Square Dancing is ... friendship set to musicLocal square dancers dancing with friends at the SCVSDA Jubilee in San Jose. |
a family-friendly recreation for young and old |
TRY SQUARE DANCING AT ONE OF THESE INTRO SESSIONS |
Mondays 22 & 29 September, in Los Altos: MORE INFO |
Wednesdays 7 & 14 February, in San Jose: MORE INFO |
Wednesdays 24 January and 7 February, in Oakland: MORE INFO |
Wednesday 7 February, in San Rafael: MORE INFO |
Square Dancing is ... a variety of musicDancers dancing to a "square dance rap" at a Bay Area event, May 2017. |
Read more to find out:
Square Dancing is ... exercise for the body and mindDancers and callers commenting on what square dancing means to them. |
Modern square dancing is a unique mix of music with physical and mental exercise. It is a "non-competitive team sport", in which groups of eight people (a "square") cooperate to move according to the instructions ("calls") given by a caller. It's also very much a social activity, a way that people get together regularly with people they know but also meet new people who join the group or visit from other groups.
Although you may sometimes see local square dancers demonstrating square dancing at public events, they aren't "performers". These are just people showing you something they do regularly as a recreation, like a sport or game, for fun.
Square Dancing is ... a local activityDancers from many local clubs dancing together at the Santa Clara County Fair. |
Unlike many other forms of dancing, square dancing is not an individual or couple activity. The unit in square dancing is eight people, so you will be interacting with seven other people at a time. And during an evening, you'll be dancing with different people as the squares re-assemble for each set of music.
In this area you will find square dancers from all walks of life, from almost every national background, as young as five and as old as 90.
And modern square dancing has been standardized worldwide (with the calls always given in English) -- so if you go to Australia or Germany or Japan you'll find a welcome from the square dancers there!
Square Dancing is ... an international activity"Square Dance Song" produced by square dancers in Sweden. |
Square Dancing is ... everything in betweenDancers from all over California gather each year for a state convention. |
If you enjoy the intro session, you may want to join a club that is offering a beginner class. Clubs offer classes starting at various times of the year -- several are starting this fall!
Schedule | Starting | Location | Club | Web Site | Contact |
Monday evenings | January | Los Altos | Bows and Beaus | bowsandbeaus.org | class@bowsandbeaus.org |
Wednesday evenings | February | San Jose | Rockin Jokers | rockinjokers.com | president@rockinjokers.com |
Wednesday evenings | February | Oakland | Oaktown 8s | oaktown-8s.square.site | info@oaktown8s.org |
Wednesday evenings | February | Sebastopol | Redwood Rainbows | redwoodrainbows.org | contact@redwoodrainbows.org |
To contact us about these intro sessions and classes, write to: intro@scvsda.org or call 408-774-1570.
For information about other intro sessions elsewhere in the Bay Area and around California visit: http://www.squaredance.org/learn