“When a lot of people think about square dancing, they recount being taught it in childhood or in school, where it was something they were forced to do,” says Joseph Branch, president of DC Lambda Squares. “But there’s a fun element to it, where it’s kind of like a puzzle.
“You have a caller and eight dancers in a square, and the caller mixes everybody up, and then the original square has to be restored. So it’s the job of the dancers to know where they’re going to put that puzzle back together.”
While the DC Lambda Squares’ weekly club dances, held Thursday nights, are not designed for novices, the club is offering “Introduction to Today’s Square Dance” classes on June 14, Aug. 16, and Sept. 27 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and a weekend intensive immersion class for beginners in the fall on the weekend of Oct. 12-14.
Lambda Squares will have a booth at the Capital Pride Festival and hopes to round up enough members to provide some live demonstrations, to further drive interest in the club. “At a time when people are looking for activities where they aren’t as sedentary, square dancing is becoming increasingly relevant,” says Branch. “It’s basically a form of walking. Sometimes we walk faster — it just depends on the music and the caller.”
DC Lambda Squares’ weekly club dances are Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. Admission is $10 per person for non-members. For more information, visit dclambdasquares.org.
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