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Dance Freedom Every Wednesday night at a large hall in Harvard Square, shoes are tossed aside, inhibitions checked at the door, and the weight of the week lifted with just a few good stretches. Then the dancing begins - joyous, playful, inventive dancing. DANCE FREEDOM Time: Wed., 7:30-10:45 p.m. Price: $7. Location: First Church Congregational, 11 Garden St., Cambridge. Contact: 617-232-7555. Website: www.mit.edu/people/fuller/ dances.html Get directions What started with free spirits dancing on Cambridge Common 31 years ago is now a local institution for all ages and types. Dance Freedom, the first of the freestyle dances, is the model for hundreds of barefoot boogies around the globe. This area's Dance Friday and Drum & Dance are just two such offspring. There's a reason Dance Freedom has lasted so long. People come here to feel alive. The multimedia light show sets the mood. Upbeat music for all tastes sets the pace. But it is the dancers who create the intoxicating atmosphere of celebration. "It feeds my soul," says hotel reservationist and aspiring massage therapist David Hammond. "You can just move. You don't have to be self-conscious. You don't have to dance with others. You're free." There's more to the night than dancing. Halfway through the evening a mini-performance or workshop is presented. It may be anything from belly dance lessons to drumming and even opera singing. Through activities like contact improvisation lessons, dancers get to know one another. The other way to meet people fast is to volunteer. By watching the door, helping to set up, or making dance tapes, you'll feel more like a part of things and get free admission to boot. But this is a friendly crowd. You just have to walk in the door to feel welcome.

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