It looked as if a movie musical had broken out in the middle of an ordinary evening at the Columbia lakefront. Rows of enthusiastic dancers moved in unison on the brick sidewalk while diners ate their meals on Clydes' patio, families strolled with their children and teens congregated along the wooden pier.
Outdoor dancing is a familiar sight on Friday nights during the summer when Tatia Zack leads party dances, line dances and couple's dances under the People Tree as part of the Columbia Association's three-month-long Lakefront Summer Festival.
Zack said the goal of her weekly dance sessions - which are followed by an outdoor movie - is "to get people out there and get them to feel like they want to dance, to get their confidence up."
The lakefront festival began in 1972 with outdoor films and grew to include a live musical performance or an outdoor film every night during the summer, said Michelle Miller, director of the Columbia Association's Division of Community Services. This year, nightly activities run through Aug. 21, followed by several more evenings of dancing and films through Sept. 16.
The festival started "to create an enjoyable, family-oriented use of the lakefront, to promote community building and to get people out to enjoy free entertainment and to socialize and to visit the restaurants," Miller said.
One highlight each year is Columbia International Day, scheduled for July 15, which celebrates Columbia's diversity with music, food and entertainment.
Zack said the mood on Friday nights is light as she leads the dancers through the steps. "It's just great seeing new faces and faces with smiles on them," she said. "People are giggling and laughing, and even if they mess up, we're all having fun."
Bryanna Lewis, 11, of Ellicott City said she attends the dancing regularly with her sister and other friends while she waits for her mother to finish work at nearby Columbia Association headquarters. She said, "I think it's really fun because they teach you new dances," Bryanna said. "You can meet people, and [Zack] is really nice."
Stephanie Lindsey, 17, of Columbia added: "When she explains it, it's really easy to learn."
Zack, of Owings Mills, is a choreographer and teacher who conducts dance classes for the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, among other organizations. She trained as a dancer, and once competed on the television show Dance Fever, but an injured vertebrae caused her to focus on teaching.
