Comments for Stephen's Square Dance Blog http://www.isquaredance.com/blog News from Square Dance Land! Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on 2010-08-22 LDS Party by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=372&cpage=1#comment-1378 Norman Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:07:00 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=372#comment-1378 I used to do a lot more of the LDS parties. However I've never been to a Square Dance Party that they weren't some of the friendliest People! I think it's people who want to Square Dance are just friendly people! To bad if you give them to many lessons, or whatever the cause is they can sure turn sour! I used to do a lot more of the LDS parties. However I’ve never been to a Square Dance Party that they weren’t some of the friendliest People! I think it’s people who want to Square Dance are just friendly people! To bad if you give them to many lessons, or whatever the cause is they can sure turn sour!

]]> Comment on 2010-8-17 Random Thoughts by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=369&cpage=1#comment-1377 Norman Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:01:08 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=369#comment-1377 I think you have very good observations, so never lose them! Guaranteed Washington is going to enjoy having you back! I think you have very good observations, so never lose them! Guaranteed Washington is going to enjoy having you back!

]]> Comment on 2010-03-20 Mile-Hi Squares by stephen http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=364&cpage=1#comment-1371 stephen Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:49:14 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=364#comment-1371 Most people get to my blog by finding my website first... www.isquaredance.com. My name is Stephen Cole. I'm a caller that lives in Tempe and works at ASU. I'm probably going to revamp this site to become more of a "social networking site" and move my "professional info" to another place. That will have to be in my copious free time. (Whatever that is.) Most people get to my blog by finding my website first… http://www.isquaredance.com. My name is Stephen Cole. I’m a caller that lives in Tempe and works at ASU.

I’m probably going to revamp this site to become more of a “social networking site” and move my “professional info” to another place. That will have to be in my copious free time. (Whatever that is.)

]]> Comment on 2010-03-20 Mile-Hi Squares by JoAnn http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=364&cpage=1#comment-1370 JoAnn Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:56:43 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=364#comment-1370 hello.. My hubby and I are Phoenix square dancers since 1973. We started out with Johnny Shultz at the Western Saddle Club. Did you ever hear of him and his clubs, the Cactus Jumpers and the Mavericks? We've been to Dale Dockery's dances and enjoy them VERY much.. Right now we dance with Lee Haily's Tomahawk Twirlers and Chuck Meyers' cactus corners... I have a burning question. Who are you? I cannot find your name or info about you on your blog. It would be fun to get lots of square dancers exchanging info, stories, experiences, ideas on here. Have a great day... JoAnn hello..
My hubby and I are Phoenix square dancers since 1973. We started out with Johnny Shultz at the Western Saddle Club. Did you ever hear of him and his clubs, the Cactus Jumpers and the Mavericks?
We’ve been to Dale Dockery’s dances and enjoy them VERY much..
Right now we dance with Lee Haily’s Tomahawk Twirlers and Chuck Meyers’ cactus corners…
I have a burning question. Who are you? I cannot find your name or info about you on your blog. It would be fun to get lots of square dancers exchanging info, stories, experiences, ideas on here.
Have a great day…
JoAnn

]]> Comment on 2010-04-05 Bucks and Bows Lessons by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=367&cpage=1#comment-1350 Norman Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:20:35 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=367#comment-1350 I think touching is what makes Square Dancing more fun. I remember the first time I called Fan the Top when people weren't in an ocean wave already and they said they couldn't do it. The neat part is that a Fan the Top not from and ocean wave is nothing more than a Pass the Ocean and centers trade. (Let the ladies touch left hands and then start turning) If people have trouble in the center learning Load the Boat, I tell them it only works is you are normal couples, but you can Star Thru, California twirl and Pass Thru. Then I tell them to just imagine that they are touching hands. Linear Cycle (Recycle and Sweep a Quarter More) I mean, you can hinge, fold double pass thru and do something else besides peel right. Only Linear Cycle locks you into the whole thing as one call! I to love to teach. It's way more fun than trying to entertain people who know everything! That's why I say Square Dancing is upside Down. Play with what you know from the Plus List down and if you ever get bored then learn it all so you can go dance with people who need it all to have fun!(lets see 35 lessons to 52 lessons to learn everything and then have fun, or 52 weeks of WoW don't know it all yet, but who cares!) I think touching is what makes Square Dancing more fun. I remember the first time I called Fan the Top when people weren’t in an ocean wave already and they said they couldn’t do it. The neat part is that a Fan the Top not from and ocean wave is nothing more than a Pass the Ocean and centers trade. (Let the ladies touch left hands and then start turning)
If people have trouble in the center learning Load the Boat, I tell them it only works is you are normal couples, but you can Star Thru, California twirl and Pass Thru. Then I tell them to just imagine that they are touching hands. Linear Cycle (Recycle and Sweep a Quarter More) I mean, you can hinge, fold double pass thru and do something else besides peel right. Only Linear Cycle locks you into the whole thing as one call!
I to love to teach. It’s way more fun than trying to entertain people who know everything! That’s why I say Square Dancing is upside Down. Play with what you know from the Plus List down and if you ever get bored then learn it all so you can go dance with people who need it all to have fun!(lets see 35 lessons to 52 lessons to learn everything and then have fun, or 52 weeks of WoW don’t know it all yet, but who cares!)

]]> Comment on Preparing to leave for the Callerlab Convention by Jenny Berg http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=365&cpage=1#comment-1332 Jenny Berg Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:45:50 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=365#comment-1332 I agree that unfortunately we are becoming anti-social. I am part of a "block watch" in my neighborhood and a police officer pointed out that the way our houses are built nowdays contributes to crime. There used to be front porches where people would sit out and get to know their neighbors and watch the kids. Most houses now have family rooms that are usually located in the back of the house. That's where people spend a lot of their time. We have an organized "block watch party" once a year and usually that's the only time I meet and see a lot of the people that live near me. I agree that unfortunately we are becoming anti-social. I am part of a “block watch” in my neighborhood and a police officer pointed out that the way our houses are built nowdays contributes to crime. There used to be front porches where people would sit out and get to know their neighbors and watch the kids. Most houses now have family rooms that are usually located in the back of the house. That’s where people spend a lot of their time. We have an organized “block watch party” once a year and usually that’s the only time I meet and see a lot of the people that live near me.

]]> Comment on Preparing to leave for the Callerlab Convention by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=365&cpage=1#comment-1330 Norman Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:25:31 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=365#comment-1330 I remember an article once that sounded just like the article from 1952. A little different but smacked of daily life. I was written in Ancient Greece! 1952 that was the group that had the Baby Boomers. They had a life style growing up that I envied! Many times I wished I had been born a generation earlier. They brought Square Dancing into it's Hay Day as they tried to recreate the fun they had, and they had big groups of friends! But, they grew up depending on each other, and not paying for stuff to get done! I remember having extra carrots in my garden and my cousins son from the city was staying with us. He couldn't believe we just called all the neighbors and told them to come get what they wanted. He thought we should have sold them. When any neighbor had extra we shared! It's what makes you neighbors and not just people who live close to each other. If someone got hurt or sick everyone was there to do their work. It's the life style of people who were having kids in 1952. I loved it! I remember an article once that sounded just like the article from 1952. A little different but smacked of daily life. I was written in Ancient Greece! 1952 that was the group that had the Baby Boomers. They had a life style growing up that I envied! Many times I wished I had been born a generation earlier. They brought Square Dancing into it’s Hay Day as they tried to recreate the fun they had, and they had big groups of friends! But, they grew up depending on each other, and not paying for stuff to get done! I remember having extra carrots in my garden and my cousins son from the city was staying with us. He couldn’t believe we just called all the neighbors and told them to come get what they wanted. He thought we should have sold them. When any neighbor had extra we shared! It’s what makes you neighbors and not just people who live close to each other. If someone got hurt or sick everyone was there to do their work. It’s the life style of people who were having kids in 1952. I loved it!

]]> Comment on Callerlab ARC Membership by Lennart O http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=355&cpage=1#comment-1302 Lennart O Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:15:42 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=355#comment-1302 Congratulations! Sounds like you are filling your table. :) Question, how many members are there in ARC? On a different note. You should fix the broken link on your Twitter profile. ;) Congratulations! Sounds like you are filling your table. :) Question, how many members are there in ARC?

On a different note. You should fix the broken link on your Twitter profile. ;)

]]> Comment on Looking to the future of square dancing by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=336&cpage=1#comment-1301 Norman Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:59:54 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=336#comment-1301 When we think of lists you immediately think of Everybody! Until you want to dance with others, it makes no difference how you teach the calls. I asked dancers if they only had 10 calls what would they be! A few were embarrassed that they picked Plus Calls, In fact 5 of the 10 most liked were plus calls. I then went about picking the calls I needed to get the Plus calls into Singing Calls. Those are now my basics and I teach them the first 3 tips when I have new people! Make up your own list, only you know what those moves are! Doesn't take an act of congress, or anyone else agreeing to it! And, it probably won't be something everyone wants. Just for fun when asked to do a Plus Dance I only used the moves I needed to get them between Plus Moves. They had no idea how few moves I used all night, but I used all 28 Plus moves in Singing Calls. If you have to many new people you can't do it in three tips! I've had to push back what I can teach in 3 tips with a few new faces to 2 nights with mostly new faces. I'll leave the people who want the fancy stuff to you guys I'd rather twinkle a new dancers toes than a good dancers head! Advanced Dancers they can come down and dance at the lower levels any time they want. Anybody can come down and dance with us whenever they want. But, somehow they don't seem to like the idea that knowing a lot of movements doesn't make you a better dancer, and there is no set of moves that with an imagination aren't as challenging to dance! Especially if you get stuck in the rut of Cued Dancing! When we think of lists you immediately think of Everybody! Until you want to dance with others, it makes no difference how you teach the calls. I asked dancers if they only had 10 calls what would they be! A few were embarrassed that they picked Plus Calls, In fact 5 of the 10 most liked were plus calls. I then went about picking the calls I needed to get the Plus calls into Singing Calls. Those are now my basics and I teach them the first 3 tips when I have new people! Make up your own list, only you know what those moves are!

Doesn’t take an act of congress, or anyone else agreeing to it! And, it probably won’t be something everyone wants. Just for fun when asked to do a Plus Dance I only used the moves I needed to get them between Plus Moves. They had no idea how few moves I used all night, but I used all 28 Plus moves in Singing Calls.

If you have to many new people you can’t do it in three tips! I’ve had to push back what I can teach in 3 tips with a few new faces to 2 nights with mostly new faces. I’ll leave the people who want the fancy stuff to you guys I’d rather twinkle a new dancers toes than a good dancers head!

Advanced Dancers they can come down and dance at the lower levels any time they want. Anybody can come down and dance with us whenever they want. But, somehow they don’t seem to like the idea that knowing a lot of movements doesn’t make you a better dancer, and there is no set of moves that with an imagination aren’t as challenging to dance! Especially if you get stuck in the rut of Cued Dancing!

]]> Comment on Money and Value by Norman http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=345&cpage=1#comment-1281 Norman Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:29:51 +0000 http://www.isquaredance.com/blog/?p=345#comment-1281 I've came to that time in my Square Dance Life! If I was a golfer I'd have to pay green fees to play with my friends, and I'd have to buy my own clubs and balls. So now my calling is for my friends and their friends, and I'm not interested in collecting money to pay for playing with my friends! I'm not a gambling man so I don't need to bet money on who will win! You know I actually enjoy calling more! I won't say I won't take money for doing it if someone throws it at me! But, for my own Club it's purely for the fellowship and fun! I’ve came to that time in my Square Dance Life! If I was a golfer I’d have to pay green fees to play with my friends, and I’d have to buy my own clubs and balls. So now my calling is for my friends and their friends, and I’m not interested in collecting money to pay for playing with my friends! I’m not a gambling man so I don’t need to bet money on who will win!

You know I actually enjoy calling more! I won’t say I won’t take money for doing it if someone throws it at me! But, for my own Club it’s purely for the fellowship and fun!

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