Green Valley Squares Overview by Gary Hill
The Tucson area is a real hub of square dancing, with all levels of dancing being available every night of the week during the winter season. The Green Valley Squares is the square dance club for GVR and the Green Valley area. The club dances to both Mainstream (lowest level) and Plus (higher level) calls from its caller, Rick Gittelman. Rick is our club caller, as well as doing the majority of the calling in Tucson at the Square and Round Dance Association of Southern Arizona, of which he is currently president. He also appears regularly on tour in Southern California, Colorado, New York and Pennsylvania.
The GV Squares has a dance for its members and their guests every Monday night, year-round, at Canoa Hills Rec. Center. There are also potlucks, game nights, and other social activities. It also sponsors two special "Plus level" dances with outside callers that attract dancers from all over Arizona. The special dances also include round dance cuing intermixed with the square dances. (Round dancing consists of ballroom dance moves called out by a professional "cuer" as the couples move around the dance floor. There is a round dance club in GVR called the Roundelays.)
The Squares provide lessons at the Beginner, Mainstream and Plus levels during the day every Monday and Wednesday from October to May. The Beginner classes are official GVR classes, while the other levels are more informal. Dancers may learn new moves or practice previously learned moves at these lessons or reviews. To achieve the Mainstream level, the dancer must learn about 60 moves, and for the Plus level, about 30 more moves. The moves and the calls are uniform and in English world-wide. The professional caller choreographs the dances by calling a sequence of the moves to fit the music, challenge the dancers, and entertain. Each set of two dances between rest breaks in called a "tip."
For 2009, beginner classes and all level reviews start November 2 and end December 16. The next series of classes start in early January, 2010. For classes and reviews, casual dress is the norm. For the evening dances, the ladies wear either short or long dresses, and the gents wear western attire.
[Next classes start in November 2010]
The music for modern square dance may be anything in 4/4 time, from country to folk to pop, and even some rock. Our caller is known for calling and singing to golden oldie pop songs, as well as the usual repertoire.
For more information, call Gary Hill 393-0266
or president Al Grigsby 250-6383.