They dance to western beats, techno and even the Cupid Shuffle rap remix. The members of the Lone Wranglers Square Dance Club know how to move and have a good time. The club offers lessons at the Riley County Senior Center every fall to couples, singles, newcomers and regulars who want to learn how to square dance.
    Judy Speers is a caller for the Lone Wranglers; a caller sings and  alerts the dancers about the next step moves. Speers said square dancing is losing popularity throughout the country, despite the fact that it is known as being one of the most traditional dances in the United States. This is why the club performs at local venues like the Manhattan Town Center - to share their enjoyment of the dance form, Speers said.
    "I am very passionate about square dancing," Speers said. "If we don't get the younger people in it, it will just die. It is an art and our traditional dance. Everyone should know how to square dance."
    According to Speers, square dancing is not "square" like people think it is, but rather uses many different movements and requires attentive listening skills. She also said the club helps demonstrate how fun the quick-stepped dance can be, as well as provide a thorough workout.
    "Two hours of square dancing is equivalent to eight miles of walking," Speers said. "Even the older members - in their nineties - are still sharp and will tell you themselves that it was the square dancing, because you have to move so quickly."
    Though square dancing might not seem to be a difficult dance to master, the fast-paced movements can throw people off, Speers said. It is a learning process, but she also said the club is fortunate to have good teachers. They spend the time helping those who are slower at learning steps, and if people do not understand a step, the instructors repeat everything to help them learn.
    Jane Freyerberger, Manhattan resident, said she was intimidated by the expertise of the callers but felt comfortable because the teachers were very helpful and friendly.
    "At first, I did not think I was going to learn it, but they teach slowly and are repetitive," she said. "Manhattan is lucky to have a square dancing club, and the callers are excellent."
    Freyerberger said she had been wanting to take some sort of dancing lessons, and after seeing the club perform at the town center, she grabbed a brochure and convinced her husband to go with her to a square dancing session.
    Speers said she found out about the club through her neighbor who had asked her to go with her to a lesson.
    "I thought what the heck, let me see what this is about - and now I love it!" she said.
    When Speers first stepped on to the floor, square dancing came easy to her, but it was not the dance that she said kept her coming back.
    "It was the people; the people were so friendly, and I felt it was some place where I was welcomed into no matter where I went," Speers said. "The dance itself though is a lot of fun."
    Don Daily, one of the founders of the Lone Wranglers, said in 1975 Manhattan had four different square-dancing clubs. He said a friend of his had suggested forming a club for singles at a Parents Without Partners group meeting. Daily said he helped start this square-dancing club and even had members of the Parents Without Partners join. The Lone Wranglers started soon after in Fall 1975.
    The Lone Wranglers are members of the North Central District of square dancing, The Kansas Square Dance Association and the National Square Dance Association.
    "Square dancing is just a fun activity, and you make a lot of friends," Daily said. "We also get to travel to different clubs."
    He also said though square dancing is an international dance, it is still called in the American dialect all over the world.
    The local club offers members a chance to dance to mainstream dances or the more advanced levels. Daily said there is no competition on the dance floor because everyone is so friendly. After every dance all the members hold hands, bow and say thank you several times; they also hug each other.
    "This club teaches people to have fun," Daily said. "If you want to have a good time, be a square dancer."
    Daily said there is a wide range of ages that attend the lessons; there is even an 87-year-old member who still dances with the group.
    "I used to dance every day, but I can't quite keep up," Daily said. "I still enjoy square dancing, even at 82. I'd recommend it for anybody."
   
   
 INTERESTED IN SQUARE DANCING WITH THE LONE WRANGLERS?
-7:30 p.m. rounds, 8 p.m. dance
-November 11
-Riley County Senior Center, 412 Leavenworth St. 9 D6


For more information, visit the Long Wranglers Square Dance Club Web site at www.lonewranglers.org, or contact JoAnn Falley at 785-456-8964 or j.falley@hotmail.com.