How sad it would be if the withering tradition of square dancing in Canada were to become entirely obsolete. Therein lies the sentiment of dancers from coast to coast, including Ontario-based couple Nancy and Willis Davidson. They have been dancing for 16 years, deeply love the square-dancing tradition and confess that they would be greatly saddened to see it dissolve. Nevertheless, the existing reality of club closures and dwindling dancer numbers has led them to believe that the death of the tradition is not a matter of “if” it might happen, but “when.” Dan Roy, president of the Ontario Square and Round Dance Federation doesn’t necessarily disagree. “It may die out some day but it would happen over a long period. Clubs across the country took a big hit during Covid but, for the present, I remain optimistic,” he said. Roy and the Davidsons both agree that the lifeblood and future of square dancing largely depend on the challenges of retention and recruitment – with both of these weighing heavily on the current state of the dance. “Young people today are simply not interested in this particular form of dancing and, without increasing numbers, the tradition cannot survive,” say the Davidsons. A marked decline in both square dancers and club memberships – both of them critical to the dance’s continuance – are rooted in several negating factors. Chief among these is the generational issue. “Clubs today are generally made up of retirees and senior citizens whose advancing years are consequential to the future of clubs across the country,” said Roy. The message is clear: without a change in the existing age demographic, the matter of attrition would be left to take its toll. Many of today’s elder dancers most likely grew up in the culture of the dance, which has continued to be part of their lives and heritage since they were old enough to participate. In spite of their loyalty and continued love of the tradition, it’s abundantly evident that infusions of new, younger dancers are fundamentally essential in order to offset the current generational divide. To date, such an uptick in young joiners is thin, an issue that bodes poorly for the future of the dance. The Davidsons offer several reasons for the lack of interest from the younger generation. “Typically, there’s a steep learning curve to master today’s modern form of square dancing; it’s considerably more complex and complicated than the old-style barn dances of years past,” they say. “People are either unwilling to commit the amount of time needed to learn the dozens of different moves and steps or are otherwise overcome by the sheer intricacies of the learning process. Square dancing is no longer a simple dance routine of the allemande left, do-si-do and dip-and-dive which were cornerstone moves of old-time square dancing,” say the Davidsons. They point out that the style of the dance has advanced over the years and, for the most part, the younger dancing public is not currently buying into it. Some try it briefly and then leave when faced with the difficult, time-consuming learning process; some never join in the first place, deciding that the expenditure of time is not worth the investment. Making matters even worse is the loss of senior members to club closures – people who were part of square dancing’s vital backbone. Square Dancing’s Destiny Are square dance clubs across the country on their last legs? Special Report by Donna Carter 34 | www.snowbirds.org
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