Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011

Square dancing: healthy fun for all

By day, Raleigh resident David Colvard is a psychiatrist.

But on Thursday nights, he can be found sashaying, promenading and "boxing the gnat" on the square dance floor with his wife, Lynn.

The Colvards have been do-si-doing since October 2005. When the N.C. Square Dance Convention - which David describes as being "like a really big family reunion" - comes to the North Raleigh Hilton on Wake Forest Road this weekend, the Colvards will be there.

David spoke to staff writer Chelsea Kellner last week about what square dance clubs and families have in common, and why he thinks the all-American dance is one for the masses.

Q: Who would be good at square dancing?

A: If you can walk, if you know your right from your left and if you can count to four, you can square dance.

There is a caller, and they tell you what to do. If the caller says "head ladies center, teacup chain," everybody knows exactly what to do.

Q: So can a beginner just walk into a local square dance club and join in?

A: You do have to learn the 69 calls that go with mainstream square dancing. That usually takes about an academic year. However...you start off with very basic calls, so that even within the first 15 minutes, you're having a lot of fun. Everybody's heard of do-si-do, like you did in elementary school in physical education. It's not something where you sit and listen to a lecture. You learn by doing.

In September, most clubs have open houses, and welcome new people to come at no charge. The best way to find a club is to visit NCFederation.org - that's the website for whole state.

Q: What's square dance culture like?

A: People tend to be very kind, very patient. It's almost like family, because you are in a club that's meeting every week. You get to know the people very well. Plus there's usually a social committee person who is often reporting on who's been sick, how they're doing, who's traveling, who's got somebody getting married, so it's a very supportive group. And it's not competitive....The only prize here is to have a good time and help other people have a good time.

Q: How does square dancing affect your physical health?

A: It's good cardiovascular exercise. You can come off covered in sweat. It also helps strengthen your bones - particularly the side to side movement of any dancing helps with strengthening your weight-bearing bones.

And a half hour of sustained dancing can burn between 200 and 400 calories....I have friends who wear pedometers, and they claim that in one evening of square dancing, they've done the equivalent of four miles...You can burn a fair amount of calories -- if you don't eat more than that when somebody brings really good brownies.

Q: Have you seen any dramatic health benefits personally?

A: When my wife and I finally got around to square dancing, I had just gotten a broken leg. Fortunately, the class didn't start until my physical therapy was far enough along that I could do it. Square dancing was great physical therapy, and it was a whole lot more fun.

Q: Does it have mental health benefits as well?

A: Exercise is shown to be the only activity that delays the onset of dementia. All these drugs aren't worth a darn. Particularly with square dancing, because remembering the calls and responding to them activates so many areas of the brain.

I think a lot of people just come for the social contact that things like yoga and meditation don't have. And of course, the more social contact you have, the less likely you are to get depressed...and it helps that you're laughing a whole lot at your own mistakes.

In my work in psychiatry, I frequently recommend square dancing to my adult patients because it's a very healthy, positive social activity for couples, particularly married couples. So many husbands and wives in Raleigh both work, and between that and kids, it's not unusual for me to ask about the last time they went on a date without the kids and hear that it was three years ago. It's a great activity for husbands and wives to do together.

Q: Who's usually more enthusiastic about that, the husband or the wife?

A: I tell the men, women really get turned on by men who can dance, if you need an incentive. The women usually drag the men, but the men usually enjoy it.

Q: Why don't men want to try it, and what helps them get past that?

A: A lot of men are intimidated by going dancing because they don't know what to do. But with square dancing, it's walking. They tell you where to put your right and left foot and when to put them there, they tell you when to grab the woman's hand - everything you do, they give you instructions for. It takes all the performance anxiety and the fear of being humiliated in front of your peers out of it.