Learn to Square Dance
It’s not the “barn dance” from high school gym class. It’s a lot more fun! No partner and no experience needed.
Lessons on Thursday nights
The Johnny Appleseed Squares teach new dancers on Thursday nights, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 525 W. Cook Road, Mansfield. Our caller and teacher is Danny Beck of Norwalk, who has taught our lessons since 1998. $5 a lesson per dancer.
Questions about lessons? Call Don Karger at 419-545-6564, or send us a note.
Coming lessons
No lesson dates listed? A new class may be about to start: ask us, or find a class around Columbus below.
Why people love it
Great low-impact exercise
It’s not uncommon to walk a couple of miles during an evening of dancing, and you’ll be having too much fun to notice.
You don’t need a partner
Come on your own or bring a friend. Club members (“angels”) dance with new dancers at every lesson and help you every step of the way.
A workout for the mind, too
Square dancing is all about doing the right move as the caller calls it. You’ll be using your memory and your feet all night.
Friendships for a lifetime
Square dancing is “friendship set to music.” Since 1968 our club has graduated more than 750 dancers, and many are still friends today.
“But I don’t like country music!”
Today’s callers use pop, rock, oldies and more, as well as country. The music is as varied as the callers and dancers.
Dance anywhere
The calls are the same everywhere, so once you learn, you can dance at clubs all over Ohio, and all over the world.
How it works
A caller stands at the front and calls out each move in time to the music. Eight dancers, four couples in a square, follow along together. Nobody memorizes a routine: you learn the calls a few at a time, and before long you’re dancing to callers all over Ohio.
At Johnny Appleseed we dance Plus squares, with rounds between the tips. Round dancing is couples dancing to a cuer, who calls the steps of waltzes, two-steps and cha-chas, so you never have to remember the routine.
More classes around Ohio
Other clubs teach too, on different nights of the week. Find beginner classes around Columbus at Columbus Square Dance, or ask us about classes near you.
Ask us a question Find a class near you
Want a head start?
Our 3D Animations page shows any call danced out, step by step, so you can see a move before you try it.