European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                At right caller Sonya aul provides step by step instructions while club members dance in Griesheim West Germany. Below the swirl of a dancer s skirt reveals a frilly Petticoat. Square dancing comes full Circle Katarina Hertel 4, watches the spinning onions  Ron Jensen staff writer there seems something distinctly american about Square dancing. A Square dance is saturday night in Oklahoma. A party on the Prairie. Clean out the barn Clem and Call the neighbors. So a Square dance in the Middle of Europe a in fact in towns Large and Small All across Europe a seems incongruous. But think again. Like Many things american Square dancing has its roots in Europe. When europeans immigrated to America their traditional Folk dances sailed the Ocean with them. As the new americans rubbed elbows they sought to enjoy the company of their neighbors. Quot they wanted to be Able to dance together Quot says Dave Houlihan a civilian with the communications equipment come in Frankfurt West Germany and a member of the Griesheim spinning onions Square dancers. Quot it was the melting pot getting  so the Folk dances from the old world evolved into the new world s Square dance. And when the shooting stopped at the end of world War ii and the american soldiers had free time they taught the Square dance to the europeans. With a promenade left a promenade right and a do is do the dances had come full Circle. Quot you can do it in France in Sweden everywhere Quot says Dieter Brand president of the spinning onions. There is now a european association of american Square dancing clubs with hundreds of clubs organized All across Europe including Eastern Europe. There Are 180 clubs in West Germany plus others in Romania Poland the Netherlands Switzerland and As Brand says everywhere. Quot it s for people from 12 to 75,�?� says Brigitte Devault of the spinning onions. Quot it s fun Quot says her husband Joe a retired air Force member who is one of two americans in the Griesheim club. Quot it s Good  the Square dancing he does in Germany he says is exactly like that he Learned in Utah. The clubs throughout Europe have their regular meetings Brand says but the most fun is when one club visits another for an evening of dancing. Quot you can dance with a stranger and you Don t feel like a stranger Quot he says. Quot if a visitor needs a place to sleep for the night it s no  anyone familiar with the German language knows that there Are two ways to address a person. The formal is Sie and the More Friendly is do. Square dancers Cut through All the formality and immediately address fellow Square dancers by do Brand says. Square dancing is a great melting pot Brand says. Quot we have everything Here from mechanics to engineers doctors and housewives Quot he says. Houlihan adds that Square dancers Quot Are like one big  the object of the Square dance is simple. Couples Start in a Square formation. They then follow the caller s instructions through a series of ordered patterns such As the Courtsey turn the half sashay the slip the clutch the Box the gnat and the Ocean wave. If the caller is exact and the dancers respond accordingly the Square formation will be recreated at the dance s end. 4 stripes Magazine april 19, 1990