THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410140195
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Long : 166 lines
GLANCING AT THE men and women flowing comfortably across the linoleum floors of the Pasquotank County Ruritan Club, one thing about square dancing becomes apparent: Things can get pretty sticky.
There are all those concentrated moves to be memorized, and there are all those sweaty brows on the people who've mastered them.
And then there are all those pins.
Each dancer, whether all dolled up in party attire or just passing through in plainclothes, proudly bears a symbol of membership in the world of square dancing.
It may be as simple as the name tag earned after completing lessons, or it may be a collage of novelty pins that consume a sizable portion of a shirt or blouse.
Dance on the grass and bring home a Grasshopper button. Do it in a swimming pool and you can earn an Aqua Duck badge. Attend a specialty dance and you can add a picture pin. All are worn, as yet another pin explains, ``Just For Fun.''
Having a good time is first and foremost for the people who devote 120 hours to lessons and then gladly spend a few hours each weekend ``do sa doing'' and promenading in one dance hall or another.
``This is good, clean fun. It's the most fun you can have for the money,'' said Gene English, president of the Elizabeth City-based Tarheel Squares.
``And the people are so nice,'' English's wife, Lillie, added, just beginning one of the Tarheel Squares' semimonthly Saturday dances.
Lillie, like most of the women in attendance, was dressed in a traditional costume of full skirt and petticoat, with a pair of pettipants added for flair. Men wear a western-style, long-sleeved shirt, belt and bolo or scarf tie.
Three other clubs that offer weekly lessons and host regular dances are The Currituck Cut-Ups, the Perquimans County-based Harbor Lites and Gates County's Southern Stars.
Each offers weekly evening lessons and dances at various sites.
``You have to take the lessons because it's a very concentrated effort,'' said Ralph Edwards, one of the more decorated members of the Tarheel Squares on a particular evening. ``It's like learning a new language.''
The language is actually an amalgamation of English, French and other tongues that form a catalog of calls everyone understands.
The standardization allows a square dancer anywhere in the world to join in with little, if any, difficulty.
As evidence, the Tarheels Squares offered up Glenn and Lenora Crouch of Charlotte, who were visiting a relative in Elizabeth City and came to a Saturday soiree.
Sure as shootin', the two Square Wheelers fit right in with no problem.
``We're both retired and having a ball, traveling and square dancing,'' Lenora, 65, explained in between ``tips,'' or rounds of dance.
The Crouches met in 1993 when Glenn, 74, began taking lessons. ``This is the best activity I ever got involved in,'' he said.
So much is square dancing a part of their partnership that after the two exchanged vows in August, the preacher turned to the groom and said: ``Now, Glenn, listen to me. Swing your partner round and round, and kiss her on the lips. Now how's that sound?''
Soon after Lenora tells that story, a new tip starts and a square is looking for another pair. The two hustle over to fill the void and ease right into the music, which is surprisingly eclectic.
Some tunes used as background for Hampton Roads caller Matt Worley, a 26-year-old who grew up square dancing, are the country and western fare you'd expect to hear at a square dance. Others include more pop-oriented tunes like ``Pink Cadillac.''
Midway through the three-hour dance, it's time for a break. Birthdays, anniversaries and upcoming events are announced, and refreshments are served. Then the Crouches are introduced and given a token of their visit.
Yep, it's a pin.
SQUARE DANCING IS certainly not new. The genre has been around in one form or another for centuries, and the Appalachian area of the southeastern United States is where it all started.
For some people, it epitomizes country living. But a glance at square dancing history reveals some rather unlikely patrons.
Michigan automotive tycoon Henry Ford caught the dancing bug in the 1930s, and the nation took notice. Then-Princess Elizabeth, the current queen of England, was caught on film square dancing, and the world took lessons.
Regionally, the dance movement has experienced its share of ebbs and flows.
``A lot of our people have passed on,'' said Onwood Griffin, one of the Tarheel Squares' older members. The median age of the Elizabeth City group is about 50, the dancers said.
``You wind up with a bunch of old carcasses is what it is,'' Griffin said with a wink and a smile. ``But it's a lot of fun.''
Members actually represent every age and walk of life. Just look at little Kellie Harrison, age 3, out there line dancing.
Kellie became an honorary Tarheel Square at age 6 months ``because she went through the class,'' her grandpa, Elbert Harrison, explained. Those lessons were conducted when Kellie's mother carried her in utero.
ONE OF THE largest square dances ever took place in July 1950, when 15,200 participated in - and another 35,000 watched - the Santa Monica, Calif., Diamond Jubilee, according to the American Square Dance Society's 1980 handbook.
Most of the local dances attract only a small fraction of that number. But once a year or so, a national convention draws up to 25,000.
``I would like to see more interest in it,'' English concedes. ``We're really fighting for members now, and some of the clubs seem to be dwindling.''
Enthusiasm among the Albemarle-area dancers, however, certainly isn't in short supply.
``It's not a spectator sport,'' Michael J. Barber said, a little breathless after dancing for about an hour.
Barber, like some other members, is also a caller trained to choreograph movements that are usually created on the spot. Those who graduate from the lessons, and follow the caller's commands almost effortlessly, are called angels.
A transplant from the Boston area, Barber likes to pick up the microphone and start by asking the crowd, ``Is something wrong with this equipment? It must be broken, because it's making me sound like a Yankee.''
In addition to the codes of congeniality and courtesy, The Tarheel Squares have a couple of other rules. Alcohol is prohibited, and smoking is permitted only outside. Men must wear long sleeves to avoid dancers grabbing sweaty arms; women cannot bare the midriff area for much the same reason.
Most of the time, new recruits are invited by a family member or friend.
First you warm to the music; then you learn the moves. Later you and your partner start buying or sewing coordinated outfits to wear to the dances.
Before you realize it, you're addicted.
``I can have the worst day of the worst week,'' Barber said. ``But the minute that caller says 'Bow to your partner,' you don't have time to think about work.
``By the second tip, you don't know where you work.'' ILLUSTRATION: Cover and inside photos by DREW C. WILSON
[Color on the Cover]
The Tarheel Squares dancers run through their steps and work up an
appetite for the bountiful potluck prepared by their members.
Several Tarheel Squares members watch dancers on the floor, as
another looks most unhappy to be sitting on the sidelines nursing a
bad foot.
Couples learn new dance steps at a slow and methodic pace.
Skirts twirl, revealing a froth of lace petticoats - and sometimes
delicate lace pettipants - during the Tarheel Squares dances.
SQUARE DANCING
Square dancing is so popular in the Albemarle and Hampton Roads
areas, that it's possible to spend every weekend evening dancing up
a storm.
If you are interested in learning more about lessons or upcoming
square dance events, here are the local people and places to
contact:
The Tarheel Squares of Pasquotank County meet Thursdays at the
Knobbs Creek Recreation Center in Elizabeth City. Call Gene English
at 336-4152.
The Currituck Cut-Ups, who perform often at community functions,
meet weekly at Central Elementary School in Barco. Call Charles
Roberts at 338-3463 or Bud Rose at 232-2520.
The Harbor Lites gather at the Holiday Island Clubhouse each
Thursday for lessons. Call Jim McGinty at 426-8106.
Gates County's Southern Stars holds weekly lessons at the county
community center. Call Patsy Peay at 465-8735 or Wayne Lassiter at
332-8202.
by CNB