Thousands of square dancers will promenade in Kansas City

For Gardner resident Daryl Arndt, persuading his wife to try square dancing was a hard sell.

They were recently married. The kids were nearly grown. He had enjoyed it when he was younger, but she was not convinced.

“She never danced before, and it took me two years to talk her into it. Now she loves it,” Arndt said.

They started dancing together in 2013. They enjoy it so much, the Arndts recently finished up a stint as leaders of their Docey Dandies Square Dance Club, which meets twice a month at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

“We both like music and the friendships. You meet so many friendly, fun people, and it’s great exercise,” Arndt said.

Leslie and Daryl Arndt are among dancers from four states helping plan the 67th Annual National Square Dance Convention coming to the Kansas City Convention Center this June.

They are helping with the hospitality room for the event, and with international visitors. Dancers from at least six countries are expected to attend. No translation is needed, though: All square dancing calls around the world are spoken in English.

The last time the national convention came to Kansas City was 1975. Kansas City also hosted the second National Square Dance Convention in 1952.

Jane Hon, publicity chair for the Kansas City event, says each convention takes four to five years to prepare.

“We dance all day from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. There are education pieces. There are workshops and seminars,” Hon said.

The convention is not just square dancing. While it does feature all levels of square dancing, it will also have opportunities for round dancing, western dancing and contra dancing.

Convention attendees plan to take their dancing on the town June 29. At 10:30 a.m. they will gather at Barney Allis Plaza, dance and then bus to flash-mob locations around downtown. Look for dancers at places like Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial that morning.

Downtown in the evening, the dancers will also have an “after party” dance from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Barney Allis Plaza. The public can watch those events for free. At any other time during the convention, the public is invited to come to the door of the convention center, get a $5 pass and enjoy the all-day dancing activities.

Hon says that while the heyday of square dancing seems to have passed (the national conventions used to draw tens of thousands of people), there are a growing number of younger people taking up the activity. She also says people have some misconceptions about the dancing.

First, the dress code is not necessarily what you imagine. Yes, there are many who wear the traditional petty skirts and bright-colored square dancing outfits, but it is not required. Women often just wear comfortable skirts and tops. Men usually just wear jeans and western-style long sleeved shirts.

“Today, we call it casual dancing. We dress in pants and shorts during the day. At night they ask for more formal attire, but I can put on my jean skirt and a peasant top and my cowboy boots and I fit,” Hon said.

Second, people of all ages can and do participate in the activity. The convention will have a youth room for children under 18, and many people participate in square dancing as a family.

“I dance with 90-year-old men. I dance with 18-year-old men. It’s a wide variety, and it brings us all together to an activity that we all love and are passionate about,” Hon said.

Also, the dancing is not only to country music. They do have that, but dancers can also move to music from Styx or Lady Gaga.

Daryl Ardnt says the best thing about square dancing is the fun, friends and the stress relief.

“It’s been really wonderful. When you get to dance you forget about what’s going on in life, literally. I tell people I could have the worst day at work, and when I hit the dance floor everything goes away. You get so busy listening to the calls and the beat and laughing. It goes away. It’s just like magic,” Ardnt said.

The 67th Annual National Square Dance Convention runs June 27-30 at the Kansas City Convention Center.

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Thousands of square dancers will promenade in Kansas City."