Stephen’s Square Dance Blog

News from Square Dance Land… at least my corner of it.

There’s a new Callerlab committee called “New Initiatives.” I’ve been asked, and accepted, to be the chair.

Its function has several aspects. (Though, I’m still a little unsure of one of them.)

One is to continue the work of the (now disbanded – I think) Program Policy Initiative. This is a discussion of how we can actively adapt the existing programs and mold them into a system that works better on an individual/local level.

Next, NI is going to actively maintain the Winning Ways document. The idea is to make it a living document that revisits past successes to see what still works, what might not work, and what changes took place to keep things going.

As part of NI, we’re going to be soliciting new ideas for the development and growth of the
square dance community and then find ways to engage our dancing population
to implement these ideas.

The last big part of the NE is probably the most fun. “Square Dancing in 50 Years.” What will square dancing look like in 50 years? How will it evolve? How will it grow? These are all hypothetical questions that allow us to talk about change but not feel threatened by it.

If you would like to be a member of the committee, here are the requirements. You must be in good standing and be an Active Member, Associate Member, Active Youth Member, Associate Youth Member, a Lifetime member, or a Partner of any of these members.

With the blessing of the Callerlab leadership, I may try to set up a group of dancers that are not callers to get their input as well. They might not be full committee members, but dancers have a stake in some of what we’re talking about, so I’d like to create a forum where I can get some information.

If you’re a caller and want to be a member (or a Vice Chair) please contact the Callerlab Home Office.

If you’re a dancer and want to be involved with any of these discussions, let me know… stephen.cole@isquaredance.com.

Thanks!