Square dance set for Friday

Get ready to do-si-do.

There’s a square dance happening Friday at Arts Place in Portland.

John Cook, a Dunkirk resident and president of the Indiana Dancers Association, hopes to bring back the pastime to Jay County.

Square dancers will be performing from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. It’s open to the public, coming at no cost to spectators. Dancers pay $5 each.

As the name suggests, square dancing starts with folks standing in square formation around the floor. 

“You’re in a square with seven other people,” said Cook. “If we’re doing it right, we’re all laughing.”

Eight dancers are in each square, with two on each side facing the middle. A caller, standing outside the squares, speaks instructions or “calls” to dancers, telling them which moves to perform. Formations shift from a square to waves, columns or diamonds. 

Cook describes the dance as “organized walking.”

“You don’t worry about your feet, all you need to know is which is your left hand,” he said.

Traditional square dance attire consists of women wearing a blouse, full skirt with a petticoat and pants underneath, and men wearing a western long-sleeved shirt, jeans or slacks. Boots are not required, noted Cook, who typically wears tennis shoes. He pointed out the traditional attire is preferred but not required.

Indiana Dancers Association recently hosted an exhibition at Dunkirk Farmer’s Market. Cook would like to launch a local group again — the Portland club ended about 15 years back — because some folks have expressed an interest to join.

If there’s enough interest, Cook may set up an opportunity for local residents to take dancing lessons in September.

The music isn’t limited to country, noted Cook. It extends to various genres, including rock and roll, show tunes, rap and heavy metal.

“It’s just a whole gambit of music,” he said.

His history with square dancing traces back to how he met his wife, Carolyn. They met at a square dancing event in New Whiteland. He had been learning how to dance in California, and his parents had been learning in Indiana.

“If it wasn’t for my parents learning, I wouldn’t have met my wife,” he said.

One of the benefits to square dancing is its functionality as exercise. The activity serves as a healthy workout.

“An evening of dancing is like a 5-mile walk,” said Cook.

The Cooks have lived across the United States, spending time in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and eventually back to Indiana. (They recently attended a convention in Tennessee.) Through their travels, they’ve come to meet an abundance of other square dancers. At a dance in New Boston, Texas, they knew about half the attendees in the room.

“One of our slogans is ‘square dancing is friendship set to music,’” said Cook. “Which is a pretty good definition.”

John and Carolyn Cook are a part of groups in Indianapolis, Muncie and Columbus, Ohio. 

“But I want something closer. It would be wonderful to be back in Jay County,” said John Cook. “People are always saying there’s nothing to do — well, we want to prove them wrong.”

To get in contact with Cook, he can be reached at [email protected] or (765) 768-6329 and (765) 215-5924.