Any Other Dancers?

[scrabbler1]

I square danced off and on in the 1980s before my full-time work schedule left me too worn out to continue in late 1988. But in 2001, after I switched to working part-time, I returned to the activity, dancing twice a week until I fully retired in late 2008. At that time, I expanded my dancing to 3 nights per week. I had risen to Challenge-1, or C-1, a very advanced level. I had also become good at dancing the girl's part, something useful because at C-1 there were more men than women in my small, local club. (I was also a "no-twirl" guy!")


It became a little too much dancing that many nights per week and in 2014 I cut it back to 2 nights. But, sadly, last year our long-time caller here on Long Island, the father of Western Square Dancing, Lee Kopman, passed away at age 85. And with that, my square dancing disappeared. There is another caller in my area but I don't really like him and have no interest in continuing my dancing with him. I am not willing to travel out of town to dance, either.

 

[harllee]

scrabbler1, that's a sad story. So sorry you have had to give up square dancing, something you loved and obviously were very good at. And it is great exercise too. Is there any way to get another caller in your area? I know people who go on vacations just to square dance, have you looked into square dancing vacations?

 

[Retch The Grate]

My wife loves playing Just Dance on our PS4 so I do some of that with her randomly. We go out to electronic music stuff to dance from time to time (not as much as we used to, Goth for her, Raves for me).

 

[harllee]

Retch the Grate, so glad you and your wife like to dance but I must admit I have never seen Goth or Rave dancing (after all I am 68) but if you enjoy it I am all for it. Last weekend at the place I go dancing (there was a big crowd of us flatfooting) a teenager came in, looked around and said "THIS IS A GERIATRIC MOSH PIT". I took that as a compliment.

 

[scrabbler1]

scrabbler1, that's a sad story. So sorry you have had to give up square dancing, something you loved and obviously were very good at. And it is great exercise too. Is there any way to get another caller in your area? I know people who go on vacations just to square dance, have you looked into square dancing vacations?

Square dancing here on LI has been on the decline for many years. It reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s. The club I joined in 2001 (not Lee Kopman's) had 6 squares before its numbers gradually fell to 1-2 squares by the time it folded in 2018. The club's original caller moved away in 2007. Lee's main club had 3-4 squares in 2002 when I joined it but had also fallen to 1-2 squares by the time he passed away in 2018. Beginner classes usually fold after a few months, or their few persistent dancers join the existing club. But with a basically 60+ age group, we lose many more dancers to death, disability, disinterest, or relocation than we can get replacements.

The only caller who has any organized clubs is the one I don't like and won't dance with. And I am not willing to travel out of town to dance. I don't like traveling in general.