Dayton 'Square' club called out each Thursday

Shouts of "allemande left," "do-si-do," and "promenade" bring Dayton High School alive on Thursday nights as the Dayton Silver Squares swing their partners.

The club has 32 members ranging in age from 12 to 78. Square dancing is led by a person who is the "caller." The primary caller for the Dayton Silver Squares is Jim Marwin, a retired Reno police officer, who has been calling with the club for 10 years. He started square dancing in 1969.

Marwin emphasized that square dancing is very structured, may seem complex at first, has seven skill levels, is a whole lot of fun and is promoted and organized by clubs worldwide.

"And no matter what country you go to, all dances are called in English," he said.

Every square dance begins with four couples positioned in a square formation with the man standing to the left of the woman. The man is referred to as the "beau," and the woman is the "belle." The caller then tells the eight dancers which figure to use for the dance, and what steps to use.

To become a qualified dancer, each participant typically completes formal dance training conducted by the Dayton club, or another club, and automatically knows what to do when the caller starts the dance.

Marwin said clubs can offer as many as seven levels of square dancing. For example, most Northern Nevada clubs offer square dances rated "mainstream" or "plus," the two most common ratings. The Dayton Silver Squares plan to offer new mainstream classes for beginners in September.

"Mainstream dance skills are tied to beginning, basic figures that most people start with. It includes 69 figures and there is a slight degree of difficulty," Marwin said. "The next higher level is 'plus' and it has 27 figures."

Other higher levels include A1-Advanced, A2, C1, C2 and Challenge, he explained.

Joe Kula, a professional caller from Sacramento who guest-called in Dayton recently, said "you always meet a good group of people everywhere you go" when you become a square dancer. He's been calling full-time for 25 years.

Before the square dancing begins, the club offers about an hour-and-a-half of round dancing.

At a recent Thursday night shindig, newly elected club president, Mary Ann Crosby, explained that round dancing is simply "cued" ballroom dancing that includes waltzes, jives, rumbas, the two-step and much more. Dances begin when a person called the "cuer" tells the dancers what steps to use.

"Dancing is a great painless exercise," said club member Marlene Humphreys, a round-dance instructor. "It is friendship set to music."

If you go

What: Dayton Silver Squares weekly dances

When: Thursdays, round dancing for about 90 minutes begins at 7 p.m. followed by square dancing

Where: Dayton High School gymnasium, 335 Old Dayton Valley Road

Call: Dayton Silver Squares President Mary Ann Crosby at 265-7191

On the Net

• A complete listing of all the Northern Nevada square dance clubs can be found at:

www.squaredancenevada.com

• A comprehensive history of square dancing with detailed descriptions of various types and styles can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_dance