Free square dance class open through September

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Photo courtesy Susan Hamlet Caller Carla Roberts and the Wild West Squares are offering a 10-week introduction to square dancing class. Enrollment is open through September. Photo courtesy Susan Hamlet
Caller Carla Roberts and the Wild West Squares are offering a 10-week introduction to square dancing class. Enrollment is open through September.

By Carla Roberts

Special to The PREVIEW

The Wild West Squares of Pagosa Springs is offering a free 10-week introduction to square dance with classes continuing to accept new students on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m.

The next class is Sept. 28 at the PLPOA Clubhouse. Enrollment is open through the month of September.

The Wild West Squares, with caller Carla Roberts, is a modern western square dance teaching program that starts at a basic level, so new dancers can quickly master enough calls (or dance steps) to experience the exhilaration of dancing in a group setting.

Learn teamwork, stretch you mind and body and develop friendships with a growing group of enthusiastic dancers. The class focus is for everyone to have an enjoyable dance session while learning the building blocks of square dance.

This is a fun, easygoing and free class open to families, couples and singles. The suggested age for children is at least 8 years old. Call Roberts to enroll at 903-6478.

Improve physical and mental health

The golden duo — mental and physical exercise— has been shown to enhance cognitive functioning over exercise alone, indicating that the best brain health workouts involve those that integrate different parts of the brain such as coordination, rhythm and strategy.

Square dancing fits the bill perfectly and has many opportunities for socializing — opportunities that don’t usually exist in other workout routines.

If you want to forget your troubles, stress and other life dramas, consider grabbing a partner or coming solo and hitting the dance floor. You’re bound to lose track of everything that’s troubling you since it’s nearly impossible to focus on anything but the steps being called.

There are different levels of square dancing. The beginning level alone consists of 69 different dance moves or “calls.” The next level adds an additional 31 calls. Keeping track of all those dance steps requires quite a bit of mental focus. If you’ve been looking for a fun, unique way to improve your overall health, consider square dancing. Your mind and body will thank you.

Stay healthy this fall with square dancing every Wednesday night from 7 to 8 p.m., continuing Sept. 28 through Nov. 23 at the PLPOA Clubhouse located at 230 Port Ave. To best enjoy dancing, wear comfortable clothes and clean shoes.