Wadena Whirlaways Square and Round Dancers

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Wadena Whirlaways Square and Round Dancers The Wadena Whirlaways Square and Round Dancers invite you to join in the FUN, FRIENDSHIP and FITNESS of square dancing! Join the FUN. We do offer lessons.

Two free dances on Sept 14 and 21, 2026 The Whirlaways Dance the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at St. Michaels catholic church in Motley; 280 1st Ave S, Motley, MN 56466. Feel free to leave us a message here if you would like more information or have any questions about anything square dance!

Something we frequently hear new dancers say is, "I wish I had started this sooner." You'll never start any younger! ...
09/14/2026

Something we frequently hear new dancers say is, "I wish I had started this sooner."

You'll never start any younger! Join us tonight for fun, friendship and healthy exercise.

09/14/2026

Excuses (PART 5): I Don’t Like Country Music

If you think all square dance music sounds like this, you owe it to yourself to come explore modern square dancing. We can, and DO, dance to a great variety of music, both traditional and contemporary. Unlike the records many of us learned square dancing from back in school, today’s square dances need never be boring.

Heres a “Quick Quiz” just for fun: Which of the following music could you square dance to?
1. Happy Trails
2. Pretty Woman
3. It's a Small World
4. Baby shark
5. Cotton-Eyed Joe
6. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
7. Monster Mash
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads
9. Halleluia
10. Dead Skunk
11. Danny Boy
12. I will survive
13. Play That Funky Music
14. It's a good day
15. Ticket to Ride
16. Lord of the Dance
17. Strangers in the night
18. Old Time Rock and Roll
19. Happy Trails
20. Pretty Woman

Put your guesses in the comments. Check back on Wednesday to see how accurate your guesses were.

If you are a square dancer, feel free to share the most unusual songs you have square danced to.

09/06/2026

Excuses, Excuses! . . . What’s YOURS?

Excuses (PART 4): I DON’T HAVE A PARTNER. . . (or my spouse/partner WON'T come!)

While it is true that a square consists of 4 couples, you need not come accompanied by a partner to be welcomed at a square dance or at our lessons, You will be dancing with many partners and will only dance with each person for a short time, even if they are “the one who brought you.” The eight dancers in a square start out from their “home position.” During the song, your caller typically will have you do a number of figures and then say “promenade home.” The men will return to their home position with whatever lady they have on their right side. She then becomes his new partner. As the song continues the lady will rotate through all four sides of the square and be partner for a time with each gentlemen. If the caller has it planned correctly (and all dancers follow his instructions!) all eight will end in their original home, with their original partner.

Often at lessons we ask couples to split up and have each one dance with an experienced dancer who can help guide them until the calls become familiar. Our experienced dancers are called “angels” and they will be available to fill in the squares so all new dancers will have a partner each time. We love to come assist at lessons and share the fun of square dancing with new friends!

Wadena Whirlaways has a number of solo dancers of both genders, along with several women who can dance either part who can fill in where partners are needed at our regular dances. Some of our members have physical limitations, or for whatever reason, do not want to dance every time. When someone wants to sit-out, their regular partner may fill in and dance with solo dancers while they take a break.

As for that spouse/partner who WON’T come . . .
try to persuade them to just “Come and try it 3 times.” Many have come reluctantly (maybe even grumbling) only to find themselves laughing and having more fun than they ever imagined they would. Often they go on to complete the lessons and become frequent dancers.

If you can’t convince them to try this year, YOU come and have fun anyway! Then invite them to visit and watch a dance. Perhaps being welcomed by our square dancers and seeing how much you enjoy it will convince them to come next time lessons are offered!

08/31/2026

Excuses (PART 3) : We did that back in school and I:
□ Hated it (or)
□ Loved it

When Wadena Whirlaways had a booth at the county fair, this was a frequently-heard comment from those passing by. Usually men expressed the first response and the ladies the second, but MOST people over a “certain age” recalled square dancing in school.

In the 1920s and 30s, Henry Ford (yes, THAT Henry Ford!) Invested a lot of money and effort into promoting square dancing. He saw it as a way of preserving American traditions and values he believed were being diminished by the “modern” music and dances of the time such as Jazz and the Charleston. His influence convinced many schools to include square dance in their Phy-ed classes. They viewed it as a way to encourage physical activity, foster social development, and promote teamwork and cooperation.

Unfortunately it was often offered at a time of adolescent awkwardness when holding hands with the opposite s*x was uncomfortable and dancing may have felt “unmanly” to the boys. Since schools did not have callers, square dance music and instruction came from records. While the world advanced, music and fashions changed, and men walked on the moon, students continued to learn to square dance from the same old records their grandparents used.

For those of you who hated it, it important to know that square dance lessons today are VERY different than what you did at school. If you once vowed to NEVER do that again, you owe it to yourself to come give it a try and see how much better it is with a caller using modern music. If you liked it back in school, you will LOVE it now.

Come join us at 7:00 p.m. on September 14th at the Lakewood Care Center and experience MODERN square dancing. You will be amazed at how much it has improved with age!

08/26/2026

Wadena Whirlaways joined in Staples' Railroad Days festivities by participating in the Little Red Caboose Variety show on Thursday, August 20. Despite the disadvantage of dancing to recorded music instead of a caller (who can adjust the speed of the music and increase the volume of his voice to be better heard over the instruments) two squares of dancers did a great job of showing our community how much fun square dancing is.

08/14/2026

Excuses, Excuses! . . . What’s YOURS?

Excuses (PART 2) : It Looks Hard, and “Lessons” Sound Boring

It may look complicated at first, but remember the dancers you see in videos were once brand new like you. They started their first dance learning a few simple movements and doing them to music when the caller said them. The first couple of sessions may leave you feeling a little confused because everything is so new. In a few weeks, the first calls you learned will sound like old familiar friends. You will find yourself wondering WHY they seemed so confusing at first.

We could say:
“A Fun, Friendly Gathering for
Square Dance Novices
Where You Will be Introduced to a
Few New Calls Each Week
While dancing with friends
and Practicing the Ones
You’ve Already Learned”

but “LESSONS”
fits so much better on flyers and is much easier to say. . . even if some might think it sounds “boring.” And you can relax! There are NO pop quizzes or final exams

If you havent decided to come try a free dance yet, we would like to know what’s causing you to hesitate. Let us know in a comment!

08/13/2026

Excuses, Excuses! . . . What’s YOURS?

I recently invited someone to come try our free introductory square dance Monday September 14, 2026. They shook their head and commented. “I have two left feet.” This brought to mind many of the “Excuses” I have heard over the years for why people have denied themselves the fun and friendship square dance offers.

I decided to share some of these concerns and invite you to consider if some these concerns have you hesitate to try it.

TWO LEFT FEET? If you watch a square dance video you will see that there is NO fancy footwork used. The dancers are walking forward or back, turning left or right, passing one another, taking a hand or turning around. As long as you can walk on your “two left feet,” you can square dance!

Join us at Lakewood Care Center 401 Prairie Ave. NE, Staples, MN from 7:00-9:00 p.m. to see what you are missing!

Coming this September: Two opportunities to give square dancing a try at no cost. Plan to come, share the fun and learn...
07/29/2026

Coming this September: Two opportunities to give square dancing a try at no cost. Plan to come, share the fun and learn what you've been missing!

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Staples, MN

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