DANCERS CONVERGE ON THE CITY; SQUARE DANCING MEET DRAWS 1,000

Junior Kelso of Lebanon, Mo., says square dancing is almost better than fishing.

"She doesn't go fishing," he said, referring to his wife, Rilda. "This is something we can do together. And all you need to know is your left from your right and one-two-three-four."

"It's good, clean fun," said Rilda Kelso. "But you've got to have a good memory and you have got to really listen."

The Kelsos are among about 1,000 square dancers from across the state promenading through the Show Me Center this weekend.

The 33rd annual Missouri State Federation of Square 'n Round Dancers met in Cape Girardeau, the first time the state meeting has ever been held here, said Betty Osborne of Cape Girardeau. She and her husband, Dean, are helping organize the dance.

Dancing began Friday night, continued Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m., and is scheduled to conclude today at noon.

While some young folks participate, most of the dancers are senior citizens.

Rilda Kelso said, "Older folks are mostly retired and they have more time."

Jay Wright of Nevada, Mo., is a caller, the fellow who choreographs the dances and then calls out directions. He's been calling for 13 years and now works six nights a week.

"The whole thing evolved from pioneers and prairie dances. It's gotten a lot more complex, but the basic idea is still to get together and have a good time," he said.

"Basically you have eight people dancing individually, but they are all dancing together," Wright said.

"You make it up as you go along," he said, adding that sometimes callers like to try to confuse the dancers with complicated patterns. "It all depends on the crowd. If they want to be laid back and just dance, I can do that too."

Grace Jenson of Carrolton belongs to two square dance clubs. "It's just nice being with people, and it's good exercise," she said.

Her friend, Ernestine Blackerby of Marshall, said she and her husband square dance four nights a week. "We even have a patch for dancing five nights straight," Blackerby said.

"Everywhere we go we look up a club and go to dance. Dances all over the world are about the same, and they are all called in English."

Troy and Sue Hendrix of Oak Ridge began square dancing on Valentine's Day 1974.

Sue Hendrix, like almost all the women, wears a flouncy skirt with a petticoat when she dances. That's just what square dancers wear. "I probably have 10 dresses," she said. "And I bet I have nine petticoats."

"We love it," she said. "We have kids and grandchildren that dance."

"When the great-grandchildren get big enough, they'll dance too," said Troy Hendrix, who claims to have started square dancing in 1918, the year he was born.

"It's good family fun," he said. "I've seen my dad buy a pair of shoes on Saturday and have worn a hole in it by Monday that's no lie. It's just a lot of fun."