There are many reasons why clubs do not grow. They do not form a committee to design achievable goals; their marketing plan and efforts start too late; club members prefer the ‘status quo;’ club members do not get involved in the pursuit of new members; to name a few.
While our Club has had a good record in attracting new members through our ‘Introduction to Modern Square Dancing’ program, we can relate to the above reasons.
Growth in SWOSDA Clubs starts with a paradigm shift from “we have tried everything in the past to no avail” to “WE CAN DO THIS”!

Marketing plans to achieve growth start NOW and CONTINUE throughout the year before or after an in-take program.

Representing an inexpensive marketing plan to attract new dancers, the following strategies are key:
1. Word of Mouth and Social Media marketing by all club members, other clubs, and reaching out to other organizations.
2. Business Cards to be used by everyone throughout the year to spread the word on the program, contacts to call for further information, and benefits of the activity.

Every club has its own ‘Micro Market’ typically and is used when looking for new dancers. However, with many clubs, they do not recognize that people today are willing to travel farther for their own entertainment and fun. This micro market is then significantly increased in size to a larger demographic.

A third strategy, as clubs approach the start date of their intake program, is the use of Flyers and posting these in various public locations, the Bugle, other clubs, etc. about eight weeks prior.
Initially, clubs need to invest in Business Cards. These can be always used by various members since they are not dated.

Given the above, we can help any club with the set-up of their plans, communication plans, email examples and, most importantly, encouragement to pursue their goals.

Tom and Jo Kahnert, Strathroy Swinging Duos Past Presidents
2023-24 SWOSDA Past Presidents
tomk2005@gmail.com

• You need to gain buy-in from the club’s (formally) executive, (informally) callers and dancers
• Make a plan that covers an entire year, including the build-up to new dancers nights
• Use multiple channels for greater exposure, but not too many. focus on local presence and geographic footprint.
• Club websites & Facebook pages are the best anchors, and free
• Cross-link your various social media feeds, especially connecting them back to your club website.
• Set up groups or pages with multiple admins, so responsibility can be passed on. Allow others to post.
• Facebook pages are preferable to groups. They allow more control of content, better branding, and the option of paid advertising.
• Keep content fresh, at least to the past few months.
• Talk beyond the membership, and present a positive but realistic image of square dancing.
• All communications should focus on fun, and be inviting for perspective new dancers.
• Post photos. Mention when and where. Use full name of callers, and first names of dancers only. Don’t tag photos.
• Tie in with local events, neighboring clubs, related dance forms, musicians, possible sponsors, provincial and national events. Farmers markets, fall fairs, music festivals all draw people who may be receptive to your message.
• Post regularly, and at predictable times. Even things like “Merry Christmas/Happy Canada Day” can help keep your organization in mind over quiet periods.
• Aim for a slightly younger demographic than your club membership, but don’t expect 20-something to come to a Seniors Centre. Talk over your posts and ideas with non-dancers.
• Think critically of the whole dance experience. Social media will get prospective dancers to the first dance, but not back to the second.
• Club website should be very precise about when and where, with an address that can be recognized with GPS and Google Maps.
• Keep content dance-related. Avoid the impulse to politicize or editorialize. Be very careful to avoid negativity in tone.
• Take lots of pictures, and choose the better ones at home. Photographing dance in action is challenging. Experiment with camera settings, lighting, angles, panning.
• Think inclusively about square dance and related groups, such as old time, contra, 4H, Junior Farmers, LGBT, Scots & Irish set dancers. Be open to evolving perspectives on dress, partnering, traditional roles.
• Local media sources are looking for local stories. Make contact, and propose they come to an event.
• Don’t under-estimate the nostalgic value of square dancing, and also the photogenic appeal of dancers in costume.
• Promote a significant dance vent twice: 1 month in advance and 2-3 days in advance. Then post pictures from the dance shortly after.
• Don’t be discouraged, success comes slowly from persistence. You will always be overcoming a poor public image of square dancing, but it has lots of benefits to bring. Accentuate the positive.
• Don’t rely exclusively on Social Media to gain new dancers Traditional channels can still be effective.

Prepared by Niall O-Reilly for Toronto & District Association
noreilly@sumpatico.ca

Ideally, all connections should be easily released but still provide a sense of unity in the movement. The simplest way to achieve this is to connect using a flat or cupper hand with the thumb adjacent to the hand being relaxed and inactive. Elbows should be bent to provide a springy interaction. Mutually exerted gentle pressure towards the other person’s hand or arm should be enough to provide the desired contact while allowing either dancer to disconnect when they desire. The thumb-lock grip should be strongly discouraged. If that type of hand connection is being used, simply unlock the thumbs and show the dancers how to place their thumb adjacent to their own hand so that each hand cups the base of the other persons thumb.

For those with arthritis, it is important that hands are never squeezed. The human hand has two sets of opposing sides. The palm and the back of the hand is one set, the side with the thumb and the side with the little finger is the other set. If opposing sides of the hand are being touched at the same time, that hand is being squeezed. This is independent of the force being applied. The force applied determines how hard the hand is being squeezed.
It is equally important not to squeeze arms because it can often cause bruising. Although there are not clear sides to an arm, squeezing occurs anytime the thumb and the fingers are on opposite sides of the arm. These factors apply to all the various regional differences in handholds.

Discussing and demonstrating these recommended connections with your dancers and other callers in your area will help promote comfort for all dancers. With awareness and reminders, most dancers will make an effort to adjust their hand connections. This in turn will increase sociability and improve the dancing experience.

( By Dottie Welch )
Editor’s note; Dottie began calling in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1983. She calls and teaches beginners to challenge, as well as contras, school children and seniors. Her goal is interesting and smooth Choreography melded with the music.

The Press Release
One of the best ways to reach a mass audience is by seeking free publicity in the press. In this case though, we recommend a different approach than inviting a reporter from the media to cover an event. Many times, things are left up to a visiting reporter. On the rare occasion that they do come, they will often prefer to focus on a human-interest aspect that might not be favourable to our image and probably won’t tell of the benefits of our dance form that you’d like to see.

Several regions have seen exceptional, favourable response from both print and online media upon submission of ready-to-print press releases with accompanying photos. The online media outlets are generally considered “community internet portals” and they serve communities with news and events information and much more, like an electronic newspaper. The method that has been followed is to write press releases in the style of a press reporter and submit them unsolicited by e-mail. A little research into your local media web sites should reveal the email addresses of their editors. The topics have varied from detailing a club event to the special activities of dancers. The distribution by email is the easy part. Taking photos, gathering information about an event and writing the release is the hard part.

In seeking free publicity, we have little control over what the media editor will actually publish, if anything. You cannot expect 100 percent success with every press release, but some persistence can pay off. Keep submitting! Dance news is “soft news” and your story might get “bumped” by some serious hard news.

If you wish, you can contact the various editors of your local print and electronic media sources and ask about their preferences regarding the submission of press releases. It can’t hurt to establish a good relationship with the press. If submitting to a newspaper, leave it to the editor to select where to place your story. They’ll gauge whether it’s suitable for the “About Town” section, the “Travel” section, etc. You might even discover your material is on the front page.

An important thing is to know exactly what geographic area each media outlet serves. In the case of newspapers, where do they distribute? Again, those that are “community focused” will be disinterested in content that doesn’t relate. An exception could be persons from the community going somewhere, in which case the story is about them and their experiences. Also, your dance group wants to be seen in media where there’s reasonable chance that the readers/viewers can interact with you. Concentrate on the media that serves the immediate community where the dance club operates and where the members live.

Photo Submission
A selection of three to six photographs are generally attached to each email press release. Each photo has a suggested caption, naming the persons pictured and/or detailing what’s happening in each shot. You want your photos to relate to the subject matter of the press release. Providing the media outlets with several photos makes it less likely they’ll all publish the same picture. In the case of competing newspapers, they want to look a little different from each other. Sometimes it’s a “photo release” that is furnished to the media. That is valuable to maintain awareness in picture form where a full written press release is not appropriate. Again, the photos should be sent with suggested captions.

Resolution of Photographs
Newspapers need higher resolution photographs than online media. Photos for newspapers are usually requested at 300 dots-per-inch. A photo file-size of 1 megabyte or larger should ensure that. Pictures to be seen online can be furnished in low resolution (100 kilobytes or less). A simple approach is to issue the photos in high resolution and let those who don’t need them that way make the appropriate adjustments.

Editor’s Note
OK, so now it’s time to put into practice some of these tips and ideas for new articles. Most SWOSDA clubs have been writing articles all along for publishing in the “Bugle” along with accompanying photos, so this should not be very difficult. While sending your articles and photos to your local media, send a copy to the SWOSDA Bugle to be shared with other dancers as well. Lets do this!

It will be a great opportunity to enlighten the public as to what “modern” square dancing is all about.

Our marketing subject for this month is SELLING, the most important part of marketing the benefits of square dancing – FUN, FITNESS & FRIENDSHIP SET TO MUSIC!

We will cover the common mistakes most square dancers make as they talk to a prospect who called them in response to one of their ads or publicity efforts.

The first mistake is calling your new dancer dances “lessons”! The word “lessons” imply a class room setting, etc. and is interpreted as a negative experience. Please call them what they are – new dancer dances – because that is what they are in the real world. A good square dancer teacher-caller will have the new dancers dancing to a popular song within ten minutes of being on the floor for the first time. A Caller from Wausau, Butch Danielski, is an expert at this. He has the rare talent of being able to call a singing call with only the calls that he has taught within the first ten minutes of being on the floor. He emphasis with the new dancers to have loads of fun learning how to dance. Each new dancer dances has to be a fun experience for your new dancers.

The second mistake most square dancers make when talking to a prospect is that they talk too much. The secret is to get the prospect to talk what is important to them – not what is important to you. Often, the best way to answer a question from a prospect is to ask a relevant question.

Your job is to truthfully answer their questions and concerns with as few words as possible as you try and determine what their HOT BUTTONS are, namely what is their desire and what is important to them. The most common need of your prospects is the desire for a positive social experience! Take a close look at your club dances and you will see that the social aspect of your dances is as important if not more important than the actual dancing.

Your goal is to get their name, phone number, email address and street address (for the Dancer Prospect Data Sheet that you have previously prepared) and to close the sale by inviting them to your next new dancer dance or your club dance to see the fun that happens at your club dances.

The third mistake that most square dancers make when talking to a prospect over the phone is that they don’t know when to stop selling. Again, most square dancers talk too much when talking to a prospect. When you realized that they are “sold” you switch into the brief information mode.

The fourth mistake that most square dancers make when talking to a prospect over the phone is that they are not prepared to answer the questions coming from a prospect. Here are a few of the most common questions and comments that you will receive from your prospects;
My husband (or wife) does not like to dance.
I have two left feet.
Is square dancing hard to learn?
How long does it take to learn to square dance?
Do I have to wear those old fashioned square dance costumes?
Can we bring our kids to the dances?

I am sure that you can think of more possible questions and comments. The key to successful selling is to be prepared to answer the prospect’s questions and concerns. You will not be able to perceive all the expected questions and comments. For those questions you will have to “wing it” but always TELL THE TRUTH.

Thanks for reading these few marketing tips.

We as Canadians are a very diversified and unique society exposed to many, many cultures and dances. We all listen to music and regardless of whom you are, we all feel some urge to dance at one time or another, or are expected to dance on occasion.

Dancing isn’t something that can be explained in words. It has to be danced.
Why? Because dancing is far easier to feel than to explain.

If you already dance, it may be interesting for you to read, the many reasons listed in this article that may pertain to your desire to dance, and some of these may surprise you. No, it is not because dancing is an inexpensive date, or because you have nothing better to do. So, lets be realistic. Dancing makes me happy. It is said that there are many short cuts to happiness, and that dancing is one of them. I know that dancing makes my wife happy, and anything that puts a smile on her face is something I want to be doing.

Exercise for your mind?
Absolutely. Scientific studies have proven that dance has been shown to improve motor function, mental symptoms and overall quality of life in both people with and without Parkinson’s disease or dementia.
(Ten ways dance strengthens the brain www.nicabm.com )

We dance for emotional stability
“While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. This is why I dance” (Hans Bos)

George Bernard Shaw once wrote…
“ if you can’t get rid of the skeletons in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance”

We all have circumstances in our lives that demand our attention and leave us with emotional highs and lows that consume our thoughts. When we dance, all our thoughts amalgamate to our dancing, leaving us free to experience the pleasures of friends, partners, music and dance.

We dance to express ourselves
Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what is too deep to find in words.
“The truest expression of a people is in it’s dance and in it’s music. Bodies never lie.” (Agnes De Mille)

Dancing makes you more interesting as a person
“Dancing insists we take up space, and though it has no set direction, we go there together. Dance is dangerous, joyous, sexual, disruptive and contagious. It can happen anywhere, at any time, with anyone and everyone. Dance joins us and pushes us to go further.” (Eve Ensler)

Personal artistic expressions draw attention to us as dancers. There are so many ways one can dance. Artistic expression can be unique to you as an individual and create interest in those that wonder where your creativity comes from. Is it your cultural background, your ethnic heritage or simply your love of dance?

It is said that dancing is all fun and no pressure
Now I realize that not everyone enjoys dancing as much as I do, but I really believe that you feel better when you dance. Some people feel nervous, or self conscious or maybe even shy? For us, life really is so much more fun when you throw all of that out the window and just live in the moment and dance. No one cares if you are a good dancer or not. “Dance like nobody is watching” is a common phrase with deep meaningful roots.

Dancing cures the “working is no fun” syndrome Fact. (www.dancewithmeusa.com)

Eight reasons why dancing will enhance your mood and boost productivity while you work.
1: Dancing makes you smarter
2: Dancing encourages team building
3: Dancing improves your energy level and wellness
4: Dancing improves your health and fitness
5: Dancing boosts your confidence
6: Dancing improves your creativity
7: Through dancing, your perseverance and dedication are noticed and valued.
8: Dancing is fun.

Dancing provides us the opportunity to exercise, socialize and share our love of dance with friends. We would never have dreamed that dancing would expand our friendship circle to the magnitude it has become. How exciting it is to know that we can dance anywhere from Yuma, Az, to Halifax, NS to Vancouver Island and many, many other places in between, meeting new friends and renewing old friendships.

Travelling to dance conventions in Canada and the U.S. provides the perfect opportunity for us to see old friends again.

There are far too many reasons why people dance. For me to expand on or to justify any one person’s specific reason is not necessary, only that they dance.

Some will tell you that it is excellent exercise for the body and mind. Some dance for mental clarity. Some dance to show the world who they really are and project an image, or to overcome fear, improve relationships, decrease anxiety or to help them cope with daily stressors. Some dance because it makes them feel beautiful and powerful.

Jamie Benson explains how dance can replace your physical and psychological burdens (both chemically and emotionally) with pure joy. (www.thoughtcatalogue.com/jamie-benson

The best part is that literally, anyone can dance for whatever the reason.

Why do we dance?
Perhaps a better question would be …….. Why would we not?

See you at the 2018 Canadian Square and Round Dance Convention in London, Ontario, July 19, 20 & 21

“Make The Scene in 2018”

As we grow older we suffer a decline in mental and physical fitness, which can be made worse by conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. A new study, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, shows that older people who routinely partake in physical exercise can reverse the signs of aging in the brain, and dancing has the most profound effect.

“Exercise has the beneficial effect of slowing down or even counteracting age-related decline in mental and physical capacity,” says Dr Kathrin Rehfeld, lead author of the study, based at the German center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany. “In this study, we show that two different types of physical exercise (dancing and endurance training) both increase the area of the brain that declines with age. In comparison, it was only dancing that lead to noticeable behavioral changes in terms of improved balance.”
Elderly volunteers, with an average age of 68, were recruited to the study and assigned either an eighteen-month weekly course of learning dance routines, or endurance and flexibility training. Both groups showed an increase in the hippocampus region of the brain. This is important because this area can be prone to age-related decline and is affected by diseases like Alzheimer’s. It also plays a key role in memory and learning, as well as keeping one’s balance.
While previous research has shown that physical exercise can combat age-related brain decline, it is not known if one type of exercise can be better than another. To assess this, the exercise routines given to the volunteers differed. The traditional fitness training program conducted mainly repetitive exercises, such as cycling or Nordic walking, but the dance group were challenged with something new each week.

Dr Rehfeld explains, “We tried to provide our seniors in the dance group with constantly changing dance routines of different genres (Jazz, Square, Latin-American and Line Dance). Steps, arm-patterns, formations, speed and rhythms were changed every second week to keep them in a constant learning process. The most challenging aspect for them was to recall the routines under the pressure of time and without any cues from the instructor.”

These extra challenges are thought to account for the noticeable difference in balance displayed by those participants in dancing group. Dr Rehfeld and her colleagues are building on this research to trial new fitness programs that have the potential of maximizing anti-aging effects on the brain.

“Right now, we are evaluating a new system called “Jymmin” (jamming and gymnastic). This is a sensor-based system which generates sounds (melodies, rhythm) based on physical activity. We know that dementia patients react strongly when listening to music. We want to combine the promising aspects of physical activity and active music making in a feasibility study with dementia patients.”

Dr Rehfeld concludes with advice that could get us up out of our seats and dancing to our favorite beat.

“I believe that everybody would like to live an independent and healthy life, for as long as possible. Physical activity is one of the lifestyle factors that can contribute to this, counteracting several risk factors and slowing down age-related decline. I think dancing is a powerful tool to set new challenges for body and mind, especially in older age.”

This study falls into a broader collection of research investigating the cognitive and neural effects of physical and cognitive activity across the lifespan.

Source: Frontiers. “Dancing can reverse the signs of aging in the brain.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 August 2017.

How the Federation can help You

The aims and objectives of the Federation are outlined fully on the website: http://squaredance.on.ca.

Highlighted here are some of the more tangible ways in which the Federation can offer support to clubs, leaders and dancers within Ontario. Various bursaries are available to help offset the cost of recruitment, caller training, new club set-up and leadership training. Each bursary has its own criteria, deadlines and regulations so please pay careful attention to these, which are fully explained on the website.

All applications for bursaries must be routed through your local Association so you must allow sufficient time to meet the various criteria and deadlines of each bursary.

The Federation consists of 6 Associations, listed below. As Northern Ontario and Northwestern Ontario do not have an Association committee, applications from these areas should go directly to the Federation.

• Eastern Ontario Square and Round Dance Association
• Toronto and District Square and Round Dance Association
• Square and Round Dancers of South Western Ontario
• Lakehead & District Square & Round Dance Association
• Northern Ontario Square and Round Dance Clubs
• Northwestern Ontario

In some cases your local Association may also offer bursaries; please refer to your own Association for information.

The Canadian Square and Round Dance Society (CSRDS) also offer a Caller training bursary and a Leadership Training bursary. Please refer to their website for information.
http://www.csrds.ca/csrds-leaders.htm. An amount of up to $500 is offered.

New Club Bursary
Any person/s wishing to start up a new club (square dance, round dance, line dance or clogging group) may apply to their Federation for help to offset the start-up expenses incurred. The Federation may award, to each successful applicant, a maximum one time grant of up to $200. A maximum amount for any calendar year to be awarded to all applicants is $1000. All applications will be dealt with on a first come first served basis.

Leadership Training Grants
The purpose of establishing a Grants Program is to provide financial assistance for Associations/ clubs or groups affiliated with the Ontario Square & Round Dance Federation to sponsor caller/cuer/ leader training or upgrade the skills of established dance instructors. This is not available to an individual.

Caller/Leader/Instructor Bursary
Any dancer wishing to become a Caller/Leader/Instructor in the different dance categories (square, round, clogging, line, western), or a current Caller/Leader/Instructor wishing to upgrade their skills may apply for a bursary to help offset the expenses incurred. The application form can be found on the website. It must be approved by your local Association before being submitted to the Federation. The Federation may pay up to 50% of the approved costs, to a maximum of $400.

Recruitment Bursary
All member clubs can apply for this bursary to help offset the cost incurred in recruiting new dancers. An amount of up to $200 is available. Again, please read the criteria listed on the Federation website. It will be awarded on a first come basis. As the annual amount given out is limited to $1000, it may be reduced depending on the number of successful applications.

Large event Sponsorships
A new initiative by the Federation is to allocate $500 to towards sponsorship/advertising of large events, some of which draw people from all areas of the province and therefore cover the jurisdictions of different Associations. If any club has knowledge of such events they think meet this criteria, please make the Federation aware of it.

Prepared by Howard and Jean Lander
Publicity and Promotion

It’s All in the Timing… Did you know that a typical square dance has the same number of tips, regardless of whether or not round dancing is offered?

According to our callers, they need about seven or eight minutes to rest their voices between tips. Whether dancers use those minutes for socializing or round dancing or another type of dancing, the amount of square dance time is not affected.

Square and round dancers: Let’s work together to ensure the most dance time possible! When you hear dance music, that’s your invitation to get on the floor. When dancers get on and off the dance floor quickly at the end of a tip or rounds segment, the next type of dancing can begin promptly. That means more dancing fun for everyone.

Non-round dancers, please socialize on the sidelines to enable the cuer to be heard easily.

Everyone, let’s respect the time allotted to each type of dancing to ensure a great event for all dancers.

Jan Thompson
[reprinted from Grand Square 52.2 – January 2010]

Let’s look at similarities:

Both dance forms have a caller who teaches and calls the dances. Both are community dances where you dance with many folks rather than with just 1 partner. The caller plans the evening program and has overall responsibility for the entire evening. The caller is responsible for the success of the dancers on the dance floor. The dancers are responsible for listening and responding to the caller with the appropriate dance action. The gentleman does not have all the responsibility and pressure to lead his partner in the dancing. He does not have to be creative and think about what he’s going to do next to entertain his partner and ensure she enjoys dancing with him. There is no fancy footwork either. All the dance moves are done by simply walking or shuffling to the beat of the music. The only exception is the swing, which can be done with a simple walking step or with a buzz step. The buzz step allows one to swing faster and more energetically. The footwork there mimics riding on a scooter, where the weight is on the right foot and the left foot pushes and propels you around. Even those who can’t hear the beat at all can actually square dance or contra dance. There are lots of dances moves which are shared by these two dance forms. A contra dancer or square dancer can learn the other dance form quickly and easily. You will find both square dancing and contra dancing all across the country and around the world too.

Let’s Compare:
Dancing

Contra dancing is done in long lines. You dance with your partner and 1 other couple. After each iteration of the dance or 64 beats of music, you and your partner move on to meet another couple and repeat the dance with them. In that way you dance with your partner and lots of couples in the line. Because the dance repeats, the caller eventually stops calling the dance so the dancers can listen and enjoy the music without the voice of the caller. The enjoyment is in the grove, the trace of the dance, not the complexity. The caller only calls as long as necessary to ensure the dancers are successful on the dance floor. Most dancers change partners at the end of each contra dance, although that is not required. There is a great deal of swinging in each and every dance, anywhere from 8 beats to 32 beats out of 64 beats of music. This is what the dancers like most as it gives them an opportunity to interact with their partner and frequently others in the set as well. This makes contra dancing very vigorous and energetic.

Modern western squares are done in 4 couple squares. You dance with your partner and 3 other couples in your square. In a patter square you will keep your original partner and you have a working partner as well at any point in time. In a singing square, typically, you change partners each time through the figure and end up with your original partner for the ending. The fun is in the surprise factor and in being able to work together as a team of 8 to successfully execute the calls. There is also lots of fun in recovering from mistakes and omissions and the “creative choreography” required to recover! There is very little swinging at a square dance as compared to the contra dance. A typical square dance swing is once around, twice if you are really fast, and off you go! The singing call may or may not include a swing and it may be omitted entirely from a patter square. It depends on the caller really. There are many square dance clubs in the area and each club has their own culture. You will want to attend dances at the various clubs and see which fits your personality best. There are groups which are primarily couples based and you dance with your partner for every dance. There are groups where folks change partners frequently and which more singles attend so they are better for singles. Some groups actually use a card system to ensure everyone dances all night long, including singles. There are groups which cater to the gay and lesbian crowd. Some groups are more focused on the social aspects of the club and not so much on the dancing while others are great for the hard core dancer and the dancing is more challenging. Some groups consist primarily of older dancers and are targeted at the older dancer while others have a greater mix of age and are much more dynamic and energetic. There is something for everyone.

The Caller

The Contra leader will start with a walk thru at the start of each contra dance. Once dancers are accustomed to the sequence of figures, then the music starts. At a typical 3-hour contra dance, there are 11 to 12 dances in an evening. The caller presents an evening consisting of mostly duple minor improper contras and may include 1 or 2 dances of other formations as well: circle mixers, Sicilian circle, triplets, mescolanza, 4 couple square, grid squares, triple minors, proper contras, and the newest thing, zia’s.

The caller at a modern western square dance, for the most part, the same caller calls for the group at every dance. The group, known as a club, has guest callers when their primary caller is unavailable. There are some square dance clubs who do hire in different callers for each or most of their dances. There is no walkthrough before the dancing starts. The dancers are expected to know a particular set of dance moves and the caller is expected to call material they already know. The caller calls for the entire duration of the dance because the dancers don’t know what the caller is going to call ahead of time and are not supposed to anticipate the calls! The caller’s goal is to surprise the dancers with fun and creative choreography that they can dance successfully and will find interesting. The longer patter square is typically followed by a singing square. The goal of the singing call is for the dancers to just relax and enjoy the music. There could be some repetition in the figure called for a singer and the choreography might be simpler. The caller typically presents material in the formation of a 4 couple square. They may occasionally call 6 couple, hexagon or progressive squares. After each tip, there is a short break, about 5 minutes or so, for socializing.

New Dancers

At a contra dance, anyone can attend without any prior experience. Most dances have a 30 to 60 minute introduction for new dancers. That covers just enough to give the new dancer some very basics, enough to help them know where and how to line up and generally what to expect and some pointers. For the most part all the regular dancers are very helpful and will actively seek out new dancers to dance with during the evening. The new dancer essentially learns by dancing with the experienced dancers and through the repetition. This also means that the caller has to call to the general level of the floor. A new dancer attending a dance of primarily experienced dancers can feel overwhelmed and intimidated very quickly. The experienced dancer at a dance with a high percentage of new dancers will mostly likely find the dancing too rough or unsatisfying. The dances at the beginning of the evening tend to be easier and build on one another and in complexity as the evening progresses in order to incorporate the new dancers on the floor as gently as possible. Lots of new dancers leave at the break and the dances in the second half of the evening are typically more challenging.

For modern western square dance, new dancers must learn the square dance moves thru a series of lessons before they can attend a regular dance of a particular level. While the lessons are lots of fun and you will meet lots of folks, the regular dances are even more fun! At the regular dances there is no teaching, or very little. Dancers square up, the music starts and the caller calls! Different clubs dance at different levels (typically mainstream, plus, plus DBD, challenge and advanced). Once you have learned to dance at a given level, you can dance at any club dancing at the level you have attained. Experienced and proficient contra dancers can learn the mainstream material very quickly, in as little as 8 weeks. Learning time for those with no dance experience will vary and depends on each person. The complete mainstream program is most typically taught over a period of 24 weeks.

(Posted with permission from Eva Murray) (http://www.evamurray.com/contrasquare.html)