Square Off for Good Workout on Dance Floor : Lessons are a must. You first need skill-level certification to take advantage of nine months of workouts.

Many folks say they got into country-Western dancing for the exercise--they don’t call it “barroom aerobics” for nothing. But if it’s a workout you’re looking for, I’d have to tell you square dancing ranks far above line dancing and clogging.

It’s also a lot of fun. And because Ventura County is a hotbed of square dance mania, there are several clubs that provide opportunities for family-oriented dancing in smoke- and alcohol-free environments.

Square dancing attracts people of all ages. About half of the members are retired. The rest are dancers in their 30s and 40s, but teen-agers enjoy it too.

If you’re interested in learning California’s official folk dance, now is the time to sign up for inexpensive lessons--about $4 a week. The annual enrollment period for new members lasts only through the first part of September. If you don’t take the lessons, you can’t get in for another year without skill-level certification. This policy ensures a minimum proficiency among the dancers so that everyone can execute the caller’s moves and have a good time.

Beginning Tuesday most square dance clubs in the area will start weekly classes for nine months. Each club meets on a different night to allow visitation between groups. It also makes it possible for people to belong to clubs in several cities.

“Bachelors ‘N Bachelorettes,” is an international square dance club with a chapter in Ventura and one in Thousand Oaks. B ‘N B’s, as it’s called, also accepts couples. But it’s designed for single dancers--those who arrive without a partner.

Some clubs, such as the “Pi-R Squares” in Newbury Park, accept singles and try to help them find partners. The remaining clubs will try to help you find a dance partner during the first couple of weeks of lessons. After that, you must bring your own in order to continue.

In square dancing, “sets” or “squares” of eight dancers perform a series of steps directed by the “caller,” who sings instructions, tells jokes and entertains the crowd. After six months of lessons, “mainstream level” dancers know the first 40 calls or dance moves in the Dictionary of Square Dance Calls and Moves, including the familiar “promenade” and “do-si-do.”

Graduates of the standard nine-month classes reach “plus level.” With about 74 moves under their belts, dancers can do complex moves like “relay the deucey,”--done to 48 musical beats--and comfortably participate in special social dances. In addition, many clubs hold quarterly dance events and even take field trips to clubs in other counties. And four times a year, California’s 22,000 square dancers learn a new “tip” or “call” that has been accepted by all the square dance callers in the state. So there’s no reason why you can’t keep those happy feet movin’.

Details

* CLIP & SAVE: The following is a list of square dance clubs with open enrollment dates for beginning-level dance lessons:

Happy Squares, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. starting Sept. 8, Our Savior Lutheran Church, 4191 Cochran St., Simi Valley, 526-8352.

Romping Stompers, 8 to 10 p.m. starting Tuesday, Oxnard Community Center, 800 Hobson Way, 647-1582.

Ventura B ‘N B’s, 8 to 10 p.m. starting Sept. 8, Cabrillo Middle School, 1426 E. Santa Clara St., Ventura, 642-0744.

Ripsnorters, 8 to 10 p.m. starting Sept. 8, Freedom Center, Camarillo Airport, 482-3201.

Pi-R Squares, 7:30 to 10 p.m. starting Sept. 12, Ascension Lutheran Church, 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, 492-0189 or 492-1442.

Boots and Slippers, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., starting Sept. 12, Senior Adult Center, 3900 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley, 582-9073.

Thousand Oaks B ‘N B’s, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. starting Sept. 13, Brookside School, 165 N. Satinwood, Agoura, 495-9814.

Taws & Paws and the Santa Barbara B ‘N B’s meet together, 8 to 10 p.m. starting Sept. 27, Peabody School, 3018 Calle Noguera, Santa Barbara, 968-9896 or 962-5523.

The following clubs hold regular dance nights:

Buckles and Bows, “plus-level” dance, 8 to 11 p.m. fourth Saturday of each month, Round Meadow School, 5151 Round Meadow Road, Calabasas, $5, 818-889-5781.

Valley Stars, 8 to 11 p.m. first and third Saturdays, Mesa Union School, Highway 118, Somis, 495-4397.

Fairs & Squares, 8 to 10 p.m. Saturdays, Peabody School, 3018 Calle Noguera, Santa Barbara, 967-5046.