Nancy Feek, Rockmart, is a member of the Georgia State Square Dancing Association and has received many awards since she became involved in 1970. (Agnes Hagin/thepolkfishwrap.com)
She has discovered her interest keeps her active and feeling young and healthy. It has also provided her with many friends and is a topic of conversation for all age groups.
Feek said that square dancing involves four couples (eight dancers) arranged in a square with one couple on each side facing the middle. The various square dance movements are based on the steps and figures used in traditional folk and social dances from many countries.
It is also enjoyed by people around the world who are involved in its continued development, according to Feek.
In most American forms of square dance, the dancers are prompted or cued through a sequence of steps (square dance choreography) by a caller to the beat (and, in some traditions, the phrasing) of music. The caller may be one of the dancers or musicians, but nowadays is more likely to be on stage, giving full attention to directing the dancers.
“It is not a barn dance like those you sometimes see on television,” Feek said. “The music is modern and events are held in places like community centers, gyms, church buildings or other convenient location.”
Feek is membership chair of the Georgia State Square Dancers Association (GSSDA). She has also held the post of corresponding secretary and been a part of various committees since she and her late husband John first took lessons in 1970.
“John’s friend invited him to attend and I joined them,” she said. “The rest is history. He was hooked and our life was soon set to music.”
This couple won many prestigious awards and Feek is still active in GSSDA. She attends meetings across Georgia and is currently involved in plans for the 42nd Georgia State Square Dance Convention Sept. 19-21 in Macon.
Displayed at the event will be a proclamation, signed by Governor Nathan Deal, declaring September as Square Dance Month.
Meanwhile, Feek is busy answering the phone and making contacts in surrounding states as she continues “background work” for meetings scheduled prior to the convention.
She encourages anyone interested in a hobby that can develop into a passion or new way of life to become a part of the art known as square dancing.
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