Most people think of square dancing as someone saying “do si do” and “swing your partner” while Country Western music plays in the background and ladies in full skirts swoop around a dance floor. (OK, the last part is true. They have fabulous skirts!)

Try the “ocean wave” or “Ferris wheel.” How about dancing to “New York, New York” or “Fly Me to the Moon?”

(In some places, the callers even do rap.)

I have known Karol Wilson, one of the members of the Hi Valli Swingers (yes, that is a square dance club, so don’t get any other ideas), for many years. So when she caught me in Family Dollar the other night and started telling me how wonderful square dancing was, I knew I had to write a story (stay tuned, I’ll get to that one of these days) and take some pictures.

One of the familiar faces at Alamosa’s Family Dollar, Sylvia Armijo, is president of the club.

I covered one of their dances and had a ball - and I didn’t even dance! As I told them, that would have been ugly, even with a colorful skirt.

People came from all over the San Luis Valley and part of Texas, I think. It turns out, you don’t even have to have a partner to go, either. Single gals like Sylvia, whose husband died a couple of years ago, switch out dance partners with the ladies who did bring a guy. Single guys are in high demand at these gatherings since currently there are more ladies than gents. (Just a hint to the gentlemen dancers in the audience.)

And although the first level of square dancing requires knowledge of 100 steps, no one penalized dancers who happened to step in when they were supposed to step out or vice versa.

Everybody had a great time. The room was full of laughter, music and camaraderie.

Audiences like me are welcome, too, so if you don’t dance but enjoy being around people who make you feel happy, come to one of the Hi Valli Swingers’ dances.

The square dance swingers got a good cardiovascular work out, too. One of them told me a couple of hours of this kind of dancing was like participating in a four-mile walk. I would guess it would count for more exercise than that even. And of course it was much more fun than a marathon, which is what a four-mile walk would be to me.

I watched as dancers moved about the floor to such instructions as “load your boat,” “promenade” and “swing that corner.”

My favorite call, however, and one that might get me in the group just for that alone, was “yellow rock” or “red rock.” I’m not going to tell you what those mean. You might have to run Karol or Sylvia down and ask them to demonstrate it for you. Actually, that’s one of the few I could demonstrate for you.

After many whirls around the floor, one cute petite couple named Judy and Richard Simmel from Del Norte gave each other a kiss.

“Did you see that?” Judy asked me.

“Yes, how long have you two been doing that?” I responded.

“48 and a half years married, and who knows how long before that.”

Way to go Richard and Judy!