Chaps & Petticoats Square Dance Club
Aurora, Oregon
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Dances 1st & 3rd Fridays |
Lessons Sunday Night |
Last Update:
June 20, 2023
Square Dancing is a series of calls put together in order for 8 people to dance together with direction.
We teach "Modern" Square Dance. The name "modern" came about back in the 50's as this form of square dance separated from "Traditional" Square Dance. Traditional Square Dance teaches the dance at each tip before you start dancing. "Modern", our form of dancing, teaches you each call through lessons so you are prepared to dance the whole night without instruction time.
September 10 & 17, 2023 "Introduction to Square Dancing"
We will be offering an "Intro to Square Dancing" FREE on Sunday nights 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; all it costs you is your time to come join us. Lessons will be held at Maplewood Grange. If you liked the activity you can continue with lessons starting September 24. It takes 20-25 lessons to complete the class. Because there are many calls to learn, the class will be closed to new dancers at that time. We charge $7 per person per lesson ($20 family cap for multiple youth). We offer a discount to lessons for prepayment of lessons that is $135 per person.. Family prepayment discount is $380. There are opportunities to attend dances for your level during the lesson process, so you can start dancing rather quickly. Questions? email us
Mainstream: Mainstream is the predominate dance level in this state.
While you are learning, you are dancing! Scott Zinser is our instructor who does a very thorough job teaching you not only the calls but the fine points of the steps so you can get a good foundation under you by the time you graduate. Scott is one of the better instructors in the area and we have had students from other clubs who are taking lessons come to our lessons. Many of our club members will be there to help you learn; they are called "Angels" and they help guide you as you get the calls learned. Dress is casual.
If you are interested in taking lessons and would like to have a reminder sent to you please email us and we will call you or email you at your preference. Otherwise, just show up. Lessons start in September. Lessons will be open to new students for the month of September. Our square dance lessons draw from the Aurora, Canby, Wilsonville, Woodburn, Oregon City, Molalla area and beyond.
Plus: We will offer classes when we have enough interest to cover our costs for lessons. Scott Zinser our instructor. Cost would be $7 per person per lesson
A-Lessons: We hosted A lessons the spring and summer of 2010. We graduated 16 students. Advanced Square Dance consists of A-1 (49 calls) and A-2 (44 calls) and are taught together because A-dances call both levels.
Round Dance Lessons We often host Round Dance lessons when we have enough interest. Lessons are $5 per night.
When talking to people about square dancing, a lot of people remembered square dancing in PE when they were in school. It probably consisted of less than a dozen moves. The kind of dancing that is danced at clubs nowadays is called modern square dancing. The first level of dancing is mainstream that involves learning some 68 moves (calls) in order to dance. These calls are standardized so you can dance anywhere in the world and dance to the same calls.
Square dancing combines mental and physical exercise in wholesome atmosphere (See below article about benefits of dancing). If you can walk, you can dance. Square dancing is one of the easier types of dance to learn because most moves are done as an individual within a group. Children as young as 7 have been able to learn how to dance, so families can learn together. It is a relatively inexpensive activity. Because square dancing involves physical contact with other people. it teaches appropriate touching in a dance environment (see videos below for examples). As with other hobbies, it also offers a means of making new friends; it can also build lifelong friendships. Square dancing blends people from all walks of life and there are multiple places to dance in the Portland/Willamette Valley area.
Benefits of Square Dancing
| The following are excerpts printed from the United
Square Dancers Association News, reprinted from Dacnin’
News of Central Florida and The Caller of Memphis,
Tennessee. Live Ten Years Longer! Square Dancing will add ten years to your life, a surprising new study shows. Dr. Arron Blackburn states " It’s clear that square dancing is the perfect exercise. It combines all positive aspects of intense physical exercise with none of the negative elements."Dr. Blackburn said square dancing is a low impact activity requiring constant movement and quick directional changes that help keep the body in shape. The study was based on their physical examination which indicated that both female and male square dancers could expect to live well into their 80's. Square dance movements raise heart rates like many good aerobic exercises should. All the quick changes of direction loosen and tone up the muscles--but not so severally as to cause injury. In square dancing, when you’re not moving, you’re clapping hands and tapping your feet, which all contributes to long term fitness. "You don’t see a lot of 55 year old basketball players, but that’s just the age when square dancers are hitting their peak", he said. |
