Doug probably summed it up for the guys who were gamely trying Monday night to follow the basic dance cues called out by Jerry Yockey.

"Hauling hay is easier," he said with a laugh.

Doug and his wife, Marsha, were at their second night of round-dance lessons at the Joplin Senior Center, 2202 S. Jackson Ave. See, in round dancing, the guy is supposed to lead, and most of the guys taking lessons that night were not exactly Fred Astaire.

"It's stressful," Doug said.

It might be stressful, but Doug and Marsha didn't act as if they were undergoing major stress. They acted as if they were having fun. Fun, as it turns out, is what round dancing is all about.

Dale Simpson and his wife, Leslie, have been members of the Joplin Tanglefooters Round Dance Club for nearly 12 years. Dale was the one who invited me to stop by the center. The dance club will mark its 30th anniversary this fall.

The club members get together at 8:30 p.m. every Monday at the center to dance. From 7 until 8:30 p.m., the club offers round-dance lessons. The first lesson is free, and then the cost is $5 per couple or $2.50 for an individual.

Round dancing is really dancing by direction. You're taught a series of dance steps (or figures) over a period of time. A cuer calls out the steps, and the dancers move accordingly. On one hand, round dancing is easy because the cuer tells you what to do. On the other hand, round dancing is hard because you darn well better know the steps the cuer calls out.

Round-dance novices start off learning basic cha-cha steps, waltzes and two-steps. As you get more accomplished, you move on to dances like the rumba, fox trot, tango and swing.

Judy Winze and her husband, Dennis, moved to Joplin from Wichita, Kan., several years ago and immediately joined the Tanglefooters.

"It was the first thing I looked for when we got here," Judy said.

The couple have been round dancing for years, and Judy said anybody can learn.

"If you can walk, you can learn to round dance," she said.

As I looked out onto the dance floor while Judy was talking, I noticed a guy who easily fit into the "not exactly Fred Astaire" category. He was the anti-Fred, is what he was.

During the lessons, the anti-Fred would listen intently while Jerry demonstrated a cha-cha move, and then he would try to execute that move. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but he wasn't good. At least not at first.

As Dale brought dancer after dancer over to talk to me (so many in fact that I gave up trying to get their last names), I kept watching the anti-Fred.

He was trying, I'll give him that. Throughout the night, I kept checking on the anti-Fred as he tried to keep up with the other dancers.

Monday night, Jerry introduced three cha-cha steps to the new dancers. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it was enough to confuse me and I was just watching.

But guess what. The anti-Fred started to get it. I could see the tension start to leave his face as he and his partner followed Jerry's cues, flowing easily from the basic cha-cha step to the shoulder-to-shoulder step and on to the New Yorker. All of sudden, the anti-Fred wasn't so "anti" anymore. And his serious expression had been replaced by a "Hey, we're dancing" expression.

That, Dale said, is what round dancing is all about. Of course, you don't become an accomplished round dancer in one night. You don't even become accomplished in a year. That is another cool thing about round dancing: You are always learning something new.

Something else about round dancers. They are very friendly. As the new dancers practiced, longtime members mingled around them and occasionally stepped in to offer advice or give a quick demonstration. Round dancers look out for one another, Dale said.

"If you come here for a lesson, you will be greeted at the door," Dale said.

That reminds me: The Tanglefooters are always looking for new members. So if you would like to learn to round dance - or even if you already know how - you're invited to stop by the Senior Center at 7 p.m. Mondays.

You'll have fun. Even if you're not exactly Fred Astaire.

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