Area square dancers court new members

For more than 30 years, the Swinging Lakers have been following calls and dancing for fun, health and social networking. Presidents Lee and Darlene Johnson joined the group 10 years ago after seeing an ad in a local newspaper.

"So, we went out to try it out," Darlene said. "After the lessons, we decided we liked it, and so we joined the club. We've been dancing ever since."

After a full year in the nonprofit organization's new location in Cedar Park, the Lakers are looking for new blood. The Lakers' former home before they made the move to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 700 W. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park, was in Lago Vista.

"The thing is, when we were in Lago, we didn't have to pay rent, and now we have to pay rent," Darlene said. "So we need more members to ensure we can pay our rent."

The Lakers thought that by moving into Cedar Park—closer to the population center—they would attract more people who would not have participated before due to the club being located on the north shore of Lake Travis.

"When we came out, we had two classes of students and we thought with the classes, we would increase our membership quite a bit," she said. "Initially we started to, but some of our members decided they were going to do something else."

So, the club is looking into offering more classes, like the one that got the Johnsons hooked. Though square dancing still follows the same calls, most modern square dancing clubs do not have a dress code. The Lakers' caller, Texas Square Dancing Hall of Fame Caller Gary Bible, plays a variety of music—from '50s rock and roll to modern pop—he does so on a turntable with 45 rpm vinyl records. Choosing music for the club's dances is a big job for Bible.

"He has to find (the 45s) and set them up so that he can use them for a call," Lee said. "It can't have the singing in the background because he's calling, and it can mess you up if you're listening to the song."

The caller tells the couples what to do and where to go, so there is not as much use for "leading" as in other pair dancing. If the caller addresses two of the four couples, the two without instructions simply wait for their next call. However, many dancers clap their hands and freestyle a bit to stay engaged.

"They do it so they won't be bored. Not that you'd be bored for very long anyway," Lee said.

The Lakers dance Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. Members of the club dance for free, and guests pay a $4 fee. The club only meets on the first four Mondays of the month, though the Lakers have begun to hold Fifth Monday dances and inviting other clubs from the surrounding area to join.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 700 W. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park, 219-6578, www.asrda.org/clubs/swinginglakers