Square& Round Dancing

Frankie Manning featured in today's Google Doodle was an American dancer, instructor and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founding fathers of Lindy Hop. A happy man, every picture of him he is smiling. I hope he found Jesus, then he will be in smiling in Heaven Dancing.

There is nothing more fun than square dancing! I was 13 when my mother sent me to square dance classes which included some round dances like Salty Dog Rag at Longfellow Elementary in Pasadena. That is where I met my first love Annette Stanton who was 11. Then I used to play Classic Rock on the radio and make up dances to Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Beatles, etc. Years later my sister and I went to classes at Bachelor and Bachlorettes in Van Nuys and Silver Dollars, and others when I was 22. We went to our first club dance before we graduated and loved it. I then tried to start a class as a Caller Instructor, but did not get enough people to keep it going. Years later I took a Caller Class taught by Lee Schmidt in Anaheim. Years later, with my first wife Muriel we got into several square dance classes at Cow Town in Riverside and elsewhere. Then we got into round dancing. And we went to all the clubs in Riverside, Corona, and Orange County, like Disneyland Squares, Knotts Berry Farm's Square Knotts, and others. We loved dancing and reached high levels. Then Muriel got Alzheimer and died. It is almost impossible to find a dance partner, after that I often did ballroom round dances by myself at dances. Everyone has a regular partner. I have not danced in years because my new wife hasn't been able to dance.