Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| NewsSunday, October 5, 2008 6:06 PM CDT |
 Comments (24) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Kicks, hip bumps and hoots: Gay square dancing group is thriving
ST. LOUIS -- The afternoon sun shines through the basement windows of Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, casting a series of spotlights on the linoleum dance floor. The voices of Donna Summer, ABBA, Judy Garland — all set to contemporary beats — pour from the speakers. The man spinning the music is Aaron Wells. He's the square dance caller, too. | Video Wells sings the calls or just shouts them out — allemande left, do-si-do, promenade. And the members of the Gateway Squares eagerly follow along. But as the couples paired off on a recent Sunday afternoon, man with man, woman with woman, there was something a bit different. A flair to the traditional square dance. A kick here, a hip bump there. An occasional high energy hoot. "A gay twist," as Brian Vetruba described the flourishes. His husband, Michael Getty, not exactly the sweeping gesture type, just smiled. While there are 17 square dance clubs in the St. Louis region, the Gateway Squares stand out not just because of sexual orientation, but because unlike many such clubs, this one is growing — with about 70 members. Over the last two decades, clubs across the country have seen a decline in membership, mainly because it's harder to recruit young people to give it a chance. The Gateway Squares, who largely fit the age range of 30 to 50, say there is an appeal in getting together to dance without going to a bar. Here, there is no attitude. Being yourself is strongly encouraged. The dances appeal to singles, who don't need to walk in with a partner to cut a rug. And for those with a partner at home, bringing them along is an instant quarter of a square. (For those who were not exposed to square dancing in elementary school, it takes four couples to make a square). At a dance of the Gateway Squares, there are no petticoats, western shirts or cowboy boots. It's a T-shirts and tennis shoes crowd, embracing one of the touchstones of Americana. "Dance may be what brings us together, but it's really secondary," said Gateway Squares founder Trevor Slom. "It creates friendships." The Gateway Squares dances are one of the rare, local places where gays and lesbians come together to socialize. It's a part of gay culture that is a bit of a head scratcher. While the sexual orientations are the same and political causes often overlap, gays and lesbians often move in different worlds. Lesbians hang out in their own bars; gay men in theirs. The same goes for some coffee shops and restaurants. But here on the dance floor, each square formed is a blend of men and women. "It's good to be in a gender mixed group," said Marcia Levin, who admitted to some reluctance to square dancing, but signed up at the urging of her partner, Margaret Johnson. "She'll try anything," Levin said, pointing to Johnson, who jumped into a hastily made square for an informal dance. But Levin is now a big fan. Her perception of square dancing being square quickly vanished when she heard the music, met those in the group and began learning the intricacies of something that she and others here once thought belonged in a barnyard. "We like it fast, with a lot of flair, and we're not shy about body contact or turning the gender roles upside down," Getty said. All members of the group have taken lessons and know their stuff (there are more than 130 calls in square dancing). The camaraderie has led to friendships off the dance floor, with barbecues, float trips, pool parties and theater outings. Gateway Squares President Rob Schneider said square dancing is an escape from life — in his case, the pesky pager that often summons him to his job as a rheumatologist. "When you're dancing, you have to let go of everything else," Schneider said. "If you're not listening to the caller, not only do you miss the call but you break up the whole square." The repercussions of that can be a slightly catty remark from Wells, but generally just laughter from the other members. "Sometimes our best times are when people make mistakes and break down the square," said Bill Searcy, who got his partner, Mike Hawley, involved three years ago. Slom founded the Gateway Squares in 2003 after moving back to St. Louis from Chicago, where he had joined a square dancing club. There are about 50 gay square dancing clubs in the U.S. and Canada. Slom says some members were concerned about joining a group that was perceived as old, conservative and straight. But eight members — one square — headed to St. Charles for a dance shortly after forming the club and put the trepidation to rest straight away. "It went surprisingly well," Slom said. The St. Charles group was amused, but warm, he added. Getty said many gays are used to putting up barriers, simply because they anticipate them. Now the group performs with straight clubs about once a month. "The trick of living as out gay folk is that we never know where other people's boundaries are, so we end up imagining them," Getty said. "And in the case of the square dancing community, we guessed them miles away from where they really were." Still, Searcy admits to being a bit uncomfortable when meeting with straight clubs. He dances as the follower. Traditionally, that would be the role of the woman. When the Squares go to dance with a straight club, that means straight men, at different points, are dancing with gay men. That can make for some awkward moments, like when the leader has to put his hand on the small of the back of the follower for a "courtesy turn." Sometimes, to help the traditional square dance clubs, the Gateway Squares wear tags that read: "I Dance the Girl's Part," or "I Dance the Man's Part." Billie and Jim Toeniskoetter dance with the Kirkwood-based Rafter Rockers club, which just celebrated its 53rd anniversary. She says the Gateway Squares have been a welcome addition to the square dancing scene. "I think they are lots of fun," Toeniskoetter, 78, said. "They are enthusiastic with their dancing and interacting." The issue of being gay, she said, isn't much of an issue. "This isn't just about dancing, but how we relate to each other in a warm friendship." That warm welcome has been a nice surprise, Getty said. But when it comes down to it, dancing in the church basement — just the Squares — is hard to beat. "The dances with the broader community are fun, and it's an honor to be included in them, but they're seldom as much fun as an all-gay dance." E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
||||||||
|
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
