Simplifying the steps is helping to bring a younger generation, the baby boomers, to square dancing and the program, created by Powell River’s Gord Ruedig, is spreading around the region.
Star Dusters’ head caller, Ruedig, serves as vice-president for BC Square Dancing Federation. Over the past few years, the organization has been looking at ways to encourage younger people to join clubs. One of the challenges that new dancers face is the length of time it takes to learn all the steps that could be called during a dance, he said.
He described how it could take as long as a year of lessons before dancers had all the moves mastered. Dancers used to have to learn 68 moves and many dancers who came with initial enthusiasm would drop out halfway through, he added.
Last year Ruedig started thinking about developing a simpler program. He analyzed all the calls he would use at a dance and realized he was only using a little more than half of the 68.
“I cherry-picked the best moves,” said Ruedig, who started experimenting with the simplified program without telling anyone what he was up to. “No one was the wiser.”
He initially faced reluctance from callers when he started sharing his findings, but within a few months he had many clubs in the Vancouver Island region converted and running West Coast square dancing nights.
“This works out to be a better system. It gets them through in half the time and makes it more interesting,” said Bob Butkus, a member of Star Dusters. “It makes for a happier group.”
As word spreads about the new program, Ruedig said he hopes to draw out more baby boomers to try square dancing. In 10 sessions dancers will have learned enough to make a good start, he added.
“We’re trying to beat down this perception that square dancing is an old-timers’ thing,” said Ruedig. “It’s true that a lot of older people square dance, but it was designed for younger people and can be quite fast-paced at times.”
He said the program lends itself very well to singing calls where Ruedig, a musician as well as a caller, chooses a popular song and sings the song fitting in the calls as he sings.
“It’s good exercise for the body and the mind,” he added. During an evening of dance, he estimated that people will have done the equivalent to a five-mile walk, “and had a great time.”
Star Dusters club, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, had six new members join last year and clubs on Vancouver Island are reporting their numbers increasing too, he said.
Butkus added that this program gives legitimacy to the club as the program spreads throughout BC.
For more information about West Coast square dancing or how to join the Star Dusters’ upcoming fall sessions beginning October 1, readers can contact Ruedig 604.487.9501.
