PlanetRockwall.com

Calling All Squares!

Are you a Square? Or are you a Cotton Pickin' Square? Over thirty Rockwall area residents are one or the other, and some are both and proud of it! Not only that, but they would be more than happy to make you a Square too.

To see the Rockwall Squares in action, all one has to do is drop by the Center at Washington and Goliad on the first and third Monday of the month at 8 P.M. In no time it will become apparent that the "squares" in question are in fact square dancers, and they come in all age groups from the mid-twenties through the eighties. Skipping and twirling to old-time and contemporary country music, couples execute a sometimes intricate series of moves, directed from the stage by a "caller" (or "cuer", depending on the type of dance involved).

It would seem that the job of the Caller is to choreograph each dance on the fly, calling out routines that the dancers have learned and practiced, challenging them while keeping things from degenerating into chaos. The "square" from which the form gets its name is the formation each dance begins with. Dancers are expected to know each call and perform it in perfect sync with his or her partner, along with the other couples in the square.

The Rockwall club was started in 2005 as locals tired of driving to Greenville or Mesquite to dance. According to Don Hagler, club president, several members also belong to the Cotton Pickin' Squares club in Greenville, which meets on Saturday nights. "Exercise, fun and fellowship are very important to us square dancers".

"I believe the secret to staying young is to keep moving," says Norman Artice, a local heating and air conditioning contractor. As yet another song begins, it's obvious that keeping on the move is not an issue for the Squares.

If you would like to see for yourself what keeps these folks moving, the Squares invite one and all to the annual Spring Fling at the Center on April 19. Check the Planet Rockwall events page for more details.

By Bob Lewis, contributing writer