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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
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How to.. do American square dancing
Duncan Hall with Milly Jenkins, president of Rebel Roll-aways American Square Dance Club. (5AL1019806) Picture: Andy Laithwaite
MANY clubs cry out for new members from time to time, to expand the circle of close friends that generally make up a long-running group.
But in American Square Dancing it is essential that numbers are kept fairly high – as without eight dancers you cannot make up a square and therefore you can’t dance.
It is a dance form that has been picked up across the world, with more than 9,000 square dancing clubs in Australia, Japan, the USA and much of Europe.
And as I found out, when I joined the Rebel Roll-aways American Square Dance Club in Loxley Community Centre, off Lincoln Road in Werrington, it is easy to see why it has caught on.
The club celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this month with a great spread of Italian food and a night of dancing.
As a club, it is open to dancers of any experience and of any age, with the oldest dancer now 84.
The aspect of the club I found most unusual was the way the dances were conducted.
Initially they were very regimented – with four couples forming a square and bowing to the member of the opposite sex on either side.
But as soon as the music started the dancers were left wholly in the hands of the caller, Fred Clayton.
Fred called out over the microphone whatever he wanted the square of four dancers to do in time with the music, be it circling to the left, switching positions, dosey-do-ing, promenading with your partner, or more complicated moves such as ocean waves and loading the boat.
As a newcomer, and someone used to walking through dances before you do them, as in the various folk dancing clubs I have joined, it was quite baffling at first – but once I got some of the basics it was a lot of fun.
As a beginner you have to learn 49 basic moves, before you can move up to learning the “plus” moves – which, at present, is as high as the club goes.
When the group forms a square it makes sure that beginners are joined by experienced dancers who can get you in the right positions and make sure you don’t end up too confused.
But as club president Milly Jenkins pointed out, sometimes when it goes wrong it is just as much fun as getting a move perfect.
The group is very informal, taking short breaks between every two dances allowing friends and couples to catch up, and take a breather from what can be quite a deceptively strenuous exercise!
Milly said: “It is all about having fun, it is not about anybody being any better than anybody else. We have no committee – everyone in the club is the committee.”
On the night I joined them there were enough members present to make two squares in the hall, but Milly would ideally like to add at least another eight people to the group, to make a third square.
And as with many dancing clubs, a few of the women had to double up to join in the squares, so an appeal is going out for more men to join.
She said: “When we go to the big events there can be up to 20 squares dancing at the same time. We have danced all over the world, in Hawaii, by the side of the Grand Canyon in the snow, at Las Vegas airport.
“It is such fun and you make so many friends no matter where you go.”
I have to admit I enjoyed it, and got to know a lot of people in a very short time – by the end my confidence had grown so much I was ready for any move Fred threw at me!