COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JANUARY 24, 2018
DanceAbility group welcomes all
Flu continues to
plague Lane
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
It’s open to everyone. It al-
lows for the inclusion of all
body types. It’s “the art of being
together,” according to instruc-
tor Jana Meszaros. It’s Dance-
Ability and it meets every Mon-
day in Cottage Grove at Opal
Theatre.
DanceAbility is a dance class
that has cohorts around the
globe and is promoted as a class
for all body types and all abil-
ities.
“Whether you have experi-
ence or not, whether you have
different abilities or not, getting
together and creating movement
is valuable to anyone,” Masza-
ros said.
Maszaros, who has been in-
volved in the industry her en-
tire career, became one of 700
certifi ed instructors and began
a class in Cottage Grove three
years ago. According to Dance-
Ability International, the pro-
gram found its roots more than
30 years ago.
“In 1987, Alito Alessi and
his dance partner Karen Nelson
began exploring mixed-abili-
ties dance after being inspired
by an article that appeared in
Contact Quarterly magazine.
Together they created the term
DanceAbility (DA). Their com-
pany, Joint Forces Dance Com-
pany (JFDC) produced its fi rst
7A
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
The number of emergency room visits attributed to the fl u in Lane
County are up this week with 149 people hospitalized with the vi-
rus.
Flu-related deaths have been reported in the state and around the
country and a particularly bad fl u season continues.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, one child died from
the illness this month, marking the second Lane County death relat-
ed to the fl u, and there are 31 current outbreaks of the virus, up from
15 outbreaks last week.
As of Jan. 18 RiverBend hospital reporting seeing more than 500
people with the fl u since December.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) begins tracking fl u the fi rst
week of October each year. The agency publishes data each week of
the season on reports of infl uenza-like illness from hospital emer-
gency departments and sentinel health care providers around the
state; positive fl u tests reported by 22 hospital laboratories in Or-
egon; and hospitalizations reported in Clackamas, Multnomah and
Washington counties.
While it’s diffi cult to forecast exactly how bad the fl u season will
be this year, health offi cials say getting a fl u shot is the best way to
prepare for however it shapes up.
“Every fl u season is a bad fl u season, but we can all do our part
in keeping fl u numbers down by getting a fl u shot before the season
really hits hard,” said Ann Thomas, MD, public health physician
in the Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section at the
OHA Public Health Division.
PHOTO BY ZACH SILVA/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Dancers of DanceAbility practice on Monday, Jan. 22. The group is open to all body types and abilities and is
currently accepting new members.
mixed-abilities workshop in
Meszaros said she was drawn
The Cottage Grove class has
1987 using the dance vocabu- to the program after meeting ranged from 15 members down
lary of contact improvisation,” Alessi at an industry event.
to fi ve last year and ages vary
the organization’s website
“I realized how special this as well, though Maszaros said
reads.
part of the industry is. It weaves teens tend to drop in and the age
together dance, art, social activ- limits are fl uid.
ism and community,” she said.
And while DanceAbility
“It’s a lovely way for me to par- meets in the theatre, the classes
ticipate in my community and do not put on a fi nal show.
still work with dance and art.”
“There’s an open house in Eu-
DanceAbility meets every gene at the end of the term and
Monday at 5:15 p.m. at Opal the Cottage Grove class has the
Theatre on Main St., a location option to perform,” Meszaros
Meszaros says has been sup- said.
portive since the start. Current-
Anyone interested in join-
ly, the classes run on a sliding ing DanceAbility can contact
scale from $80 to $100 for 10 Meszaros at jana@danceability.
weeks or $10 for drop-ins.
com or stop by the Opal Center
“We don’t turn anyone away on Mondays during scheduled
for their inability to pay, though. classes
If you really want to participate,
we fi nd a way,” Meszaros said,
noting the program’s scholar-
ship opportunities.
Garden Club to
host presentation
A rain garden is generally a small, planted depression or "sunken
garden bed" in your yard where rain runoff from roofs, driveways,
and other impervious surfaces is directed. Once in this garden, the
rain water soaks into the ground naturally and is absorbed by plants
and trees.
Rain gardens mimic the way that natural forests, meadows, and
wetlands process rainwater. They are often planted with native
plants, and besides being miniature stormwater treatment systems,
rain gardens can also be designed to provide habitat for birds, but-
terfl ies, and benefi cial insects.
On Tuesday, February 6, Kathy Eva, a public information spe-
cialist with the City of Eugene, will join Garden Club to discuss
rain gardens, bioswells, and the plants that do well in them. Her
presentation will include photos of rain gardens, discussion about
soil types, plants, how to conduct a percolation test, and when and
why a rain garden might be valuable.
Kathy's work with the city of Eugene focuses on informing and
educating citizens about stormwater and surface water-related is-
sues. She is also a member of the Lane Pollution Prevention Coali-
tion, a multi-agency group, which works together to share pollution
prevention tips about air, water, groundwater, drinking water, waste
prevention and recycling. In addition, she is on the steering com-
mittee for the statewide Clean
Rivers Coalition whose mission
(use less radiation) is to help residents understand
their role in protecting Oregon’s
Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions
waters. This newly formed coa-
lition is exploring how to reach
Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV)
and work with many groups and
communities on a statewide and
local level.
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MARIE WILLIAMSON
PTA
303 Main Street, Cottage Grove OR
Phone: 541.942.6482
Fax: 541.942.6483
Cottage-Grove-Sentinel
Restoration St. Valentine’s
Dinner/Dance Benefi t
Saturday, February 10, 2018
CGHS Cafetorium 6pm-9pm
Doors open at 5:30pm
Tickets are $30/person
or table of 8 for $240
Tickets are available at
the Bookmine & Cottage Grove Sentinel
Former KVAL news anchor
Shelley Jack (Kurtz) will be MC for the evening
For more information, contact
Alice Nowicki @ 541-228-8451
All proceeds go to restoration of the 1929 Allan Hershell Carousel & Band Organ