Square Dancing Recreation Information By Carolynn Van de Vyvere and Adrienne Lindsay

Square dancing is a type of folk dancing performed by four pairs of people -- called a square -- who dance together. Here's how it works:

The dancers start in what's called a "squared set" position, with each pair facing the center of the square and facing a different wall. They then dance a number of steps, which sends all of them whirling and stepping around the square. At the end, they return to their "home" spots to do the next dance.

Another way of describing square dancing is "fun set to music." At least, that's the slogan of one square dancing club. "Everyone needs more fun in their life," says club member Chuck Kuhman.

Since everyone likes to have fun, this activity attracts all kinds of people. "Square dancing is not just for squares," says Kuhman. "We use all kinds of music, from pop, to Broadway show tunes, to country, to ballads and standards. You will encounter all kinds of people from all walks of life. You will use your mind as well as your body -- and both will get a workout."

The movements of the dancers are directed by a caller. The caller shouts or sings instructions to tell the dancers what movement to dance next. The instructions are basically the names of certain dance steps, like "allemande left," "dosido," and "half sashay."

"The caller combines the jobs of choreographer, cuer, showman and entertainer. Usually a modern caller does not have the square dance routine written out ahead of time. He or she makes it up on the fly as the dancers are dancing," says Robert French, a square dancing fan in Connecticut.

It's up to the caller to decide which steps the dancers should take. The caller can combine the movements to make up a brand new dance nearly every time.

"Once you get accustomed to the moves of modern square dancing, you really have fun with a caller who mixes things up a bit. It just makes things more exciting when you don't know what's coming next," says Texas square dancer Joelle Busby.

There are two main types of square dancing -- traditional and modern. Modern square dancing is the more common form. It is set to various types of music and the dances are unstructured. That means the callers make them up as they go along.

"Basically, the only place you see traditional square dancing anymore is in high school gymnasiums. It's the stuff you take in gym class, but you won't find very many other groups still practicing it," says Trent Zambon, a square dancer in Edmonton.

While keeping up with the routines might be a challenge, square dancers say you don't have to be a great dancer to become good at square dancing.

"Modern square dancing does not rely on the dancers to be able to dance to the phrase of the music, and does not require people to be able to dance in the ballroom sense," explains French. "There is no need to know which foot you're using. It's just a matter of knowing the moves and following the caller."

Square dancing is an activity open to people with different abilities.

"I know people who are blind or deaf who can dance. There are clubs for people in wheelchairs. The main thing you need is the ability to follow directions quickly and to work as a team with the other dancers," says French.

Some square dancers say this activity can improve your abilities in other areas besides dancing! "It definitely helped my confidence when I started dancing and succeeding at it," says Kuhman. "I began to feel capable, and that carried over into my studies and social contacts outside of square dancing."

Teamwork and cooperation are important skills for square dancers. Experienced square dancers say the ability to work well with a partner and in groups is what makes or breaks a square dancer.

"Teamwork is what it's all about. Even the best dancers will fail miserably if they don't work well together," says Busby.

Square dancers can be found just about everywhere. While the majority live in North America, people from other countries, particularly Europeans, have discovered how fun square dancing can be. Many travel to North America to take part in annual jamborees, which are like big conventions for square dancers.

Square dancing is pretty affordable. Most clubs charge a nominal ($10 to $30) yearly fee to help out with the rental of the dance space. Group lessons run between $60 and $90. After these expenses, you're all set. Some clubs do require their members to wear special square dancing uniforms which can be quite expensive (about $150 for women and $100 for men), but most clubs are flexible about clothing these days.

People involved in square dancing for a long time often find work instructing newcomers or calling at dances.

Getting Started

You can't just jump right into a modern square dance. That's because modern square dancing is made up of a relatively large number of moves. These moves must be learned in a class and practiced at home.

"It's not possible to just jump into the middle of a square dance without some lessons. Fortunately, the lessons are usually as fun as the square dance itself," says Robert French.

Experienced square dancers recommend taking lessons for six months to a year. To find out about square dance lessons in your area, contact your local community center, college or library.

Before signing up for any classes, ask about dress codes and partners. Some clubs require you to come in full uniform -- that means dress pants, cowboy shirts and string ties for men and puffy skirts and blouses for women. If you want to use square dancing classes as a chance to mingle, you might want to choose a club that doesn't require members to sign up in pairs.

"Steering clear of uniforms and pairs is a sure way to find a more relaxed square dance group. The relaxed ones are a lot more fun," says Trent Zambon.

For a quick introduction to this activity, find a club and ask when it is offering an "open house" (a free night to introduce people to dancing), says Kuhman. "Grab a friend and a pair of comfortable shoes and go. The best way to find out is to do it."

To make sure you'll enjoy your lessons, make sure you brush up on your steps between classes.

"Keeping on top of all the steps I learned in class was tough, so I found brushing up on the steps in between classes and doing some reading really helped," says Zambon.

Associations

For an online list of U.S. square dance associations, see this page from the Square and Round Dance Page:

Square Dance Clubs and Organizations Internet: http://pages.prodigy.com/sq.dance/clublist.htm

U.S. Handicapable Square Dance Association 9354 Johnson Rd. Mobile, AL 36695-9004 Internet: http://www.zebra.net/~deanemery/ush/ush.html

Border City Squares P.O. Box 6082 Nashua, NH 03062 Internet: http://www.mv.com/ipusers/sguild/bcs/

Publications

The Complete Book of Square Dancing, by Betty Casey

Dance Across Texas, published by University of Texas Press

Square and Folk Dancing: A Complete Guide for Callers, Teachers and Students, by Hank Greene

American Square Dancer and Northeast Square Dancer Magazine Internet: http://www.dosido.com/asd/

Net Sites

Square Dance Resources

Information on callers, dancers, clubs, organizations and links to other square dance sites

http://pages.map.com/~bobl/sdance.htm

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Western Square Dancing

An index with lots of links for dancers

http://www.dosado.com

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The Square and Round Dance Page

Links to square dance resources from clubs, to travel, to seamstresses

http://pages.prodigy.com/sq.dance/index.htm Square Dancing Recreation Interview By Carolynn Van de Vyvere and Adrienne Lindsay

While "dosido" may not be the most romantic words in the world, they do make Joelle Busby's heart flutter. Yes, hers is that age old love story about sparks flying at the square dance.

You've never heard this story? Well, listen closely.

"I had been dragged, literally, to the college square dancing club by a dorm mate and we were awful. I was just about to give up when the caller told everyone to change partners. I stood in the middle of the crowd, wondering how I could sneak out, and then someone tapped me on my back. I turned around and locked eyes with my future husband," says Busby.

While not everyone who goes to a square dance is going to find their one true love, Busby does believe finding the right partner definitely increases your chances of having fun. In fact, Busby and her husband have enjoyed square dancing since that fateful night.

"We haven't stopped dancing since. I discovered square dancing was fun, and not at all what I thought."

The couple enjoyed square dancing so much that when they got married two years later, they decided to have a square dance for a wedding reception.

"I admit it's a little out of the ordinary to have a hoedown at your wedding reception, but everyone had an excellent time. Several people wrote us after our wedding to tell us they'd taken up square dancing 'cause they had so much fun when they tried it at our reception," she recalls.

Like these wedding guests, many people are surprised by how fun modern square dancing can be. Busby says what stops many people from dancing is the assumption that modern square dancing is the same thing they did in high school gym class.

"The biggest myth has to be that the four or five calls people learn in high school give you a good indication of what modern square dancing is like. Nothing could be further from the truth! Modern square dancing is much more challenging and much more fun," she says.

Another big myth about square dancing is that you have to be retired to try it and enjoy it. While older people make up the majority in many square dance clubs, there are exceptions to this rule.

"There are definitely clubs that go against this grain, you just have to look a little to find them. College clubs are a particularly good place to look, as are local youth [and] teen clubs. Most college clubs have no problem with singles, don't require special clothes, are more energetic than other clubs, and are generally a lot of fun," says Busby.

People who think square dancing is another "evening out with the old folks" may be surprised by how enjoyable and physically taxing it really is.

"My younger brother came to visit my husband and I for a couple weeks. He's a personal trainer and he was always trying to get us out jogging or to the gym. We told him we had our own method for working out," says Busby.

Yet her brother wasn't convinced about the workout value of square dancing, so they made a bet. Busby invited her brother to come to her square dancing club and join in for one dance. If he broke into a sweat or smiled during the dance, he'd lose the bet and have to take square dance lessons. If he did neither of these things, Busby would have to buy a gym pass.

"I filled him in on a couple of the main movements and asked the caller to call an easy dance. My brother started the dance looking confident and smug and ended it smiling, sweating and sheepish," says Busby.

Busby's brother lost the bet but gained a fun new activity. In fact, he couldn't wait to start his square dance lessons!

"After he tried it, he was only too glad to take square dancing lessons. Actually, I think most people would get hooked on square dancing if they could just get past all the misconceptions about it. For me, the best thing is that it's an excellent form of both physical and mental exercise," says Busby. "It's fun and it's social."

Another dedicated square dancer also was a person who had to be dragged to his first dance.

Chuck Kuhman is a square dancer from Herndon, Virginia, who started dancing in Louisville, Kentucky, when he was still a teenager.

"In 1969, someone I went to high school with invited me to come out to an open-house dance with him. I admit I thought I would be bored to death, but I had such a great time and met so many interesting people -- girls! -- that I had to go back. In fact I brought two more of my friends along the next time and we all ended up taking lessons together."

From that point on, Kuhman was hooked. He has danced at all levels up to A-2, and is now involved in a club that is active in the community with demonstrations and charitable performances.

"I enjoy the social aspects of it first of all. You dance with a partner, but also in a group of four couples at one time. You are working together to accomplish your goal of finishing the dance as a unit and it only works if all succeed. This type of close teamwork is relatively rare, and very rewarding in and of itself."

Exercise is also a key benefit of square dancing. "A dance night with seven or eight tips of 10 to 11 minutes of dancing each can equal a walk of more than three miles, but it gets my vote as the happiest way to exercise," says Kuhman.

Yet the exercise is more than just physical -- it's mental too.

"The challenge of trying to do the steps the caller calls and to return back where you started is a mental exercise with a great measure of satisfaction attached to it," he says. "If a caller calls a complicated figure from a set-up you are not used to, and you figure out where you have to go and what you have to do, and never miss a beat of the music along the way, you know you and your square have accomplished something significant."

So is square dancing a lot harder than it looks? Well, Kuhman says that it is more fun than difficult. No one gets mad at you if you mess up, because they know it might be them the next time!

"This attitude makes this activity a great way to make new friends. Each time you square up, there can be as many as seven new people for you to meet. You are going to share something with them which will be entertaining, involving and challenging. Great friendships can and have developed from these humble beginnings."

However, what Kuhman loves most of all about square dancing is the positive effect it has had on his life.

"I have shed a lot of shyness I used to have because square dancing is designed to be inclusive, not exclusive. You need other people with you or you can't do it. People need you to join their square, just as you seek other people. Since we are in this together, it is a great way to meet and talk to people on a basis that just isn't possible any other way."

For Kuhman, square dancing is more than just a hobby, it is a way of life. He still has vivid memories of his first national convention, which he attended when he was just 18 years old.

Along with four of his square dancing friends, Kuhman traveled to New Orleans. The group camped out in the woods near the city and each day would head into town to attend the dances. They started at 8 a.m. and lasted until 2 a.m.! There were dances in the streets, in hotels, in restaurants. One night he even danced in a rooftop pool!

"I met people from all over the world, as there were dancers there from all 50 states and many foreign countries," he says. "As my first big trip away from home on my own it was a great experience for me. I hold lots of special memories of the trip."

He's met lots of great people and made new friends thanks to this activity.

"Square dancing has enabled me to travel to places all over the country, and meet people everywhere who greet me warmly and who gladly make a place for me to share in their fun. How many activities can say as much?"