Kathy and Norm Smith are ready to dance.
Linda Lewis
Square dancing is really, really fun. Just ask the over 30 SaddleBrooke dancers who went to Yuma over Valentine’s Day for the annual Yuma Square Dance Festival. Or ask the folks from Sierra Vista who met with SaddleBrooke dancers at the Catalina Recreation Center in early March. You can also check with the Sun City Rancho Vistoso dancers who invited our club to join them for a dance called by Mike Sikorsky, a noted international caller, on March 11.
The Yuma Festival is a dance that our club has attended for many years. This year the festival brought in three noted callers as well as a cuer (one who calls the moves) for Round Dancing. Jerry Jestin from Canada, Jerry Story from Iowa and a third caller from Germany, Joe Kromer, rounded out (squared out) the calling talent. Square dancing is always called in English, and it is possible to travel the world and find a dance. Of course, some of us had to get used to a slight German accent, but that was part of the fun. Over 500 dancers attended this festival. Our club members had a wonderful time both at the various dance venues and at restaurants and after-dance parties.
SaddleBrooke Squares dance every Thursday, normally in the Ballroom in the MountainView Clubhouse, but once in a while the Ballroom has been booked for a special event. When this happens we sometimes book the Catalina Recreation Center. This is what occurred March 9. As it happened we had a visitation from the Sierra Vista Square Dance Club that night. The change in location certainly did nothing to dampen the spirits of any of the dancers.
The dance on March 11 was held at Sun City Rancho Vistoso, and dancers enjoyed both the superb calling of Mike Sikorsky and some delightful snacks. We always enjoy visiting with other clubs, and several more visits are planned in the very near future.
Square dancing is more than just dancing. The enjoyment comes from the friendships formed, the great listening value from some wonderful caller, the terrific exercise and the brain enhancement created by learning the steps in the calls. The next opportunity for you to gain these skills will be in October when our new classes will begin. Watch for announcements in the SaddleBrooke papers and at the Ballroom in MountainView. In the meantime please feel totally free to come watch on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. We have a truly great local caller, Larry Kraber, who will be more than happy to answer any questions, or look us up at our website www.saddlebrookesquares.com or give our vice president, Bob White, a call at 818-9482.