Deloraine’s boot-scootin’ secret

Join in the fun with SQRZ and dance every Friday, 7.30pm at the Western Tiers Community Club.

Gary Petersen

Square Dancing is great for your mind and body, with social benefits.

It is an interactive dance form that is non-competitive. It takes eight dancers to work together to solve the puzzle the caller delivers. 

Most square dance clubs only have small budgets for advertising, and much of their best work is done by word of mouth. If we had the budget of Coca-Cola, who knows how many people would know about this wonderful activity?!

I am a Square Dance Caller, and after moving back to Tassie in late 2018, I decided to start a new square dance club called ‘Upbeat SQRZ’ in Deloraine.

Hoping to get families along, I chose to host dances on Friday nights so people could go into the weekend dancing. 

Our first night was January 10 2019, and we started at the Deloraine Bowls Club with just a small group of dancers. 

In 2019, the Australian National Convention was held in Deloraine, so I thought we might get some new dancers after people saw the spectacle, and I was right. 

The following year, we had a write-up in the Meander Valley Gazette about our first birthday, which generated enough interest that many beginners thoroughly enjoyed the classes.

In March 2020, Covid hit, and nothing has really been the same since. 

Unfortunately, the new group did not return. We have been battling to try and work out how to encourage people to get out and about again. 

During that period, we had to organise a new dance venue. Luckily for us, we are now at the Western Tiers Community Club. 

This venue suits our needs well and offers two different size Halls. 

We are currently using the smaller side, but we are hoping that we will change sides in the not too distant future.

Square dancing today is totally different from the old days, especially with the music available to us and the broad range I use. 

My nickname is the Rebel Caller because I call to all types of music, but especially Upbeat tracks, and I often prefer to use Dance Remixes. 

I have been calling since 1995, and I have always been trying to get rid of the stigma associated with our fantastic activity.

“Dare to be square - it’s FUN with FLAIR!”