Square Dancing on Thursday Night

     While I know that square dancing is considered “square” by most people.  Anyone who has actually done it, knows just how much fun and enjoyable it is.  I do more laughing on Thursday nights than any other part of the week.   I am sure that there are square dancing groups that 100% serious and hardcore, and I don’t think I would enjoy them very much.  Our McBride group is just there for the enjoyment with other community members, while at the same time, getting both some physical and mental exercise, and laughing at the mistakes we make.

   I am usually kept busy dancing, but last night I sat out a dance to take some photos.  Square dancing requires a group of eight people (four couples) for each square.  Our group normally has enough people for two squares, but I guess last night was a busy one for the community, because we only had enough dancers for one square.

    Square dancing is made up of many “calls” telling the dancers in the square what to do as the music plays.  It requires a lot of mental concentration to hear the calls as everyone is moving, then quickly remembering what the call requires you to do, and then doing it.  The calls come fast, one after the other, and if one or more people screw up, it effects everyone, and causes a “train wreck” with everyone in the wrong place, confused, and not knowing how to proceed.  It is those train wrecks that cause all of the laughing.

    As far as physical exercise, square dancing is an enjoyable way to get it.  I normally don’t get much exercise during the winter, unless it snows or we have trouble with our water system.  My average number of steps per day is 4,200, but the number of steps I get on Thursdays is about 7,200.  That increase is due to our two hours of square dancing.

    As you might expect, females are always more keen about dancing than males, so in order to make up a square of 4 couples, some of our females have to take the male roles.   They wear pants, so they can be identified as the men.  The women being women, wear skirts to avoid confusion in the chaos of dancing.

    Here are some more photos of the gyrating during a dance last night:

    

You can see my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca