There are two square dance series near me, one in DC and one in Baltimore,  who get tremendously large crowds for their dances.  They are young as well and most people there are not contra dancers but there are some contra dancers who happen to be square lovers too.  I always wonder how these dances get up to 200 people and some of the contra dances struggle to draw.  Perry Sent from my Galaxy S®III <div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Tom Hinds via Callers &lt;callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; </div><div>Date:06/27/2015 8:38 AM (GMT-06:00) </div><div>To: Jacob Nancy Bloom &lt;jandnbloom(a)gmail.com&gt; </div><div>Cc: Shared_Weight_Callers &lt;callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; </div><div>Subject: Re: [Callers] How to explain the charms of square dances (was More on Programming) </div><div> </div>Yes you are correct, pointing out the benefits of squares is a much better option than telling them to stay home. I included that comment in hopes that callers might consider being less afraid of what dancers think. I have no illusions that others would say that to a dancer. One aspect that makes squares attractive is the changing patterns. For myself and others, dancing choreography that wasn't walked through is very enjoyable. And changing the pattern doesn't have to be challenging. For partner changing squares there's a certain satisfaction/challenge in performing the choreography well as a group and ending with your partner again. Picking the correct square for this is crucial-not too easy and not too hard. Some people enjoy dancing squares to music where the phrasing is less distinct. It's hard for me to describe but it's like dancing without holding back. Or could it be described as charging ahead? Perhaps some of you can describe this gooder than I can. This works well with driving old time music. Although I don't enjoy the visiting couple type square, I understand that there are a number of groups who enjoy these types of squares with very fast music. In central Virginia there're getting large turnouts. I'm told that most of these dancers are young and not contra dancers. I often hear of other groups in the country where young dancers are discovering squares. Is this the future? T _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net