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economist sunsuntribune saturday march 18 2006 17 staff photobill roberts george betts vicepresident of the olde tyme square dance callers association instructs newcomers at the mcconaghy seniors centre in rich mond hillone of our difficulties is we are not attracting as many young people as we would like hesaid by simone joseph staff writer forget any notions you may have of square danc ing being about husky- voiced hicks in cowboy boots belting out swing your partner round and round turn your corner upside down a group of about 28 dancers bust this stereotype every friday when they gather in the multi purpose room of richmond hills mcconaghy seniors centre to lis ten intently and react to the calls of instructor george betts who has been square dancing for 40 years and has called square dances for 35 years rather than being some coun try drivel this dance requires an astute mind and quick reflexes the calls given by mr betts on a friday in march have names like the clover leaf double pass through and grand sweep some of the dancers wear vests or bob ties a necktie made of cord or thick string fastened at the collar with a decorative clasp the dancers are part of a nine- week program drawing people from across york region and the greater toronto area mr betts is not only an instruc tor but also vicepresident and acting secretary of a nonprofit organization that runs a monthly saturday dance at the grace anglican church in markham square dancing has become a senior citizen activity younger people do not seem interested the dance which features live music attracts people from across thegta the organization called the canadian olde tyme square dance callers association pre serves the traditional canadian style of square dancing according to mr betts preser vation is needed because through his own observations the etobi- coke resident has noticed interest in square dancing has been drop ping for 15 years one of our difficulties is we are not attracting as many young people as we would like he said mr betts who started square dancing in his mid30s said peo ple dont start at that age anymore square dancing has become a senior citizen activity younger people do not seem interested too many other activities com pete for the attention of young people such as watching their children at hockey games or spending time on their comput ers he said its a shame because it square dancing is a great activity this type of dancing is also a very social activity where every- bodyworks in teams of eight it is physically and mentally stimulating you have to recognize the calls which come at random hesaid back at the mcconaghy centre between dances two women move their knees back and forth and their hips side to side to the bop bop of the country music in the background it is physically and mentally stimulating you have to recognize the calls which come at random on the dance floor smiles out number the number of bolo ties and vests rfr women greatly outnumber men and they work in rotation benched like hockey players when not in the thick of the action when several dancers retire to chairs after a song one man on the dance floor jokes send in the reserves for more information on the square danc ing lessons in richmond hill or the monthly dance in markham call george betts at 416- 247-1277- u- whafs it all about what is modern square dancing eight people form a square with two on each side then dance a series of move ments as called by the caller dancing is done to modern music even from the 1950s and 60s from pink cadillac bill bailey when the saints come marching in elvis pres ley tunes oklahoma etc what is the difference between old time and modern square dancing in old time there is a set pattern followed for each dance this never varies no matter how often that dance is repeated usually the first couple exe cutes a number of moves with each of the other couples in turn then the second third and fourth couples do the same moves with each of the other couples in modern square dancing there are no set patterns for a dance dancers learn a number of moves which the caller then puts together to form the dance dancers execute moves as they are called dancers do not know what will be called next usually all dancers move together although somecalls are executed by only four people around the world modern square dancing is a worldwide activity square dance calls are standardized and are called in english around the world once dancers have learned the calls they can dance at any club or square dance event anywhere no competition thank you square dancing is recre ational and done strictly for the fun of it clubbing it the basic unit is the local club clubs may have anywhere from eight to several hundred members however the average club has 50 to 100 learnin the moves any one can become a square dancer by joining a club where the basic movements are mastered how big are we talking about there are 655 clubs 10 federations 51 associations and almost 23000 dancers registered with the canadian square and round dance society ontario has 190 clubs canadian square and round dance society theatre per srfenmagaro j mmw v f nf 1 n g iiifflshremembei featuring the voices of showtime with guest performer peter appieyard youll be tempted to sing along while you listen to musical hits from the 40s 50s sun apr 2 2006 tickets 38 showtime 8 pm ami t 7 greg morton todd lynn and stewart francis two shows frl apr 7 and sat apr 8 2006 tickets 49 showtime 8 pm yuamr r jfcsxy tifijiji ttlmttimii get your tickets today 905305show74e9 mon to sat 1 1 am 6 pm or order tickets online at httplheatremarkhamca