Square dancing enthusiasts twirl and swirl in centuries-old pastime
By Emmett Burnett
Twenty-three states have chosen square dancing as their official dance. Alabama is one of them.
On a recent night near Birmingham, the town of Fultondale becomes a do-si-do ground zero.
For in the Friendship Hall in Fultondale, participants from near and far, ages 8 to 88, dance in one of the oldest square dance events in the state, the 73rd Alabama Jubilee.
Ladies in flowy skirts twirl and whirl. Men donned in western wear assist in the spinning. Fun, fellowship, and laughter resonate throughout the evening.
In addition to square dancing, many participate in “rounds,” or choreographed ballroom dancing. Others are line dance enthusiasts, high-stepping in synchronization. All are under one rooftop.
And it’s not just in Fultondale. Within any given week, Alabamians are square dancing somewhere.
“We have about 600 dancers throughout the state,” says Bobby Parker, president of the Alabama Square and Round Dance Association (ASRDA). “We also have around 20 clubs from Decatur to Anniston, to Auburn to Birmingham, and Mobile.” And there’s room for more.
Veterans of the swirl-and-twirl insist that your skill sets do not matter. Whether you have the dance moves of Fred Astaire or Fred Flintstone, there’s a place for you at a ‘Bama ballroom.
“Most of our initial interest is from women,” says Parker. “Either they are widowed or can’t talk their husbands into taking a class.” Parker, a Pinson resident, can relate.
“I can tell you I was not happy with my wife when she asked me to try square dancing,” he recalls. “But by the second class, I was like ‘Hurry up! We are going to be late!’”
Newcomers may fret that they don’t have the skills or ask, “Can I learn the moves?”
“Absolutely,” answers Liz Sorrell, president of the Birmingham Square & Round Dance Association. “Some people are apprehensive about square dancing if they have never done it. Try it once. You will love it.”
Her husband Rick adds, “I have never seen anyone after trying square dancing walk off the dance floor saying, ‘that’s not for me.’ It is for you. Stay with it.”
“I hear the ‘I don’t have rhythm’ excuse all the time,” adds Montgomery Area Square Dance Association’s Dimple Williford. She answers the doubters: “Yes you do. You learn by doing the moves to the beat of the music and to pay attention to the caller.”
This is sage advice. The caller literally runs the show He or she is the catalyst of a good square dance.
“First, you read the room,” says caller Ted Kennedy, setting up his audio equipment in the gymnasium of the Port City Church of Christ in Mobile. The Port City Squares are about to take the floor.
“I have to get a feeling for the audience,” Kennedy adds. “Is this a newer group? Should I slow things down? Can I move the tempo up a bit? I must know the audience’s personality.”
Kennedy calls out instructions: You’re left, turn to the right, bow to your partner, and other moves. Dancers immediately respond.
“I have to figure out who is dancing with who and eventually I must get them back to the corner and back to their piece of the dance floor,” he says. “It is quite literally a human puzzle of dance.”
Kennedy also told another “puzzle of dance” that many may not know. “Square dancing occurs throughout the world. But regardless of the country or global location, the caller always instructs the group in English, even if he and his dancers do not speak English.”
So why the love and durability of square dancing? Many other dances are bygone boogies, yet the square dance, first recorded in 17th century England, perseveres.
‘It keeps your mind sharp’
“Square dancing, rounds, line dance, are more than dance,” notes Rick Sorrell. “It is good for your physical and mental health.” Sorrell and his wife Liz are co-chairs of the Fultondale two-day event.
“There is a lot going on during the dance,” Sorrell says. “You must be attentive to the calls and coordinate those calls with your dance partner. Possibly 100 other people are doing the same thing. It keeps your mind sharp.”
“It is also a family-friendly event,” says David Holladay, who teaches and conducts round dancing. “There is no smoking, drinking, or cursing allowed.” Pointing out at the group dancing the night away, he adds, “This is a safe place.”
However, there are concerns. Square dancers are dwindling.
“The decline, I think, is due to the misconception that square dancing is for old folks,” Bobby Parker says. “That is not true. It is great exercise that gets you off the couch on a Friday or Saturday night. There is great fellowship with new and old friends of all ages.”
But several factors have dealt substantial blows, COVID being in the forefront. In the post-coronavirus days of quarantine, many dancers never returned.
Also, younger people are participating less. “Our biggest challenge is to obtain young callers and cuers (the cuer conducts rounds dancing) that are right out of college,” says Holladay. “It is difficult for people our ages – 60s and 70s – to attract younger crowds.”
President Bobby Parker adds, “We have reached out to home schools and the Boys and Girls groups/clubs. We need more young people interested. They are our future. If we teach them at a young age, they tend to stay with it. Even when they get older, marry, have kids and have to stop for a time in their life, they will eventually return to dancing.”
Statewide gathering
Square dancers from across Alabama will gather at the Oxford Civic Center Aug. 28-29 for the 46th Alabama Square and Round Dance Association Convention. The theme is “Salute to America.” More information is available on their Facebook page. Search for Alabama Square and Round Dance Association.
For more information on square dancing, rounds dancing, and line dancing in Alabama visit alabamasquaredance.com.
