Story by Marilyn LaRocque
The mood was especially festive and congenial, because the Boots and Belles had invited the Napa Buzzsteppers to join them for a holiday party. Impatient to get started, those already in place stomped loudly on the floor to alert the refreshment committee downstairs that the dancing was about to begin.
The din achieved the desired result!
With four sets (a set has four couples arranged in the shape of a square) finally squared, caller Roger Morris of Sacramento, bedecked in multicolored striped shirt, suspenders and Santa cap, started the group off slowly, taking them through the steps of a "country-western" style song, the first of two in a pair that's called a "tip." The unique vocabulary of square dancing kept the dancers moving at a steady pace: grand right and left, allemande left, do-si-do, chain through, promenade, the California twirl, cloverleaf, Ferris wheel, and load the boat, to name just a few of the nearly 100 calls.
In keeping with the season, most of the men wore red or green shirts with ties color-coordinated with their ladies blouse. The ladies expressed the holiday fashion in elaborately patterned above-knee skirts in flowered prints, plaids or patchwork, with candy canes, ribbons, ruffles, lace and bows.
It's not unusual for a woman to have several, even a dozen or so, dance outfits. Many women make their own, letting their imagination run free. In addition to the familiar gathered style, skirts can have 14, or more, triangular panels, with the apex at the waistband. This design creates an especially bouncy effect, accentuated by the multiple layers of ruffles on the crinoline underneath, as the wearer whirls, seemingly in perpetual motion. For added pizazz, many of the women flourish their skirts with their right hand, like a Cancan dancer.
Most of the men wore boots, as did some women. But numerous women opted for special low-to-mid-heel strap pumps with composition soles which allow them to move quickly over the floor without slipping. In addition to their individual ensembles, club members have "uniforms" and jackets which they wear to events outside their club's area.
Square dancing is divided into several levels of proficiency. At the basic, or beginner, level there are 49 figures to be learned: at the next, mainstream, there are 69; for Plus 95. Both Boots and Bells and Napa Buzzsteppers are "Plus" level dance groups, as are most square dancer clubs. However for those who have the interest and commitment, two advanced levels and four "challenge" levels gradually increase the number of calls to over 4,000!
Today's square dancing, particularly western square dancing, is a far cry from the simple, repetitive steps used decades ago in P.E. classes on rainy days. It's lively, friendly and fun. Good callers create choreography on the spot.
Gone, too, is the "yahoo" music. Contemporary country western and fiddle playing is the choice for the first number in a tip. "That's what we call a patter or workshop it," explained Opal Meyers, Boots and Belles treasurer. "The second song can be anything with the right beat, and the caller intersperses the calls with the regular lyrics." Roger Morris used a variety of popular music, from old-time Perry Como favorite "Round and Round" to Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings."
Both Morris and caller Nate Bliss of Vallejo agreed a caller's job is to see that everybody gets to dance at their level of expertise. "You need to respond to the skill level, energy and mood of the group on any given night," said Bliss. "and have to vary the dance form each time so people can't anticipate what comes next and it doesn't become boring and routine."
"what's nice about square dancing," Bliss said, "is that it doesn't matter who you are or what you do. People get into it for the fun and fellowship, with some easy, healthy exercise as an added benefit." Buzzsteppers' caller Mike Wright of Concord added, "Square dancing is both physical and mental exercise. One call flows into the next, so you're constantly walking smoothly from one step to another. Your arms help change direction and position, making the figures.
"Because dancers have no idea what call is coming next, their minds are challenged and stimulated, too. After a hard day's work, with lots of problems, if you go square dancing, you're concentrating so hard on the calls that you can't worry about problems. By the end of the evening, you're both physically and mentally refreshed."
"Square dancing is an ageless pastime, with wide appeal," Wright continued. "You make new friendships that often last a lifetime."
Ray Glenn, president of Boots and Belles, emphasized the camaraderie of square dancing. "It's a social group too," he explained. "For example, for 20 years, in the first week of October, our club camps at Cassini Ranch on the Russian River. There's a potluck supper every night, and a general cookout breakfast every day, for which everybody brings food that two or three guys cook on big propane stoves. We also travel to hoedowns on weekends and go to festivals.
One of the biggest, most successful festivals in Northern California is held the second weekend in November at the Napa Valley Exposition. In 1995, about 1,000 people attended with nearly 300 RVs accounting for a good number of them. Called the "Grape Festival," the event virtually takes over the fairgrounds. There's dancing at various levels in four halls, as well as workshops to teach calls.
Nancy and Bob Wolfe of Boots and Belles were instrumental in organizing the Grape Festival this past year. Enthusiastic square dancers, they frequently travel to other areas to dance. Nancy admits to having at least 10 outfits in her closet. "When you travel," Nancy said, "you can meet people all over the world at square dance clubs."
"We always pack a square dance outfit when we travel and find out about the clubs in the areas we'll ve visiting," said Pat Gregory, a Napa Buzzstepper. "It's a great way to meet the local people. That's also true when you move to a new area. It's harder to get acquainted when you're older and your kids are grown and you're not involved in school activities," she observed. "Square dancing helps solve that problem."
Square dancing can also play Cupid. Military service reactivated Al Elsea's interest in square dancing, which he'd been doing "off and on" since 1951. "It gave me something to do when I was stationed with the Army in Albuquerque," he said. Back home again, he met his wife, Grace, at a square dance hoedown in Concord.
Kathleen MacPherson, president of Buzzsteppers, also learned how to square dance as a teenager, following in her parents' footsteps. She and her husband, John Schosanski, confirmed that square dancing is a universal pastime. "We were in Hawaii for 10 weeks," she said, "and, through the local club, met people from New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Germany. Through square dancing, we've developed a wonderful circle of friends from all over. Since many of them travel to hoedowns and festivals we see them over and over again."
Jim Porter, who's another early-years square dancer, having learned as a youth in central Oklahoma, represents Boots and Belles at the Northern California regional level of square dancing and is very knowledgeable about U.S. events. To help spread the word, he posts flyers on the Grange bulletin board. "The state, regional and national roundups and conventions line up well-known callers," he said. "These are people that have national reputations. The national convention draws about 25,000 people."
One reason proponents give for the popularity of square dancing is that it's informal and less demanding. "Square dancing is very different than ballroom dancing," Nancy Wolfe said. "It's more casual and you can make mistakes and it's not a problem. Everybody's good-natured.
"It's too bad more young people aren't taking up square dancing," she remarked, "but if they have young children, and have to get a sitter, that can be difficult. You need to take the time to learn the steps and then dance almost every week to keep up your skill level."
"It's often hard to get men out to any kind of dancing," Nate Bliss said. "They don't know how to lead. With square dancing," he emphasized, "everybody learns his or her part, so there's no 'leading' involved."
"Square dancing is much easier for men to learn," Joanne Morris concurred. "They really just 'direct traffic' while the women do all the fancy steps and turns."
"Try it," Kathleen MacPherson encouraged. "You just might like it!"
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