{"id":189146,"date":"2026-02-22T20:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T20:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/189146\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T20:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T20:28:28","slug":"square-dancing-in-the-bay-area-is-having-a-popular-moment-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/189146\/","title":{"rendered":"Square dancing in the Bay Area is having a popular moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Sunday evening and dozens of people are ping-ponging around the room at Berkeley\u2019s<\/a> Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center. It\u2019s the end of a three-day traveling music<\/a> festival called \u201cDare to Be Square West<\/a>,\u201d and folks are whirling, stomping and otherwise having a ball.<\/p>\n

A man who\u2019s perched like a shepherd eyeing his flock calls out instructions from the stage. \u201cTake your partner and promenade!\u201d he hollers, as people form lines, part and reintegrate. \u201cThat was backwards \u2013 it was beautiful, though,\u201d he says. \u201cNow shoe the buffalo!\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, that innocent activity at which your grandparents might\u2019ve met cute \u2013 square dancing<\/a> \u2013 is having a moment here in the Bay Area. This is the first time \u201cDare to Be Square West\u201d has been held here in more than a decade, and it\u2019s received a raucous reception. When it departs, plenty more local groups<\/a>\u00a0will keep the dance going \u2013 in all corners of the Bay, put on by clubs with names like the Lucky Steppers, the South Bay Squares and the Oaktown 8s.<\/p>\n

The performer on stage right now is named Tony Mates and he came all the way from Seattle to throw down \u2013 or rather, hoe-down.<\/p>\n

\"CallerCaller Sue Hulsether, right, of Wisconsin interacts with Stumptown String Band from Portland, Ore., while giving directions to participants during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a boy, we had all kinds of music and it always changed. Rock and roll went from Elvis to the Beatles. Classical music went from Bach to Rachmaninoff,\u201d he tells the crowd. \u201cWhen I first heard this old-time music, I said to myself, \u2018It\u2019s fine the way it is.\u2019 It will change, but there\u2019s just something about it that is so joyous and welcoming, and so unnecessary to try to do anything but \u2018get it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

More and more people are starting to get it, according to Evie Ladin,<\/a> an Oakland musician and caller \u2014 which is the person who verbally directs square dances. Ladin says these old-fashioned dances are peaking in popularity. Just a few weeks prior, the Ashkenaz Center threw its annual \u201cLord of the Rings Costume Party Square Dance<\/a>.\u201d Even Google has had its employees do regular contra dances<\/a>, Ladin says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a serious influx of new dancers and the next generation, like high-school and college students. And it\u2019s really exciting,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of participation from people really wanting something with human contact and that requires little previous knowledge to jump in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Pogue is a club caller for the Rockin\u2019 Jokers<\/a>, which holds weekly dances at the Cambrian Park United Methodist Church in San Jose<\/a>. \u201cThe 1970s, that was really the peak, right? A tremendous number of people learned back then, and there were a huge number of clubs,\u201d says Pogue, who lives in Sunnyvale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat tapered down when the Internet showed up, Netflix showed up, and there were a lot of alternatives to square dancing. Then the pandemic came and we lost a tremendous number of dancers who moved to be closer to their kids or to retire,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Rockin\u2019 Jokers were down to 30 members around 2021. But now we\u2019re up to about a hundred dancers, so we\u2019re actually coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DancersDancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

It would be hard to kill square dancing, given how ingrained it is in American culture. A style influenced by early English and French settlers, and then by Native Americans and Black slaves, it was made the national folk dance by a 1982 act of Congress. Today almost half the states in the nation claim it as their official dance \u2013 including California, which splits it with Western swing \u2013 though there are holdouts like Wisconsin (polka) and Hawaii (hula).<\/p>\n

Some might say square dancing has an image problem. They might have painful memories of having to do it in grade school, at a point in a child\u2019s development when they have no desire to interact with the opposite sex. It\u2019s been called hokey, a pastime for Appalachian hillbillies and much worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe famous story is that Henry Ford was trying to combat the rise of jazz. He was afraid that African-American culture was going to take over, and so he really promoted square dancing<\/a>,\u201d says Ladin.<\/p>\n

But the truth is it\u2019s enjoyed by many groups. There\u2019s an International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs<\/a>\u00a0and a U.S. Handicapable Square Dance Association<\/a>. Country-music lovers do it at Nashville\u2019s Grand Ole Opry, and nerds do it at MIT for a club called Tech Squares<\/a> (which does it not just squared but \u201ccubed\u201d).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even a movement to make square dancing gender-neutral, eschewing traditional terms like \u201cgents\u201d and \u201cladies\u201d for whatever side your partner is on. Ladin sometimes uses \u201clarks\u201d and \u201crobins\u201d for the left and right sides, respectively.<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Organizer<\/p>\n

Organizer Evie Ladin, center, leads the clogging workshop during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Evie<\/p>\n

Evie Ladin, center, leads a clogging workshop during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley on Nov. 8, 2025. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Caller<\/p>\n

Caller Sue Hulsether, right, of Wisconsin interacts with Stumptown String Band from Portland, Ore., while giving directions to participants during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

Participants watch a demonstration for the following dance during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Organizer<\/p>\n

Organizer Evie Ladin, right, addresses participants as Portland\u2019s Stumptown String Band finishes their set during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Organizer<\/p>\n

Organizer Evie Ladin, left, dances with her father Jay Ladin during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dancers<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Organizer<\/p>\n

Organizer Evie Ladin, center, leads the clogging workshop during the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 21<\/p>\n

Dancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is so much fun and the people are so friendly,\u201d says Pogue. \u201cAs a caller, I get to tell hundreds of people at a time what to do. So I\u2019m kind of the catalyst, right? I look at it like my goal in life now is to create the maximum number of hours of fun for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any doubts people might have before hitting the floor are usually dispelled when they enter the main flow of the dance. That\u2019s facilitated by the verbal skills and ingenuity of the caller.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re calling in a way that tells people what to do right before they have to do it, so it just flows really smoothly,\u201d says Ladin. \u201cSometimes I call it \u2018white rapping,\u2019 because there\u2019s a lot of patter that goes along with it. You know, like, \u2018circle to the left, circle south, put a little moonshine in your mouth.\u2019 Just things that you\u2019ll say to make it fun and interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger crowd is interested in square dancing for its socializing aspect, says Ladin. Practitioners like to say it\u2019s \u201cfriendship set to music.\u201d Aside from being something to do that\u2019s not staring at a screen, casual hookups and even marriages have resulted in strangers partnering up at a square dance. That\u2019s why she refers to the style as \u201cold-time Tinder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond that, it\u2019s just a great thing to be part of a human ball \u2013 er, square \u2013 of energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep coming back to connectivity, when people get the impulse and are really moving together,\u201d Ladin says. \u201cIt\u2019s just like in a rave, where people feel that\u201d \u2013 she mimics an electronics beat, inttzz! inttzz! inttzz! \u2013 \u201cand it really releases the endorphins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DancersDancers of all stripes and skill participate in the Dare to be Square festival at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, November 8, 2025. A popular form of dancing in the Bay Area, the festival brings people from all over the country. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

Want to try it yourself? Regular square dances are held at these times and are open to all dancers:<\/p>\n

Third Fridays at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley; @eastbaysquaredance<\/a><\/p>\n

Second Fridays at the Polish Club, 3040 22nd St., San Francisco; @feralfridaysquaredance<\/a><\/p>\n

Rockin\u2019 Jokers gather on Wednesdays at the Cambrian Park United Methodist Church, 1919 Gunston Way, San Jose; rockinjokers.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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