The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (58 page)

step up your steps

NEW HAMPSHIRE & WEST VIRGINIA

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.

—
EDWIN DENBY, POET AND DANCE CRITIC
(1903–1983)

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There’s a reason we still watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers even now. When they glided across a dance floor, it was literally art in motion. No one can promise you’ll be able to dip and swing with the same style and grace, but there’s definitely no reason to be a wallflower. Weekend dance programs provide a no-pressure way to learn the basics of ballroom. Pretty soon, you’ll feel like you’re dancing on the stars, if not with them. These two dance weekend programs offer a friendly, supportive environment for beginners, but enough new moves to keep the fleet-footed on their toes too.

Pipestem Resort State Park.
You’ll find a similar dance getaway at Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia, where a weekend of dancing, including two nights lodging, dance instruction, and evening dances, runs just under $300 a couple.

“We can take care of the person who has never danced,” says Sandi Elam, who serves as the disc jockey while her daughter and another couple work as instructors. “The scariest time is the first lesson, but that’s with anything you do: a yoga class, a golf class, you’re intimidated to no end. But to watch these people grow through a weekend, it’s very rewarding.”

Elam says she’ll continue playing music as long as dancers want, sometimes well after midnight. “I play until they can’t dance anymore.”

While television shows like
Dancing with the Stars
have raised new awareness about ballroom dancing, it has been a mixed blessing, Elam says, “The stars complain how hard it is, and it scares some people away.”

The resort, located about two hours southeast of Charleston, has a golf course and also offers fishing, hiking, and horseback riding. But Elam says most the options go unexplored. “None of them are going to go out hiking and run the risk of spraining an ankle and not being able to dance.”

Pipestem Resort State Park
, P.O. Box 150, Pipestem, WV 25979, 304-466-1800,
www.pipestemresort.com
.

Purity Spring Resort.
For decades now, this resort in East Madison, New Hampshire, has hosted four dance weekends a year. For about $200 per person, including two night’s accommodations and meals, guests get several group lessons and evening galas where they can try out their new moves. It’s a bargain: Dance weekends at other locations can cost many times more.

“They make it fun,” says Art Deleault, who took up dancing with his wife about four years ago and recently attended his first Purity Springs dance program. “It’s very comfortable even for the novice. Even if you don’t know much, you can pick it up.”

$PLURGE

DANCING AT SEA

USA Dance, a national association promoting ballroom dancing, sponsors an annual weeklong Caribbean cruise that’s open to nonmembers. The event includes 16 free class choices per day while at sea, and eight choices while in port. There are evening dance events and even dance-themed shore excursions. Instructors are nationally recognized. Prices begin at $599 per person, double occupancy.
USA Dance, 888-391-2680,
www.dancecruiseusadance.com
.

Each weekend focuses on two dance styles, like mambo and hustle, or waltz and fox-trot. The action kicks off Friday evening with an informal social dance. If you don’t know what you’re doing, the instructors will provide some basic tips to get you started. Saturday brings two-hour lessons in the morning and afternoon, which are followed by a black-tie optional dance that night. On Sunday morning, there’s a chance to review the steps.

In between, the kitchen provides filling dishes, like prime rib, salmon, and vegetable lasagna. On Saturday night, it’s served on a buffet so you can fuel up for hours of cha-cha. “When you’re not dancing, you’re eating,” Deleault says. “It’s a very relaxing weekend.” Many visitors return year after year, but every weekend includes first-timers too. Although the music might seem old-fashioned, the dancing has wide appeal. Couples range in age from their 30s to 70s.

“I teach people to have fun with it,” says Paul Demers, who runs the weekend with his wife, Doris. His approach is to teach basic steps that are easy for beginners, but that more skilled dancers can adapt into flashier moves.

The family-owned resort is an old-fashioned retreat at the southern end of the White Mountains. Although you probably won’t have time away from the dance floor, there are hiking trails and canoeing and kayaking available, too. Tip: If you sign up for a dance weekend over Memorial Day, you can stay a third night for just the price of the meals, $27 per person.

Purity Spring Resort,
1251 Eaton Rd., Rte. 153, East Madison, NH 03849, 800-373-3754,
www.purityspring.com
.

bring in the laughs

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

More of me comes out when I improvise.

—
ARTIST EDWARD HOPPER (1882–1967)

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It’s hard work to be funny. A well-delivered line. An off-the-cuff comment. A crazy observation. All are usually products of study, practice, and amazing self-confidence.

What’s almost as amazing is that you can begin to acquire these skills in weekend and weeklong workshops at Chicago’s Second City. The theater company is North America’s epicenter of comedy. A who’s who of comics have passed through its halls and honed their craft on its stages: John and Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, John Candy, Steve Carell, Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Bonnie Hunt, Eugene Levy, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey, to name a few.

While some students have dreams of guest starring on
Saturday Night Live,
many come because they’ve always wanted to see what it’s like to improvise, or have friends who have laughed at their jokes for years and urged them to try. Classes range from introductory improvisation to comedy writing to physical comedy. Advanced and specialty classes are available for experienced students, many of whom stay for two weeks to complete an entire sequence of training.

Most classes are scheduled during the summer, but there are some offerings at other times. Three-day “intensives” and weeklong “immersions” both run $285. Since immersions last a half day, some students enroll in two courses at a time. Lodging’s not included, but Second City, located in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, has discount arrangements with nearby hotels. You can get a bed for $35 a night at a youth hostel, or pay $300 for a week in a college dormitory. Hotels begin at $89 a night. After classes, students often gravitate to nearby
Corcoran’s Grill & Pub
(1615 N. Wells St., 312-440-0885) for reasonably priced appetizers, burgers, and salads. After performances, you’ll likely find the cast at a favorite dive bar,
Old Town Alehouse
(219 W. North Ave., 312-944-7020). Bottom line: There won’t be a big number on the bottom line after a week at Second City.

While many in the classes are college theater students or recent graduates, others are new to performing. You might find yourself making up lines in a skit about professional wrestling with lawyers, educators, and retirees. It’s possible for families to attend, as children can enroll in Second City’s youth day camps ($725 for two weeks) while parents take the adult classes.

Whatever you take, you can be sure a class will yield moments of hilarity that you’ll treasure for years—a priceless souvenir. And you’ll also leave with new faith in yourself and a tight set of friends.

“It’s amazing how close you can get to a group in five days,” says Kelsey Wagner, who had performed one night of improv near her home in San Jose, California, before she took her first Second City class. Now she’s a regular with the ComedySportz troupe, which performs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One reason students bond so quickly is the nature of improvisation. Since you’re literally making up material on the spot, you’ll only succeed if everyone works together. Students quickly learn they need to rely on one another.

It all starts out simply. In Wagner’s first class, the students stood in a circle and their teacher started by throwing an imaginary red ball to someone across the room. That person then threw it to someone else and so forth. A moment later, the instructor tossed out an imaginary paper airplane, then a baby, then a wet cat, and then a chain saw. Soon the circle was alive with flying imaginary objects. The ice was broken, and the students began to see that they had the power to create something from nothing.

CHICAGO’S FAMOUS COMEDY CLUBS

The Windy City is the center of the comedy universe. Even if you can’t attend a comedy class, you’ll still find inspiration (and low-priced tickets) at some of the city’s top clubs. Many offer free or discount performances featuring new students of comedy. It’s a great bargain, but plan to order a drink to support the fledgling comics. Schedules and discounts change, so call ahead and ask about the latest deals.

 
The Annoyance Theatre & Bar.
A rotating schedule of popular shows. Look for $5 performances on Wednesdays, and discounted tickets Tuesdays and Sundays.
The Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 4830 N. Broadway, 773-561-4665,
www.annoyanceproductions.com
.

 
ComedySportz Theatre.
Wednesday nights at ComedySportz are free, with Battle Prov taking place at nine, when a group of ComedySportz comedians takes on a team of college comedy students, and an hour of open mike at ten. C
omedySportz Theatre, 929 W. Belmont Ave., 773-549-8080,
www.comedysportzchicago.com
.

 
The Playground Theater.
Described as the nation’s first and only not-for-profit co-op theater devoted to improvisational comedy. Depending on the night, admission can be free or $5, and you’ll rarely pay more than $10.
The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St., 773-871-3793,
www.the-playground.com
.