September 25, 2002
Squares get around dance floor
Darrell Figg celebrates 41 years of calling square dances
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Smooth patter, a good singing voice and the ability to keep a room full of swirling dancers on the same track are the hallmarks of a successful square dance caller.
To Darrell Figg, a square dance caller for 41 years, the reward is in the challenge - for both dancers and the caller. During his songs, Figg is constantly aware of every square - group of four couples dancing together - on the floor. As he calls the dance, Figg chooses among moves, weaving them into a logical series of steps based on the music and the dancers.
Figg enjoys watching the patterns unfold from the front of the room.
"The most fun part is getting together with friends and seeing if you can do these challenging steps together," he said. "When the square makes it all the way through, it is very exciting."
Figg and his wife, Vera, thanked their many friends and dancers Sunday by hosting a celebration that drew dancers from around the region. Held at the Interlochen Fellowship Hall, the dance was a swirl of colors and sound, as petticoats swirled and feet stomped the night away.
"We appreciate all the things that people have done for us over the years," said Figg. "Square dancers are that way, just very giving people."
Figg founded Dare-All Squares in 1962, shortly after he began calling dances. He started out calling a few basement square dances. Then, egged on by his friends, he began calling in public, pleased to merge his interests in singing and instrumental music.
"I did all right, but was scared to death," recalled Figg, who moved to the area with his family in 1959. "Very quickly, before a year was over, I was getting invitations to call around the state."
"I think you could stick a pin anywhere in the Lower Peninsula and I would have called dances within 50 miles of there," he noted.
When Figg started calling, there were four other square dancing groups as the pastime was very popular through the 1970s. Since then, an aging membership and sluggish interest so far among younger dancers have dropped the number of clubs in Traverse City to just two.
The dancers who come, however, are loyal to their sport. They are eager to spread the word that square dancing is fun, a great way to make friends and provides excellent exercise. An evening's dancing can net the equivalent of between five and seven miles of walking, they say, while the laughter and hugs are priceless.
"Square dancing is good, clean fun," said Bill Rackow of Buckley, who has been square dancing for eight years with his wife, Dolly. "Where else can you go for $7 or $8 a night and have a good time; you can't even eat for that at McDonald's."
Elnora and Ken Jacob of Onekema have been dancing off and on since the 1960s. Each time family responsibilities or illness has taken them away for a while, they find themselves coming back.
"We were away a while and you miss the people so," said Elnora Jacob. "We like the camaraderie of it all and it is great exercise."
Figg noted that modern Western-style square dancing has fans worldwide. A take-off of traditional barn dancing, this style of square dancing features intricate patterns executed by the four couples in each square. The caller either performs singing calls, where dancers often sing along on the chorus, or patter calls, which feature chanted directions of moves.
Figg noted that 80 percent of what he calls today are new calls that callers have developed. In addition, since the Dare-All Squares specialized as a higher-level plus club a few years ago, he has been challenging his dancers more often with all-position dancing. All-position dancing has the men and women change positions during a dance and perform the steps typically reserved for the opposite gender.
The names of the moves are universally recognized. A Four Ladies' Chain, Ocean Wave or Square Through is the same anywhere people dance modern Western-style.
"I could walk into a square dance in Japan, nobody there speaking any English and I can't speak any Japanese," said Figg, who has called at dances all over the state and in Florida. "But when I start calling they can dance because they learned all the calls in English."