As fad dances such as “Harlem Shake” and “Gangnam Style” rapidly fade into the ether, one dance craze in Westerville is in its sixth decade and still going strong.
Local square dancing group the Westerville Promenaders was formed in 1956. And though no founding members remain, a core group of longtimers and periodic new additions have kept the group alive all the way into the modern day.
The Promenaders are about to start their new season. They dance the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, September through June, from 7 to 9:45 p.m. at the Westerville Senior Center, 310 W. Main St. Participation costs $6 per person per session.
“We do square dancing … and then we also do round dancing, which is sort of choreographed ballroom dancing,” says co-president Bill Uhl.
Dancing is great exercise for club members, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s and even 90s, Uhl says. His wife, Gayle, had open-heart surgery last October and used dancing as part of her recovery beginning in January.
Just as importantly, he says, it also makes for great social contact. Many members, some of whom have belonged for decades, are also longtime friends. Friendships extend beyond Westerville because the Promenaders frequently dance with other groups in the Central Ohio Council of Dance Clubs.
“There’s just a lot of friendship and camaraderie,” Uhl says.
They also develop good-natured rivalries with the other clubs. One club’s members will attend another club’s dance and steal its banner; it’s then incumbent on the robbed club to attend the robbers’ next dance and steal it back.
The club has about 45 members from all walks of life. The roster includes a retired Lutheran minister, a retired banker and a couple of retired engineers, not to mention a retired federal employee: Uhl himself.
“Dancing is our primary activity, but it’s a fun kind of dancing. While it’s structured, it’s not rigid. I used to liken it to a quasi-Mardi Gras where you have all walks of life in garb that they don’t normally wear, like string ties,” says club historian Tom Whitney. “Every once in a while, somebody will come in with cowboy boots on, even though these guys have never seen a cow or ridden one or lassoed one.”
The music at each dance varies depending on the caller – or, for round dancing, the cuer – that the club brings in. The caller or cuer chooses the music and then prompts the dancers through their steps. The two are differentiated by their prominence in the dance – a caller is expected to sing and be entertaining, while the cuer is just there to prompt and tries to avoid drawing attention.
Square dancing is frequently associated with country music, and some callers utilize country, but other genres frequently find their way into song lists, with a novelty or two popping up on occasion.
“We’ve had callers that use Neil Diamond – that’s my wife’s favorite – and just about anything they can imagine,” Uhl says. “I just like a good, lively beat – almost anything that, as my wife says, gets you revved up.”
For aspiring newcomers, the club puts on classes as well. This year, classes start Sept. 18 and run each Wednesday for about 25 weeks, each class taking place from 7 to 9 p.m.
Classes have three levels: basic, mainstream and plus. Those who really take a liking to the dancing can eventually move on to the advanced and challenge levels, though the Promenaders don’t teach up to those levels. Most classes cost $4 each, though that amount can vary depending on the number of students.
Beyond the classes and performances, the Promenaders periodically host demonstrations throughout the community and also show up in parades from time to time.
Whitney has friends who have a sign in their back yard that reads, “Friends are family members that you get to pick.” That philosophy, he says, perfectly expresses the attitudes of club members to one another.
“There have been many who have taken vacations together, many who have formed bridge clubs together, many who have become lifelong friends,” Whitney says.
Garth Bishop is editor of Westerville Magazine. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
