If you want to learn how to dance but don’t consider yourself a strong dancer, square dance might be the introduction you’re looking for. Square dancing also makes a great date idea for the significant person in your life, and you can both meet some new friends along the way.
The Moose Jaw Town and Country Square Dance Association will resume dance lessons on Monday, Sept. 25, and you’re invited to attend. There’s no requirement for any dance experience, and you can come alone or with a partner.
The association has been a part of the community for over 50 years and provides a positive, open environment for anyone looking for that ideal outing.
Square dance is a choreographed dance for four couples, or eight individuals, and involves a caller naming the next move while couples follow the lead.
The dance is fairly easy to learn. “It’s like walking to music. If you can tap your toe, then you can square dance,” explained Valerie Wright, the association’s caller. She said square dance is a better starting point for a novice dancer than other, more routine styles of dance or even freestyle.
“A lot of people have probably seen ‘do-si-do’ or the ‘Allemande left’ move in movies,” Wright said, noting that most new dancers pick up the moves quickly and seem to already be familiar with some of it.
The dance starts with participants organizing into groups of eight. The music then starts and couples wait for the next instruction from the caller. From there, it’s a matter of good listening skills.
Valerie Wright and her husband Lane are the current ‘caller couple’ for the association. The term refers to the dance guides who call out a series of previously learned moves, and dancing couples follow their lead. This means the dance is alive and dynamic, rather than being a matter of rote memorization.
They are the second couple to call at the association and carry on a local tradition. “The caller couple who used to call for the club had been calling for over 50 years by the time they handed it over to us,” said Wright. Wright and her husband have been calling since 2003.
The evening opens with a review of lessons from the previous week, and then a few new movements are introduced. Lessons start with a couple beginner-level dances, and then mainstream dances are called where the more experienced dancers can move at a more rapid pace.
Wright said the association’s focus is on “social square dance,” which means it’s all about enjoyment rather than competing. There’s no competition to train for, and dancers who are looking to take it a step further can contact Wright for more advanced options.
“We’re not nose to the grindstone; we’re there to get a bit of exercise and enjoy the friendship of others, and that’s what is it is all about,” she said. “If we know the move, we know the move and if we don’t, we just do it again until we learn it.
“It’s all about community and the friendships that you make within that community,” Wright added.
Wright has been attending square dance lessons with her husband for a decade now, and where many couples tend to focus on life’s day to day challenges, they found a way to spend quality time together. This was accentuated when the kids moved out and the couple realized how strongly they maintained their sense of connection.
“I got off the phone and said, ‘Hun, we’ve been having date nights for the past 10 years and didn’t know it’,” said Wright. “We were doing date night before date night was a thing.” She owes this to square dance lessons with the association.
Square dance also gets you moving, and Wright describes this as “discreet fitness.”
“If someone tells me to hit the floor and do 20 sit-ups and 10 push-ups… I might drag my tail across the lawn half an hour later. But if someone asks to dance with me, they hardly have to put the needle down and I’m up there to dance.” The key, she said, is to get started as early as you can.
The season begins with a couple nights where new dancers can immerse themselves in the activity and see if it’s right for them. These first nights are free of charge.
“These first two nights are free and open to the public to attend. We will go full-fledged into more learning and more lessons after we’ve confirmed who is signed up,” Wright explained.
“If you can’t come out on the first night, but wanted to try it, you’re welcome to come out the following night even if you don’t know what a left and right thru is,” she added.
The first night of the season is Monday, Sept. 25, followed by the second night on Monday, Oct. 2. Dance lessons are always held on Mondays, and lessons go from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The membership fee for the season is $50.
The Moose Jaw Town and Country Square Dance Association normally holds dance lessons at St. Margaret School, but due to ongoing renovations, they’re being held at St. Mary School.
St. Mary School is located at 720 Fifth Avenue Southwest.
For more information, contact Marcia Wiman at 306-681-8648.
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