Do- Si- Do.........

   Definition: Do-Si-Do (sometimes spelled dosado) A dance step where two dancers, face to face, advance and pass right shoulder to right shoulder and without turning, each dancer moves to the right, passing the other back to back, then move backwards, passing each other with the left shoulders and returning to the starting position.

   It was a beautiful mid-September Saturday evening. Some friends had opened their recently restored barn for an evening of square dancing. Square dancing? Family and friends had been invited to spend a bit of time together and while there were some people in the crowd who were acquainted with each other at some level, for  most, it was a group of strangers, just spending some time together.
   Ages in the group ranged from some school age kids all the way up to those my age and beyond, people who actually remembered what square dancing really was, probably from gym class in school. No 'rap' music here, although I suppose if you allowed your mind to wander, the dance caller might be considered a rapper......Ever hear a 'rapper' with a thick New England accent?

   The evening began with a pot luck supper. As is often the case, there was enough food to feed a group twice the size, maybe even half the population of Maine. The mixture of smells and tastes was enough to please anyone's  palate. My favorite..... the fresh vegetable dishes. After all, it is harvest time and what better way to share the harvest than with friends at an old fashioned Saturday night get together.

   Tucked away in the corner were several tables piled high with desserts and other sweets. But the desserts would wait until later. It was now time to dance.

   Within a few minutes after eating, the floor was cleared, the square dance caller set up his equipment and we were ready to go. 
   In the beginning it reminded me of the first junior high school dance. Everyone stuck close to the wall, not wanting to be the first on to the dance floor. But most of us were adults and no need to be coy at this age. And with a bit of encouragement from the 'caller' the center of the barn was filled with giggly, chatty groups ready for the challenge.

    Now I use the word 'challenge' because for most of us in the room, unless they were currently members of a local square dance group, and there are some in the area, for the most of us, the last time we square danced was probably in physical education in high school. But the square dance caller was very patient and after a review of some of the key moves and terms, it was almost like riding a bicycle, except most of us moved across the floor a lot slower than we did in high school. Age does have a way of slowing one down a bit.

   Let's see......circle to the left, then back to the right, face your partner and so-si-do, allemande left and promenade right, get back home and do it again! It brought back memories of yesterday. It was the only time the boys and girls gym classes ever met together each year. Hold her hand! Are you kidding me.

   Even the younger ones in attendance this night managed to put aside their cell phone for a few minutes and join in the fun. I can only imagine the text messages that followed to their friends. “You'll never guess what I just did.” Better yet...”You'll never guess what my parents just did!”

   As the evening progressed and the dancing continued, the conversations and laughing got louder and people seemed to have a really good time. Remember, this was a group of people that, for the most part, did not know each other before this evening and while they might pass each other unknowingly in the aisles of the local grocery store, that would  have been the extent of any social interaction. But tonight was different.

    The evening turned out to be a huge success. Good food, good dancing, new friends, and the cell phones were set aside for a few minutes. Kind of sounds like the “old days,” no cell phones in the old days, when people would get together on a Saturday night at the local grange, a school gym or at someone's barn, kick out the cows and horses for a few hours and have some good 'down home' fun. It's what happened in small towns and communities across the country many years ago. It's how friends and neighbors got to know each other just a little bit better with a do-si-do and an allemande left.

   Unfortunately those days are probably long gone. But for those of us with a bit a gray hair and some distant memories of the Saturday night social, this particular night brought back some memories of a simpler life.
   And those other distant memories of square dancing in gym class? Holding hands with that special girl from period three gym class didn't turn out too bad either!!   :)  

The real sight was much better than the picture, the rich deep blue sky behind the brightly colored leaves. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.