In the front square, Rancheros Kim and Dann Denny face dancers from Mesa. To their left, Susan and Steve Irons face Pete and Linda Lewis from SaddleBrooke Squares, and listen for the moves requested by the caller.
Rebecca Williams
The Rancheros Square Dance Club joined its sister club, the SaddleBrooke Squares, and members of the Western Whirls and the Mesa Checkmates from downtown Tucson and Mesa at a dance held on Sept. 3. There were more than 40 people enjoying the dance.
Would you like to give this fun activity a try for yourself? The Rancheros Square Dance Club is starting a new set of lessons on Thursday, Oct. 5. There will be an opportunity to give square dancing a try for free that evening, starting at 7 p.m. Square dancing is a fun pastime that incorporates both mental and physical activity, with lots of time to socialize!
The Rancheros have a live caller who uses a broad selection of music that makes the evening a lot of fun. The caller has called dances both nationally and internationally but lives right here in the Tucson area. There is no routine to memorize as the caller lets the dancers know what moves he wants them to make. Each square is a group of eight that works as a team to execute the requested moves.
The lessons will be focused on completing the initial 50 calls, also known as the Social Square Dance (SSD) list, by the end of December, and completion of the remainder of the Mainstream list by Jan. 18. Some clubs in the local area dance at the SSD level.
After this initial set of calls, the lessons will move on to a slightly more advanced level known as PLUS. This is the level danced by the club. Those lessons will start in mid-January and are planned to be completed by early April.
Once they have graduated from PLUS, those participating can dance with the club and also nearly everywhere in the U.S. and around the world. There is a group that went from here to Germany in September to tour and dance with local clubs there. Rancheros are also headed to Cortez, Colo., at the end of October for a dance weekend up there.
If you are interested in attending the free square dance lesson, please RSVP to Kim Denny at [email protected] or Rebecca Williams at [email protected]. You can also call/text 847-212-0505. That way we can assure we have enough experienced dancers there to help you. Having experienced dancers to help the new dancers is a key part of our lesson program, so you can be assured of plenty of help along the way as you learn this fun, new activity.