Swing your partner…. Square dancing offers fun and fitness

By Ruth Stirling

Looking for a fun way to exercise? Ruth Stirling offers a first-hand look at the art of square dancing:

One of the most popular resolutions each new year is to begin an exercise program. It’s sometimes hard to keep that resolution, but perhaps the perfect solution is to join a square dance club.
I can already hear your objections. You’re thinking Hee Haw, barn dances with straw bales along the wall, punch spiked with moonshine and some fiddlers providing live music. You’re thinking, “I hate country music. I don’t wear Western boots. And what kind of people will I be associated with”
But none of this is close to what modern western square dancing is – and you just may be missing out on the best way to get your exercise.
It all started when colonists from England and France brought dancing to the New World. From their different cultures, square dancing became part of the life. Square dances were originally held in barns with bales of hay stacked along the wall to make room for dancing. There was a caller giving directions, accompanied by a fiddler or two.
Through the years, there have been many changes to what is now known as modern western square dancing. We don’t dance in barns with hay on the floor, we don’t have live music and we have all been through classes to learn how to square dance.
Square dancing become so popular that in 1991, Gov. L. Douglas Wilder signed legislation making it the Official Folk Dance of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Today, we dance in schools, hotels, or community centers. Our callers are trained to instruct new dancers as well as call for the dancers who have completed classes. Music is from several different genres, including pop, soft rock, gospel, and an occasional country song. On a typical night we may hear “Color of the Wind,” Achy Breaky Heart” or songs by Elvis Presley or John Denver.
For years, doctors have endorsed square dancing as a perfect exercise for all ages because it is an activity that involves your brain as well as every muscle in your body. It is great for your cardiovascular system; I’ve heard that dancing for two or three hours is the equivalent of walking three miles.
Dancing is also a great stress reliever. When the music starts there is pure joy and freedom from everyday worry… you cannot possibly square dance and fret at the same time!
The colorful western wear associated with square dancing is still a part of our culture. However, those costumes are usually only seen for Saturday night dances or for festivals. For weekly dances, workshops, and beginner classes, we wear regular casual clothes. Men wear trousers and long sleeve shirts and ladies usually wear slacks and tops, Comfortable flat shoes are a must.
Square dancing is a wholesome family activity where there is no smoking or consumption of alcoholic beverages. In Richmond area, there are dancers as young as 12 and as old as 90 (some of our dancers have been dancing for more than 50 years). They come from all walks of life; when the caller says “square up,” we are all there to enjoy the common bond of dancing.
The square dance community is a very close-knit group of fun-loving people who always welcome newcomers. Once you become a dancer, you can travel worldwide and find friends in square dance clubs in all of the fifty states, and many foreign countries. Even in foreign countries, the square dance calls are in English!
OK, now you know the real story about square dancing. The next step is for you to experience it for yourself. We have heard all the excuses, but if you are able to walk across the floor and you enjoy spending time with nice people, you will be a success on the square dance floor.

For further information please call Clint and Ruth Stirling, New Dance Coordinators at 746-1838 or ruth@ruthstirling.com; Ralph and Elsie Dillard at 276-2088; or Jim Durham, at 829-5433.