Dickens agreed.
“I’m trying to keep my energy up, my memory and also my stamina, and this dance is perfect for all that,” he said.
Griffith touts the same kind of benefits.
“Verlosity has created a way to get away from the everyday hustle and stress,” he said. “I release all stress by dancing, my endurance has increased tremendously, my medical health reports have been outstanding.”
Verlosity is an ethnically diverse line dance group. Griffith believes in treating everyone equally.
“My students are very encouraging and positive, too,” he said. “They pitch in and help each other.”
Within a month, a new student to the Soul Line Dance can become familiar enough with the steps to feel comfortable.
“I’m blessed to have such a warm, loving, supporting group,” Griffith said.
The Spring Valley class meets on Thursday afternoons from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center.
To find out the schedule of other Soul Line Dance classes with Ed Griffith, go to www.verlosity.com.
