UPCOMING EVENTS (8:00-10:00 unless noted):
July 18 — Chris Burchfield visits KSD again and joins Ray for our Luau Dance**We will collect donations at this dance for the Pink Ribbon Dance.
July 19 — Join the Silver Stars at the North Georgia Mountain Fair Square Dance Pavilion in Hiawassee (10 am to 4 pm)
July 25 — Visitation Cherokee Squares, Favorite Team Dance. Dance with John Norris at Woodstock Jaycees Bldg.
July 26 — Visitation to Dudes 'n Darlins Farewell Dance (they are disbanding and will not be dancing anymore), Mountain View Community Center
Aug 1 — KSD's Pie and Ice Cream Dance. We know Ray and Anne love pie and ice cream, so bring your favorite homemade (or store bought) varieties!
Aug 2 — Visitation Lads 'n Lassies Elvis' Blue Hawaii Luau, St Joseph's Episcopal Church, McDonough.
Aug 3 — Pink Ribbon Square Dance, 2:30 – 5:00pm, Mountain View Community Center – **We will collect donations at our July 18th dance and Aug. 1st.
Aug 9 — Visitation Danc'n Singles – Braves Night with Hot Dogs. Casual Attire permitted. Dance with Buddy Trundle and Robbie Roberts.
Aug 9 — KSD's Program Palooza, Ben Robinson Center, 10:00 – 1:00. Members, please wear our red and black during this recruiting event.
Aug 15 — Join us for KSD's Salad Dance. Let's see how many different types of salads we can eat — pasta, chicken, veggi,spinach, etc.
Aug 16 — Visitation to Wheel Arounds, Ice Cream Social, Mountain View Community Center. Dance with Bob Sloman and Rita Mason.
Aug 22 — Visitation Cherekee Squares – All Singing Calls Dance, Woodstock Jaycees Bldg.
Aug 23 — Visitation Silver Stars, School Days Dance, Dance with Ray Mauney and Lon Bedillion at Bethesda Park Senior Center, Lawrenceville.
Aug 29 — KSD's Fifth Friday, Homecoming Dance. Dance with Bud Whitten and Anne Gupton. Let's invite all former/retired KSD members to join us.
Aug 30 — M.A.S.D.A Dance at Mountain View Community Center. Dance with John Norris, Buddy Trundle, Tom Meehan, Bog Hange and Robbie Roberts.
Wow! That's a great list of dances that we can attend over the next few weeks! And all that pie, ice cream, hot dogs, and salads for us to eat. We might want to think about dancing more if we eat at every dance!!!
UPCOMING DANCES and EVENTS (Dances are from 8:00-10:00 unless noted):
July 11 — Visitation at Cherokee Squares Ho-Made Ice Cream Dance, Woodstock Jaycees Bldg
July 11 — Alternative visitation to Dudes 'n Darlins Regular Dance Mountain View Community Center
July 12 — Visitation at Dancing Singles Luau Dance, St. Jude Episcopal Church – Casual Attire permitted
July 18 — Chris Burchfield visits KSD again and joins Ray for our Luau Dance**We will collect donations at this dance for the Pink Ribbon Dance.
July 19 — Join the Silver Stars at the North Georgia Mountain Fair Square Dance Pavilion in Hiawassee (10 am to 4 pm)
July 25 — Visitation Cherokee Squares Favorite Team Dance, Woodstock Jaycees Bldg.
July 26 — Visitation to Dudes 'n Darlins Farewell Dance (they are disbanding and will not be dancing anymore), Mountain View Community Center
Aug 1 — KSD's Pie and Ice Cream Dance. Bring your favorite homemade ice cream!
Aug 2 — Visitation Lads 'n Lassies Elvis' Blue Hawaii Luau, St Joseph's Episcopal Church, McDonough.
Aug 3 — Pink Ribbon Square Dance, 2:30 – 5:00pm, Mountain View Community Center – **We will collect donations at our July 18th dance.
Aug 9 — Program Palooza, Ben Robinson Center, 10:00 – 1:00.
DO YOU NEED MORE EXERCISE? TRY SQUARE DANCING!!
First off, square dancing is probably NOT what you think it is. It's usually presented in movies, schools, etc., as a fairly "simple" activity (you know — do-si-do, promenade, swing your partner, etc.). Nothing could be farther from the truth. Square dancing IS a lot of fun. Once you start, you'll probably find that you're hooked.
You do not need to have rhythm or even be a great dancer! Square dancing is based upon “walking in defined directions for defined distances” and is easy to learn. Research has shown that while dancing in a square, a dancer can actually walk or dance roughly 5 miles during an evening.
A typical dance evening consists of several dance "tips," lasting about 10 minutes each, with breaks in between. At the beginning of a tip, the dancers line up to form "squares." A square has four couples, with one couple making each side of the square. There may be many squares on the floor, but each is separate. That is, each square of four couples works together as a team, independently of the others.
A "caller" stands at one end of the hall and begins giving a sequence of instructions for the dancers to follow. Each of these instructions, or "calls," requires that some or all of the dancers in the square perform pre-determined maneuvers during the tip.
The calls (instructions) that the caller gives are set to music, so the dancers' movements flow to the music. That's part of the fun of dancing. Since square dancing uses many different types of music – bluegrass, ballads, country & western, rock’n’roll, jazz, sing-a-longs, and even gospel, so there’s something for everyone.
While square dancing, you must concentrate on the calls and maneuvers, so you don’t have time to think about your work, or your kids, or other stressors in your life. One might be led to believe that square dancing is a great stress-reliever! And they would be correct!! Who has time to be stressed when they are laughing, and enjoying the fellowship of others in their square?
So, square dancing is fun, good exercise, and relieves stress. However, it also is mentally stimulating, as square dancing not only exercises the body, but the mind. Another reason for square dancing is the people you'll meet and the friends you'll make. It's a wonderful opportunity to form friendships that may last a lifetime. And that may be the best reason of all.
To learn the "calls" required for the normal level of square dancing, you will need to attend a weekly class for 6 – 9 months. That may sound like a long time, but it's fun right from the start, and you'll find yourself looking forward to the next class. Classes are now being offered by Kennesaw Square Dealers, a local square dance club which meets at the Ben Robertson Center in Kennesaw. Our first lesson starts on Thursday, September 4th, from 7:30 – 9:30. Singles and couples are welcome. Visit our Facebook page for more information. Basic square dance lessons are FREE! Registration is located on this website.