Caper Cutters Still Swinging

By Nova Szoka

St. Paul's Church Hall bustles with color, movement and sound every Monday night when the San Francisco Caper Cutters take over. They "bend the line," "slip the clutch," "box the gnat," "pass the ocean," "sweep a quarter," "do the California twirl," "recycle" and then "promenade home."

The Caper Cutters are square dancers, and part of one of San Francisco's oldest square dancing clubs, the Caper Cutters Square Dance Club, which recently celebrated it's 52nd anniversary. Gathering on Monday evenings at St. Paul's Church, located at the corner of 43rd Avenue and Judah Street, members come from all around San Francisco, South San Francisco, Daly City and Brisbane to dance and celebrate life. Women wear colorful dancing dresses with pleated skirts and soft-sole dancing shoes, while men wear western shirts with old fashioned cloth ties and cowboy hats - their colorful attire a testament to their enthusiasm for the art form.

The Caper Cutter's Club was formed in 1950 by teacher-caller Jack McKay, along with the now defunct Square Cutters and Diamond Cutters. The club currently has about 60 active members that are between the ages of 37 and 90 years old. Lore Andreasen, a senior and Caper Cutter for more than 30 years, remembers in the club's early days they were still "selling square dancing dresses at JC Penney." She also remembers huge hoedowns at Lowell High School that had more than 400 participants.

The club, in addition to its Monday night dancing, hosts mini-hoedowns at St. Paul's gym on some weekends. Square dancing is done by four couples that stand in a square, facing inward. Two couples are "head couples" and the other two couples are "side couples." Usually 48 to 64 people show up for dancing on Mondays, which makes six to eight squares of eight dancers each.

Historically, square dancing has European roots and is related to the contra, an English country dance, and French dances, the Quadrille and Contredanse Francais. These dances arrived in America with the earliest settlers and although some were lost, many were preserved, particularly in the southern Appalachians.

America's unique contribution to square dancing was adding a "caller." A square dance caller calls out moves, or "calls," in time to the music and the dancers in the square perform the movements, which causes them to shift and the square to change shape. The calls are varied and have interesting names, such as "dosado," "acey-deucey," "allemande left," "Ferris wheel," "wheel and deal," and "swing your partner." Some moves may even cause couples to switch partners. It is the caller's job to ensure that the tangle of partners returns to its original form.

There have been three callers in the club's 52-year existence -McKay from 1950 to 1969, Keith Gylfe from 1969 to 1993 and Larry Davenport, the clubÕs present-day caller, who started calling for the Caper Cutters in 1993. Davenport has been square dancing for 20 years and calling for 18. He started to square dance with his wife in Tannersville, Pennsylvania in 1982 and two years later began a "close apprenticeship" with caller John Kaltenhaler.

On the art of calling, Davenport says, "It is all about moving people through choreography." He said it is necessary for every caller to be familiar with "the arrangement of the dancers and how different calls move the dancers. It is not memorized."

But memory does play an important part of square dancing because there are so many calls. There are 70 "mainstream," or beginner, calls, 30 "plus," or intermediate calls and more than 100 "advanced" and "challenge" calls. The Caper Cutters use "mainstream" and "plus" calls. What Davenport likes the most about square dancing and calling is that it is fun.

"It is nice to get out of the house and socialize," he said.

Davenport considers square dancing to be therapeutic since amidst the music and calls there is little time to think about the events of the day, giving the mind a chance to relax. By day, Davenport is the associate director of regulatory affairs at Genentech, a biotech company. Davenport also calls for three other square dancing clubs in the Bay Area, the Gingham Squares in Millbrae, the Belle Swingers in Sunnyvale and the Square Hoppers in Los Gatos. Davenport also belongs to Callerlab, an organization for professional callers, where he serves on its board of governors.

Davenport enjoys sharing his knowledge about square dancing with others and believes it is "a great activity for all ages."

"There is some truth in the fact that square dancing keeps people young. It provides mental exercise as well as light physical exercise," he said.

Seth Affoumado, 40, the club's president for the past two years, says he become involved with the Caper Cutters six years ago when his wife, Caroline Cory, the club's elected membership chairperson, suggested the two try square dancing - after seeing the event listed in the Sunset Beacon - since it was something they could do together. After trying it once, Affoumado admits he "was hooked."

He and others also are quick to mention the overall friendliness of the club and the fact that "everyone is very nice" and that "people take care of each other." Members are sent cards on their birthdays and every Monday the refreshment table is filled with homemade cookies and brownies brought by club members.

Because the Caper Cutters has more female members, some have to learn the male parts so everyone will be able to dance. The club also includes round dancing, a type of dancing for couples, and line dancing in their Monday night programs. The club is just finishing its first New Dancer's Class, a series of eight classes for interested newcomers.

The Caper Cutters meet Monday evenings, at 7 p.m., at St. Paul's Church Hall, 43rd Avenue and Judah Street. Introductory classes cost $4 and members pay $28 quarterly dues. Call (415) 334-0433 or visit www.sfsquaredancing.org for more information.