The last dance

Alex de Vos
As a teenager, Leigh Moneghetti stayed away from the raucous sounds of seedy nightclubs.
The Colac musician preferred to listen to the gentle patter of a foxtrot and the early 1950s music that accompanied the dance.
For 15 years Leigh has performed on the old-time country dance circuit around Geelong and Colac with The Leigh Moneghetti Band.
“When I was eight I started playing the keyboard and used to go to the dances with my parents and the music got into my blood,” the 29-year-old recalls.
“Then at 14 I started performing.
“I play music mostly from the 50s and early 40s – Dean Martin kind of style.
“I was a bit daggy liking that kind of music as a teenager, though.”
To avoid the mockery of classmates, Leigh kept his Saturday night performances “under wraps”.
“Not many people knew about it,” he whispers, “although it’s come out a bit more recently.”
Religiously, Leigh performs three Saturday nights a month at Ceres and Wurdale halls.
Over the years he has formed close relationships with the weekly dancers.
“When I was playing in Colac I formed very close relationships with the dancers and as they got older, as they do, they passed away,” Leigh sighs.
“That’s always hard.”
The weekly dances provided Leigh with an opportunity to perfect his performance skills that he would later use during his solo music career.
But they didn’t allow for much growth or musical experimentation.
“I was always trying to find something new to play but you couldn’t really mix it up at the dances,” Leigh remembers.
“I was kind of stuck in that era – and the dancers are pretty strict.
“You have to appreciate people are there to dance and they take it pretty seriously.”
Eager to expand his musical repertoire, Leigh ventured out on his own to pursue a music career outside the ballrooms.
“Separate to the dances, I’ve also got a country music career which I run a bit more professionally,” Leigh confesses.
After years of tickling the ivories, Leigh taught himself to play the guitar. Two years later he began entering talent quests around Victoria.
In 2002 Leigh entered Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod. Over the weekend of competition he won six categories including male vocal and senior encouragement awards.
Later that year he dominated Mildura Eisteddfod, again winning male vocal and finishing second in a duet category.
With the taste of stardom on his lips, Leigh expanded his performances to include country music festivals around Australian.
“Last year I went to Pittsworth, in Queensland, and performed at a festival up there,” he says.
“It was fantastic – I played with some big names in the country music industry and in front of over 3000 country music fans.”
Last year Leigh released his debut album, Down That Lonely Road.
“It’s been getting some airplay across the country, which is just great,” he boasts.
The album combines traditional country music with hints of Slim Dusty and Johnny Cash – who Leigh calls his main influences – and smooth vocals.
In between building his solo music career and the weekly dance rituals, Leigh also runs a music program at Colac’s Arts Connection for students with disabilities.
“I love my job but I’d like to further my solo career,” he says.
However, the Saturday night country dance gigs could have a limited lifespan.
“I’ll play at them for as long as they’re there to play at,” Leigh observes, “but, just looking at the ages, I don’t think they’ll be around for much longer.”