Page 22 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2021

PEOPLE
story by Katie Feindel photos courtesy of Dixie Line Dancers
The Dixie Line Dancers hail from the senior center of the city of D’Iberville, but their productions are nothing short of professional. The group has been entertaining and competing since 2011. They started at the D’Iberville Civic Center and quickly outgrew it, moving to the larger Biloxi Civic Center.
Other local senior centers are invited to come enjoy many of their big shows. The dancing group entered The Senior Games three years in a row from 2013 through 2015 and won a gold medal! Most of their shows are socials for the local seniors but they put on special productions in the community and perform for charities as well. The performances are mostly inspired and themed around annual holidays, such as like their most recent St. Patrick’s Day show this past March. The Dixie Line Dancers really put on a dancing and musical show to remember! Believe it or not, they design and put together their own costumes and sets.
Director and long-time group participant of The Dixie Line Dancers, Anne-Marie Gamache, has been involved in the performing arts since her youth and really enjoys dancing with
the group and creating the musical shows The Line Dancers put on throughout the year. “I’ve always been involved in theatre and music since I was a kid,” she said. “I started line dancing in 1996 and clogging in 2000. I never knew I could dance.” And dance she can. She has taught so many newcomers and made them stars on stage! 2020 was a slow year for the group because of COVID-19, but the group is excited to be back in 2021 and put a smile on the community’s face again.
So, what is it that keeps this group going after 10 years and even a pandemic? The performing arts _ namely dancing, singing and costume design – keep the hearts and souls of these dancers pumping in more ways than one. Creative social expression in a group is so important to a person’s life, and often seniors can be isolated at home. This dance group has
22 | May 2021
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