Square-Dancers Defy Stereotypes

The gathering in the church hall had all the ingredients of an old-fashioned hoedown. The couples wore their best Western duds--string ties, fancy shirts and cowboy boots for the men, full skirts and petticoats for the women.

“Hey little boy and hey little girl, it’s square-dance time,” caller Andy Rawlinson sang out. “Grab your partner and get on the floor.” At Rawlinson’s command they swung into motion--allemande left, circle right, do-si-do and so on.

The scene could have been straight out of the heartland, except for a few details: The location was Crenshaw United Methodist Church, the dancers were predominantly black, and the caller was sneaking in some lyrics from a Pointer Sisters song.

But defying stereotypes is nothing new for the Dudes & Dames Inc. of Baldwin Hills. The oldest predominantly black square-dance group in the state observed its 25th anniversary earlier this month, and about 200 dancers showed up to celebrate.

“Square-dancing is America’s national folk dance,” said Carrie Jones, a member of Dudes & Dames for more than 20 years. “Square-dancing is wonderful. It’s a family activity, it’s good exercise and it’s a place for social gathering without alcohol.”

In California there are about 750 square-dance clubs and about 75,000 dancers, according to Jim Maczko, president of the California Square Dance Council. The national organization, United Square Dancers of America, has roughly 500,000 members, he said.

Square-dancing is America’s most popular folk dance form, but many blacks see it as a Southern tradition, rooted in segregation. Members of the Dukes & Dames say they tasted rejection in Los Angeles during the early days.

“We would go to dances and (white dancers) would just refuse to get on the floor with us, “ said Frank Jones. “I remember we went to a dance at the Police Academy and they wouldn’t let us in. We would come in with six people and no one would get up and join our square (to make eight).”

“Back when we started 25 years ago, we were told we wouldn’t last a year,” said Helen Proctor, who held the first meeting in her living room. “I guess they were wrong.”

Over the years, the barriers against blacks participating in square-dancing have crumbled.

The Dudes & Dames joined the local square-dance association in 1972. They soon gained recognition and were invited to dance before audiences throughout Los Angeles. Frank and Carrie Jones have served as vice presidents of the California Square Dance Council and danced in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Caller Andy Rawlinson, an early member of Dudes & Dames, has parlayed his hobby into a career. He travels throughout the country and even overseas calling dances. He recently took a group of teen-agers to Romania and Poland to demonstrate square-dancing.

“I met my wife Margie when she walked into a square-dance class I was teaching,” he said. “She walked in, things happened and the rest is history.”

In the beginning, however, Rawlinson said he was a reluctant convert to square-dancing.

“I didn’t like the music,” he said. “I was turned off by the country and Western sound. And even though I make a living at it, I still don’t like the music just to sit down and listen to. There’s something about the twang that gets to me. It may sound weird, but I prefer jazz or easy-listening music.”

Sometimes Rawlinson improvises. He’ll find a rhythm-and-blues number that lends itself to square-dancing. At the Dudes & Dames 25th anniversary celebration, he brought down the house when he did his calls to an instrumental version of the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance”:

“She looks so fine as she moves on down the line

Swing that girl/promenade in time

Oh, I’m just burning doing the Neutron Dance

I’m just burning doing the Neutron Dance . . . “