On most Tuesday nights, a good group of older adults like to put on their dancing duds and kick up their heels doing whatever their professional caller asks. With hundreds of possible calls, dancers must be ready for anything, and it is not predictable. Derek Page, the caller, likes to mix it up and keep people on their toes. “Line dancing,” said Page, “is always the same steps to a certain song, while square dancing is made up on the spot. He said that studies have shown that square dancing can positively impact Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It is not just physical, but mental – and keeps the mind sharp. Page lives down in Sandy with his wife and two small daughters, but comes up to Bountiful for the weekly dance. He has been calling for over two decades. He says that there are clubs all over Utah from north to south. On a club anniversary, neighboring clubs visit, and the dance can swell to over 80 participants. Page plays the country music popular in the 1800s for some of the sets, but mixes it up with more modern music. 

Although the dance takes place at the South Davis Senior Center, it is not part of the numerous free classes offered there. Steve McCormick, who manned the door, took the requested $5 donation per dancer for an evening. He said that the dance club has members in their 30s all the way up to a few members in their 90s. They welcome new singles or couples whenever and even offer dance lessons held before the regular dances on Tuesday nights. He further explains that if the numbers of men and women are not equal, no problem. Gender swapping to even things up just adds another fun aspect to the dance. If one dance club is a little too lively for you, another might fit the bill. “The Kaysville Common’s square dance group who meets on Wednesday afternoons from 12-2:30 p.m.,” said McCormick, “is known to be a little slower and easier to keep up.”  

John Walker, president of the Northern Light Dance Club, suggests going to the Northern Lights Dance Club website to see when the lessons take place and to look forward to the special events like the Christmas Dance coming up Dec. 3. His email address along with his wife’s, Darlene, are available on the website to ask any questions about how to become part of this social club that mixes fun, exercise and mental stimulation.

Square Dancing has been around almost as long as America and is considered a fully American dance. Although it takes something from the English country dance and the French Quadrille, it has become its own tradition. The names for calls were formalized in the 1970s when books came out detailing all the movements associated with various calls. American Square Dancing is enjoyed throughout the world for fun and competitions. Even if the dance takes place somewhere where English is not spoken, many of the calls are still in English. Do-si-do, allemande and sashay are universal.