What is
Square Dancing? There are at least
3 kinds of square dancing going on in the
United States today: traditional dancing;
“traditional style dancing”, in
which a limited number of basic movements
are exploited in challenging ways to suit
recreational purposes; and modern Western
style square dancing, in which the repertory
of basic movements is constantly evaluated
and expanded, also for purposes of recreation.
A square dance is done in a square set of
4 couples. Despite variations in stylistic
details, certain basic principles are almost
universal – the square formation itself,
the participation of the caller, and the distinction
between the main figure of the dance and the
“break”.
More about Traditional
Style Square Dancing: Live bands
customarily play at traditional style dances,
which adds an exciting dimension to the
experience. People just come, dance, and
learn as they go along. Lessons are unnecessary
as the dances rely on a small number of
basic movements, and in many areas it is
the custom to walk through each dance before
doing it. Even a beginner has a fair chance
of catching on and, if a new dancer gets
confused, the more experienced dancers can
help. Traditional style dancing is open
to people who come alone or only dance sporadically,
singles dancers are welcome and people are
encouraged to dance with many different
partners. There is more swinging and longer
swings, more “connectedness”
between the dancers due to the handholds
used and the greater frequency of certain
movements that involve an element of centrifugal
force. Attire is casual and the dancers
are uninterested in special clothing, diplomas,
levels, badges and the like.
More about Modern Western
Style or Club style Square Dancing:
A typical dance evening consists of several
dance "tips," lasting about 10
minutes each, with breaks in between. At
the beginning of a tip, the dancers line
up to form "squares." A "caller"
stands at one end of the hall and begins
giving a sequence of instructions for the
dancers to follow. Each of these instructions,
or "calls," requires that some
or all of the dancers in the square perform
a pre-determined maneuver. The caller doesn't
literally tell you where to move, he/she
just gives the name of the call, such as
"linear cycle" or "ends fold,"
and the dancers respond. Some of the maneuvers
are simple, others are more complex. After
several calls, the dancers are usually thoroughly
"shuffled." Eventually everyone
"magically" ends up with their
partner again, back at their home position
where they started the tip. The calls (instructions)
that the caller gives are set to music.
The music can be anything from bluegrass
to ballads to rock'n'roll. There are actually
two parts to a tip, lasting about 5 minutes
each. The first part, although set to music,
concentrates more on calls and formations,
as the caller maneuvers the dancers into
myriad formations and positions. The second
part concentrates more on the music, and
the dancers movements are choreographed
to a particular popular song. Of course,
the dancers must know how to perform the
maneuvers for each of the calls, and there
are lots of calls to learn. Part of the
challenge and fun of square dancing is trying
to remember and immediately perform the
maneuvers required for each call. New dancers
must attend classes for a period of time
before you can "officially" dance
with the regulars. The normal level of dancing
actually encompasses three dance levels
known as Basic, Mainstream, and Plus. When
you graduate from classes, you are considered
a Plus dancer. After you graduate, you'll
be able to dance at your club's dances or
at other dances and festivals throughout
the state, country, and world. Most dancers
remain at the normal (Plus) level. But if
you're adventurous, after a couple of years
you might want to move up and learn one
of the higher levels of square dancing,
known as Advanced and Challenge. Here you'll
learn more calls, and you'll learn new concepts
like phantom dancers, mirror images, etc.,
to make things even more interesting (and
fun).
Round Dancing is fun.
Round dancers spend time with their partners
and friends, enjoying and moving rhythmically
to great music. Round dancers participate
purely for the fun of it --- there are no
competitions, no judges, no dance awards.
Round dancers are rewarded with lifelong friendships.
Round Dancing is an
exciting social activity.
Round dancers form clubs and gather together
to dance at places like schools, community
centers, church recreation halls, YMCAs,
and fraternal organization halls. Most clubs
only charge $4 or $5 dollars per dancer
for the entire evening, and most allow spectators
to watch for free. Often clubs combine to
put on even larger and longer events. There
are clubs and round dance events all over
the world. Round dancers can even spend
an entire week round dancing at special
mountain resorts or romantic ocean cruises.
Round Dancing is choreographed,
cued couples dancing.
Round dancing is like ballroom dancing and
uses ballroom figures, but there are two
major differences --- it is choreographed
ahead of time and then cued to the dancers
in a manner similar to the way square dance
callers direct square dancers.
Choreographers choose wonderful music and
then choose the different movements and
figures to fit the music exactly. If the
music swells and pauses briefly, then a
dance step that rises and stretches is put
into that place. If there is a little syncopation
in another part of the song, then a quick
little step is inserted. The creation of
a piece of choreography is like designing
the interior of a home, with every piece
of furniture and artwork in just the right
place to give the best feel and enjoyment.
Dances have been choreographed to a myriad
of rhythms --- waltz, two-step, cha-cha,rumba,
jive/swing, foxtrot, tango, bolero, mambo,
samba, merengue, salsa, west coast swing,
paso doble, quickstep, and others.
The “Cuer” or Round Dance Leader,
stands with a microphone and the sound equipment
at one side of a dance hall. As the music
plays, and just ahead of when the dancers
must respond, the cuer names each dance
figure of the choreography to be done in
proper order. Since dances are cued, dancers
need not memorize choreography and can thus
dance hundreds of different routines. In
a two hour club night, the dancers could
typically dance over thirty choreographed
dances.
Since all the dancers are doing the same
figures in the same direction at the same
time (or at least are supposed to), the
choreography can become quite elaborate.
The dancers can move great distances with
many changes of direction without fear of
running into other couples. ROUNDALAB, the
International Association of Round Dance
Teachers Inc., has defined six phases of
dance figures with phase one (I) generally
being the easiest in difficulty and phase
six (VI) comprising the most difficult figures.
Most round dance clubs do not try to do
all phase levels and thus as a dancer you
can choose clubs that cater to the level
that you are most comfortable at.
Couples form up and generally progress
counterclockwise in a circle around the
dance floor – thus the name “Round
Dancing”.
Round Dancing is part
of the Modern Square Dance Movement.
Modern Round Dancing grew along with Modern
Square Dancing through the second half of
the twentienth century. Although pure round
dance clubs exist as do pure square dance
clubs, there are many clubs that offer both
in what is called a two by two program.
A caller will call square dance patter for
about 6 minutes and then sing a singing
call for about 4 minutes. Then a cuer will
cue two round dance routines, taking about
8 minutes. Then the caller comes up again.
Then the cuer and so on until the evening
has been fulfilled. There are State and
National Square and Round Dance Conventions
where both activities are conducted. Many
local caller associations and round dance
teacher associations are combined as one
organization. There continues to be mutual
symbiosis between square and round dancing.
A great many square dancers first learn
of round dancing from the two by two clubs
and conventions and thus many round dancers
were at first square dancers. Since round
dance music is of all types (big bands,
rock & roll, easy listening, and many
others) it complements what is predominately
the country western square dance sound at
square dance events. Square dancers tend
to retain the “whoop and holler”
spirit of dancing, while round dancers tend
to dance with greater precision and thus
help to improve the overall smoothness experienced
by all in the intertwining square dance
movements. Round dancing really does “ROUND”
out the square dance experience.
Round Dancing is healthy
exercise.
Round Dancing is an active activity. Most
of the time, you will be on the floor dancing.
There are short breaks and most leaders
allow you to rest whenever you want –
but the norm is to dance. The more you do
it, the more you can do it. Not only does
your heart pump, but your mind is also exercised
in trying to remember how to do all the
figures that the cuer cues.
Succinctly combining all of the above:
Round Dancing is a fun,
social activity, where couples dance synchronously
to cued choreographed routines that exercise
body, mind and soul.
Hot Squares in the Ole Town Tonight!
Call 301 762-2231 for details or visit
http://home.comcast.net/~SquareDancers/
.
2nd and 5th Tuesdays, Sept. through May.,
8:30-11:00 pm., College Park, MD
Boomerangs Square Dance Teaching
Council
The Boomerangs
are dedicated to teaching Modern
Western Square Dancing.
Call 703 533-8786 for details. Wednesdays,
7:30-9:30, Alexandria, VA
Square Dance Classes taught by Walt
Peterman
Call 703 494-2556 for details. Saturdays,
7:00 pm., Woodbridge, MD
Square Dance Classes taught by Charlie
Stockman
Call 703 435-7075 for details or email
rdrt4kl@cox.net. Mondays, 7:30-9:30 pm.
Leesburg, VA
Square Dance Classes taught by Jim
and Ann Wass
Call 301 699-1477 for details. Thursdays,
7:30 pm. New Carrollton, MD
Square Dance Classes taught by Virgil
Forbes
Call 410 586-3587 for details. Tuesdays,
7:30 pm. Lusby, MD
