On Hiatus While We Wait For COVID-19 To Resolve Itself! In Petaluma, the Rivertown Squares dance
on Thursday nights at Hermann Sons Hall.
I'm Dan Lyke. In 2012, after over a decade of trying to get me to dance with her, my wife Charlene dragged me to a barn dance. When I said "that wasn't so bad", she said "great, lessons start next week, wanna go?" Shortly we went from "I don't wanna go dancing" to "whatever you wanna do tonight is fine, I'm going dancing."
COVID did lead to a series co-hosted with Don Beck with various different square dance luminaries, Newbie Callers Zoom Sessions.
"group theory performed as a team sport, set to music." — Ginda Fisher of MIT Tech Squares *
Modern square dancing is a complex and intricate dance form. It's collaborative puzzle solving and thinking on your feet and, yes, moving and dancing, exercising body and brain in a fun social environment.
Some Examples
- Ted Lizotte calling patter for the Tech Squares
- Ted Lizotte doing a singing call for the Tech Squares
Resources
- Video Square Dance Lessons Online.
- Taminations (also available as an app for your favorite mobile device)
- Jet Roberts calling "Stand By Me" at the 2013 IAGSDC San Francisco convention
- Rich Reel's All8.com has a fantastic amount of material.
- Mel Wilkerson writes notes regularly on Facebook, I have collected Mel's essays here
- Barry Clasper's How May I Help, some notes on angeling square dancing.