WATERVILLE — Mayor Karen Heck was at the center of a Main Street spectacle on Friday evening, as dozens of area residents gyrated throughout the downtown “dancewalking.”

At 5 p.m., more than 30 participants left Selah Tea to boogie, skip and twirl down the sidewalk to music.

Additional Photos

LET'S BOOGIE: Many heads turned as a group of enthusiastic people walked, danced and shook down Main Street in Waterville on Friday doing the dancewalking workout designed for exercise, fun and socializing. Mayor Karen Heck, far right, also participated. Staff photo by David Leaming

The reactions of passersby and onlookers ranged from joy to befuddlement.

The event, the second of its kind in Waterville, was promoted mostly by word of mouth, through Facebook and the city’s website.

The purpose?

“It’s just to have fun,” said Heck. “It’s exercise, it’s community building, it’s good for everyone.”

Dancewalking — the act of walking down the street while showing off groovy dance moves — is the latest gift from the Internet.

It joins such other phenomena as planking (lying facedown in public places, with your body as stiff as a plank), photobombing (making a funny face in the background of unsuspecting photo subjects), and flash mobs (groups who assemble in a public place, perform some well-coordinated and unexpected action, and disperse, leaving a bemused and bewildered audience behind).

Heck said that she decided to organize a dancewalking event after hearing about it through Facebook.

Participants, like 12-year-old Samantha Williams, were glad that she did.

“It was amazing,” Williams said. “I just kind of funked out.”

Cars honked their horns, and people cheered and waved as the participants, who ranged in age from 2 to more than 80, displayed dance moves that ranged from elegant to plodding.

Planning Board member Dana Hernandez said that she didn’t attend the inaugural dancewalking event last week, but she was excited to bring her two young daughters.

“I saw it on Facebook and said, ‘we can do this,'” Hernandez said. “I have a feeling my daughters will be regular dancewalkers.”

Dance influences on display included hip hop, country, ballroom and Latin. The music ranged from Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” to “I’m So Excited” by the Pointer Sisters.

Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” underscored that the dancers, with a handful of exceptions, were overwhelmingly female.

By the time the crowd had two-stepped a few blocks down the street, their numbers had swelled from late arrivals and those who joined spontaneously.

They walked down one side of Main Street and up the other, stopping traffic as they crossed the street at intersections. By the end, the hot sun had taken a little of the pep out of their step, but their faces showed no less enjoyment.

Whether dancewalking will become the next national craze for the uber-hip is still a matter of debate, but if the practice does grow, Waterville, it seems, will be ahead of the curve.

Dancewalking was popularized through a viral video released in April by Ben Aaron, a television reporter based in New York City.

It may not be all that new — a Seattle-based club says that it’s really just a new word for their well-established “rancing” routines, in which they run while dancing — but there’s no doubt that Aaron’s video has taken the practice to a new level.

Dancewalking events have happened or are scheduled in New York City, London, Australia, Finland, and, yes, Waterville. The group plans to reconvene on a regular basis throughout the summer.

Waterville resident Kathy Dall said that the activity helps back to bring back the feeling of community that she remembers from the ’60s.

“In these difficult economic times, it’s important to get back your sense of fun and adventure,” she said.

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling — 861-9287

mhhetling@centralmaine.com

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