Dance Party

While librarians shush bookworms downstairs, Jaime Declet will get feet moving in an upstairs area of the Lorain Public Library at today’s StepMania Video Dancing Game Party. “Not being a gamer myself, I had never heard of it until we started playing last winter,” says Declet, a librarian in the children’s department. “But the kids love it.”

No surprise, since StepMania is a fast-paced replica of the hugely popular Dance Dance Revolution. On the third Wednesday of every month, Declet lays down interactive floor mats and fires up the game on a computer. Contestants then step on corresponding arrows to match the music’s beats. “It’s like Twister for the 21st century,” says Declet. Things can get crazy, he says. Some players up the rhythm to a whopping 400 beats a minute, creating a virtual disco inferno inside the library. While kids wait for their turn, they can munch on snacks -- presumably for an extra boost. “I’ve seen kids playing it at [such] high speeds, you can’t even see their feet anymore,” says Declet. “It’s like a blur.”
Third Wednesday of every month, 4 p.m., 2007