Country dancing for a good cause

Jen Workman lives by the motto: “When you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.”
Over the past decade Workman, the owner of the West Coast Country Heat dance team, has been hosting country dancing and lessons for all ages at the Normanna Lodge, 2725 Oakes Ave. in Everett every Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lessons are taught between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. and then she deejays open dancing until 10 p.m. A bar is also open for those 21 and older.
“I’ve been coming here for the last two and a half years every Tuesday. You meet a lot of people over the years and I mainly come to see them,” Bryanna Raap, a resident of Lake Stevens, said.
Workman said that people from all over the area, even Canada, show up to join in on the fun.
Costing $10 to get in the door, Workman donates the proceeds to the Sons of Norway, a nonprofit club and owners of the lodge.
She said that after COVID, the club was struggling to pay its bills and wanted to do anything she could to assist them financially.
“It feels really good when you help out,” Workman said. She has even donated proceeds from other events that she’s hosted to the club.
Averaging around 200 attendees throughout the night, the building quickly filled with smiles and laughter as Workman, sometimes accompanied by her husband, Brian, introduced the steps of the current dance. After a basic rundown, the music turns on and the people on the dance floor to practice what they just learned at full speed. Throughout the lessons, the participants learn the moves involved in two-step, line and barn dancing.
“I started coming here a year ago. Some friends introduced me to it and I fell in love. This is something I do for my mental health and it’s a good way to burn off some energy,” Marysville resident Melissa Gentilli-Brede said.
Once the lessons finished, people rushed out to the wooden dance floor for the open dance session deejayed by Workman. Being able to handle well over 100 people at a time, the floor was pulsating as everyone would stomp in unison along with the music.
“It’s my first time here and it has been really fun so far. I’ve never tried line dancing before and I thought it would be fun,” Emma Fontenot, a recent graduate from Snohomish High School, said at the June 18 dance night.
With minimal space left on the dance floor, some attendees chose to dance off to the side, but appeared to enjoy themselves just as much as those dancing in the middle of the room. “It can be a little intimidating since some of the dances are fast,” Fontenot said.
As the night continued, the number of people dancing would fluctuate with the types of dancing and the songs being played. Plenty of tables and chairs were positioned around the dance floor and in the bar area for anyone needing a break, or just looking to sit down and talk.
“It is a good way to break-up the week,” Alex Day from Lynnwood said at a table with friends.
Aleph Fackenthall of Stanwood said that he mainly comes for the dancing and that everyone is very welcoming. “It is great family fun and people say yes when you ask them to dance,” he said.
Attendees could also participate in a split-the-pot raffle, which earned one lucky person $200 on the night of June 18.
Workman’s favorite part of hosting this event is bringing joy to people. “It blows my mind what a difference it makes in people’s lives. I have people giving me hugs and saying that it gives them something to look forward to,” she said.
Workman also hosts another night of country dancing and lessons at the APEX Art & Culture Center, 1611 Everett Ave. in Everett every last Friday of the month from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. She has the space leased out for the next two years.
Photo courtesy Jen Workman

Dancing at the APEX Art Center with Jen Workman on stage leading the group.