Hobbies (Allemande Left)

About twenty years ago, roughly 1988, we went to a stake square dance activity. The "caller", Dave Walker, who was in our stake, was fabulous and made it so much fun. He announced that they would soon be starting up beginner square dance lessons, so I told Paul that I would really like to take the class. He agreed to it just to make me happy, not because he had any real interest in it. What a guy! Square dancing lessons are a real commitment because you meet once a week for about eight months. If you miss one lesson it's a good idea to go early the next week to catch up. If you miss two lessons in a row, you are in huge trouble. If you miss three or more, you might as well quit; it's just way too hard to catch up. There are 69 beginning calls to learn. Once you get the lessons under your belt you need to dance once or twice a week so you don't forget any of the calls. Because of the huge time commitment, it's difficult at best to take lessons when you have a young family at home. I think that is why most people think that square dancing is for oldsters. It's just that the retired folks have the time, and that they no longer have to worry about getting kids to soccer games or dance lessons or Mutual or help with homework, etc. If they offered square dancing at the colleges and universities, then the young adults would get hooked, and it wouldn't just be all us grey-haired couples dancing up a storm.





When the craft fair season started we didn't do as much dancing as we should...stopped all together at one point. Paul thought it would be like riding a bike when going to a dance much later. Not me; I was certain I wouldn't remember a thing and made him take the lessons again. He, of course, did remember everything...or at least he re-learned it quickly. Me...it took a little longer. We were probably away from square dancing for ten years when we took the lessons again. Now we take the beginner class every year just to help others learn. There is a name for us and others who help..."angels". We had some great "angels" when we were learning...Bob and Carol Dohrmann and Bob and Helen Koehler. (As a sideline, we were just invited to Bob and Helen's 60th Wedding Anniversary celebration this past weekend. I consider them very special friends.) This last year we "angeled" the beginning class because we had invited nine couples, and we wanted to support them. Now it is almost time for another beginner class to start. If we find some friends to take lessons then we will "angel" again. If not, we may just go to the dances.





Last month we went to Show Low, Arizona for a square dance festival and spent a couple of nights there. It was a lot of fun, especially since some of our friends from our club were there as well. A bonus to that trip was that we stayed with Stan and MaryCay Farnum, good friends from church who have a "cabin" up there. This month we went to Florida for business and a trip to the dentist for Paul, and while there looked up square dance clubs on the Inter Net. Unfortunately the Sarasota clubs didn't dance in the summer because of the humidity. We kept checking and found a little town an hour away in Arcadia where we could dance. An hour away! We are such nerds! It's fun to dance to different callers, though our Dave Walker is the best! Once you learn to square dance you can dance anywhere in the world because dances are always called in English. Interesting. I'm thinking it would be fun for my friends and family to learn and then we could meet at the festivals and have a grand ol' nerdy time together. It's good exercise, both for the body and the brain, and the social part is fun...square dancers are a very friendly group, so you make lots of friends. (As a matter of fact we went to lunch today with two of our favorites...Bernie and Dottie.)





Part of the real fun in square dancing is the clothes, especially the petticoats. When you "weave the ring" you can swish your skirts left and right, with flair! "Ladies in, Men Sashay"...the girls can lift their skirts in front like doing the "can-can". Love it, love it! Even in the heat of the summer I like to wear the petticoats. I remember back when Jane was in high school and we were dancing that she would get embarrassed to death if I had to pick her up from school wearing my square dance clothes. Oh, the humiliation! I wouldn't be surprised if she and Brian decided to take lessons though.





I highly recommend square dancing for all the reasons that I have mentioned, including the cost. We have only been paying $7 a night, per couple, for a two-hour dance, plus the free hour if you come to the class. You don't run or skip when you square dance; you just need to be able to get around easily with a quick walk. Just try it. Our club doesn't charge for lessons for the first three weeks; so I am betting that is probably the case in other clubs. Check it out. You'll love it! Paul even admits he has a good time. Maybe it's the refreshments. Maybe it's the frozen yogurt afterward. Maybe it's the points he is making with me.