Originally reported for NCC News on November 10, 2010.Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church in North Syracuse is being used for more than just church service. Ron Brown, a Modern-Western square dance caller, conducts square dance lessons there once a week.
Square dancing is where four couples form a square and then perform moves when another person gives the command. The students learn these calls and then practice them.
“They’re out there having a good time and I taught them how to do it. That’s rewarding," said Brown.
Brown teaches five weekly classes throughout New York from Rochester to Rome. After 22 weeks of lessons, the students graduate, becoming members of the North Syracuse Square Club.
“Half the time I don’t know who my partner is. I just wait for a guy to grab me and lead me away," said Cindy Fong. She has been going to the class for four weeks.
Square dancing began in America and has spread throughout the world. The calls are universal commands in English, so square dancers can dance anywhere in the world.
Two hours of square dancing equals walking about five miles, Brown says, and people can burn 500 calories an hour.
Brown says Henry Ford is responsible for reviving square dancing back in the 1940s from the pioneer days.
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