Photo by Deb Gau Amanda Castro and Jenny Parkhurst demonstrated steps from English country dancing. In “arming,” two dance partners grasp each other’s arm and turn in a circle.

MARSHALL — The style of music and the names of the dance moves were different. But the steps for many 15th-century dances actually weren’t tricky to do, Jenny Parkhurst said.

“If you can do the Hokey Pokey, you can do all of these dances,” she said. Some weren’t that different from modern square or line dances.

Parkhurst and fellow members of the Society of Creative Anachronism demonstrated some of their knowledge at a dance practice Saturday at the Marshall-Lyon County Library. The dance practices are a fun way for people to get involved with the group, Parkhurst said.

“We will probably do these monthly,” this spring and summer, she said.

The SCA is an organization devoted to researching and re-creating skills and culture from the Middle Ages. SCA members work on projects related to just about any field of interest, from armored combat to music, cooking and sewing.

Dancing is an addictive way to learn more about the culture of the past, Parkhurst said. However, trying to recreate a medieval or Renaissance-style dance takes research, before anyone can even step on the dance floor. Even where there are written records of dance steps, “There’s been some trial and error,” to figure out how to choreograph them, she said.

SCA member Amanda Castro said there’s been some “awesome” research done on dances of the time period, which SCA members across the country have shared with each other. On Saturday, the group in Marshall was using notes based on research into John Playford’s book “The Dancing Master.” First published in 1651, “The Dancing Master” had music and instructions for English country dances.

As Parkhurst, Amanda Castro and Alexander Castro demonstrated, some of the movement involved in country dances was pretty straightforward, although it had its own terminology. Dancers could “double,” or take four steps forward or backward. In “siding,” dance partners pass by each other with their shoulders close together. In “arming,” two partners grasp each other’s arm and move in a circle.

Other countries had their own styles of dance – the bransle, a French dance, involved stepping from side to side, Parkhurst said.

Local members said people interested in the area SCA group, called the Shire of Avonwood, can find more information on the group’s activities online at avonwood.net, or on Facebook. The SCA is also preparing to host a regional event on May 4, at St. Stephen Lutheran Church. The 29th annual “Bardic Madness” event is focused on skills like storytelling, music and theater.

“We’ll have people coming from all over,” Parkhurst said. The gathering will feature a lot of creativity, she said — for example, some SCA members compose new music in period styles.

This year, Amanda Castro said, “We’re theming it around Shakespeare.” The Shire of Avonwood’s name is a nod to William Shakespeare’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon.