They call themselves the Glenview Squares, and the experts among them respond quickly to orders such as “Ping-Pong circulate,” “teacup chain” and “load the boat.”
But the Glenview square-dancing club is searching for new members, and organizers are alarmed at the dwindling number of clubs in the Chicago area.
In their heyday during the 1980s, the number of clubs exceeded 160, but it has dropped to 35 today, said Claudia Lenz, a Glenview regular.
“We’re trying to keep it alive, and what we really need is to have some younger people come into it,” said Lenz, 64.
The Glenview club’s 52 members range in age from their 50s to their 80s, but Lenz believes young people would be interested if they gave it a try.
The members promise to be patient with newcomers. Those who dance at the “plus” level have taken a set of 30 lessons over nine months. At that level, dancers recognize 96 calls, such as the “teacup chain,” which requires each woman to visit every man in a square formed by four couples.
“Engineers and mathematicians are particularly good at it because of the patterns involved in the calls,” said Lenz, who has square-danced with her husband, Tom, for 20 years, often at out-of-town events.
The Glenview club dances twice monthly, on the first and third Fridays. For information, visit www.glenviewsquares.com.
