Sam Carey joined dozens of first-time square dancers Tuesday evening at the War Memorial Building in Lenoir City to answer a simple question: Can I do that?
By the end of the evening, he had his answer.
“I joined dozens of other first-timers Tuesday evening at the War Memorial Building in Lenoir City,” Carey said. “I was surprised that we danced to modern music like ‘Thriller’ and ‘Superstition.’ Everybody could square dance by the end of the night!”
Helping make that happen was instructor and caller Steve Kopman, whose connection to square dancing stretches back two generations.
Kopman began calling as a child. His father, Lee Kopman, became one of the most influential figures in modern square dancing, creating hundreds of calls, including moves that became part of the established square-dance vocabulary. In an oral history, Lee recalled that Steve was already dancing at age 6 and was so comfortable with it that he could outperform adults. Steve even called at the New York World’s Fair as a young boy.
Steve Kopman continued the family tradition, developing an extensive calling career of his own. He has called at major square-dance events and has recordings credited to him as a caller. Today, he calls locally for Little T Squares in Lenoir City and Double K Squares in Knoxville.
Square Dancing lessons for beginners
Anyone picturing only fiddles and old-time music might also be surprised. Kopman has long combined traditional square-dance calls with contemporary music. A previous Knoxville story found him calling dancers to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” and noted that his selections included pop and rock music.
That combination was part of what Carey experienced Tuesday.
Square dancing has deep roots, but modern square dancing depends on the caller directing dancers through a series of movements. Beginners learn the calls gradually until responding to them becomes almost automatic.
Little T Squares compares the learning process to typing: At first, dancers have to think about each call, but repetition eventually makes the movements familiar. The club offers its beginners’ sessions at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the War Memorial Building in Lenoir City.
Carey’s experience suggests beginners shouldn’t be intimidated by what they see on the dance floor.
By the end of one evening, he said, everybody was square dancing.
So, can you do that? It certainly looks like you can.
Want to try it? Little T Squares — How Do I Get Started?
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter. Comments may be sent to news@knoxtntoday.com.
