Stephen’s Square Dance Blog

No, I didn’t call this one.  Yes, Dave Knien was back (with wife, Katie, in tow) to call for the WTS on Friday.  Hooray!  Martha and I stopped in to visit before having to head home.  We wish we could have stayed, but Martha had been sick.  Priorities. 

Dave looks good even with his “stylin’” shades.  I wish we would have stayed long enough to sample some of his “famous” chili.  Next time, we will.

On a sad note, I found out that dancer and “life of the party” Sandy Webb passed away recently.  For any that knew him, his was a personality and smile that could light up a room and put a spring in just about anyone’s step.  He will be missed.  For anyone that needs it, I have MB’s address.  Out of respect for the family’s privacy, I will not post it.  However, if you write or call me, I’ll be sure you get it. 

Until next time, keep dancing.

We had five squares of dancers for the weekly workshop.  (There might have been enough for a sixth square at one point, not sure.)

Scott Coon and I worked on a number of calls.  They included Scoot Back, Dixie Style to a Wave, Recycle, and Spin Chain Thru.  I also touched on Box the Gnat as I saw some folks were struggling with it.

I don’t care for the speakers in the Hayloft (in Lynnwood) but I really like that hall.  I will be very sad if we loose it as a dance venue.

I was talking to one of the “old timers” at the dance and he was describing to me what life was like when he learned to dance.  He said they had 40 calls on their program list and the caller nearly always taught or workshopped something new.  This kept the ability of the floor fairly even.  I wonder if this isn’t a better way for an entry square dance program.  I wish I knew.

If our numbers continue to decline, I’ll be doing square dance ABC events (www.squaredanceabc.com) and rebuilding square dancing as I see fit.  This could be good or bad.  Time will tell.

Until next time, keep dancing.

Dave still wasn’t quite up to calling, so I filled in for him for the Monday night workshop.

We had two squares.  Not a lot, but most stayed until the end.  It was, at least, much cooler than the last time I filled in for him.

Mostly, the only calls I worked were Load the Boat, Spread, and the Diamond Circulates from various arrangements and formations.

I think the lesson learned, or at least the one I tried to impart on everyone, was “touch hands.”  Several scoffed (out loud) when I talked about this, but I did mention that you don’t always touch hands for your own benefit, but rather, at times, we touch hands to aid the others in the square that need a reference point.

I have a certain amount of admiration for those dancers that are strong enough to dance and know where they are at all times.  Especially when dancing challenging choreography.  However, square dancing isn’t a single person event.  Touching hands is about creating and maintaining a team.

Jerry Junck, at the callers’ school, said “square dancing is the art of dancing with hands.”  This is true not only of the caller’s point of view but also the dancers’.  My job, as a dance leader, is to ensure you have good hand usage and position.  My job, as a dancer, is to help other dancers be successful.  It’s almost a life lesson.  The dance you save may be your own.

Until next time, keep dancing!

One of the things we talked about at callers’ school last week was judgement.

Jerry Junck said it best.  “Good judgement comes from bad judgement.”  He’s right, and I’ve been thinking about how my judgement has improved over the years.  (Not just in terms of being a dance leader, but life as well.)

I’ve learned, I think, a lot of powerful lessons about life and love over the years.  I suppose this is why people don’t learn “the easy way.”  There is no easy way.  Some things come naturally to some people, but overall, we live and learn, or we don’t live long.

I want to believe that I’ve become a better person as I’ve gotten older.  In someways, I probably am.  Not sure.  I will say that I no longer see most issues in terms of black and white.  Saying simply, yes or no about an issue denies it history and emotion.  It also leads to mistruth.  When you ask is something is right or wrong, the answer isn’t always yes or no.  Sometimes it is, “it depends.” 

This is true from everything from folk dancing to politics.

Judge not, lest you be judged.  Before you judge, walk in that person’s proverbial shoes.  You might see that your own position is wrong, or, perhaps, your view of the world is a tad to narrow.

Oh, and I’ve figured out why a basic truth of life is to “say something nice, or not say anything at all.”  People are their own worst critics.  When you make a mistake, you usually don’t need it pointed out to you as you can feel it burned into your retina just as surely as if you looked at the sun with binoculars.  What people need, at this point, is to remember that the world goes on, and that something good will happen.

After all, from bad judgement, comes good judgement.  Something good and something gained.

Until next time, keep dancing!

Dave Knien is still recovering from surgery, so I got the call to fill in again.  We’re hoping that next week he’s all healed.  (Hear that Dave?  Get well soon.  You’re missed!)

Two squares.  Not too bad for a hot monday night.  Someone said, “at least it is a dry heat.”  I had two things to say about that.  1.) Dry heat in Seattle? Hardly.  Then 2.) when did “dry” become a modifier that means “better?” 

Nothing to spectacular to report.  Worked Crossfire the most, I think.  Everyone got it from Normal (0) Two-Faced Lines, so I decided to call it from Left-Handed Two-Faced Lines.  (Still a 0 arrangement.) 

The set-up was fairly simple.  From a (0) RH Two-Faced Line, Tag the Line – Left.  The boys (centers) have to remember to connect.  The beautiful thing was that this set me up for a workshop on Peel the Top.  It’s an unusual formation (LH Columns) but ends normally.  (RH Tidal Wave with the boys on the ends of each wave of four.) 

After that, we worked on Diamonds and isolating the formations.  There were a few dancers that would turn their feet once they stopped as if to “hedge their bets” on where they were supposed to be.  I suspect the only way to fix that would be velcro, but that defeats the purpose of dancing.  Oh well.

I did Facing and Normal Diamond circulates, cuts, and flips.  I was going to do Point-to-Point Diamonds, but I decided that it would have been too much.

At the end of the workshop I saw Box the Gnat and Slide through break a few dancers down but it was too late to do anything about it.  So, I’ll probably work up more workshop material that uses those two calls to have “in case of emergency.”

It was a fun time, and I enjoy this group greatly.

Until next time, keep dancing!

So, last night, at my Solos dance, while I was waiting for them to square up, I passed along a “funny” as told to me by Daryl Clendenin.

He said, to me, “what do you call a dog with no legs?”  When I told him I didn’t know, he said, “why would you call it anything, it isn’t as if he’d come anyway.”

It got a chuckle out of me, and in turn, it got a chuckle from the floor when I said it.  However, one couple didn’t hear and asked me to repeat it.

When I did, and after the few laughs faded away, I said “was it really worth repeating?”  Most shook their heads no; though they were still smiling.

The funny moment came an instant later when I said “take your corner by both legs…” That made the whole floor roar with laughter.  Oh boy.  So, I finished by correcting myself and tried to say what I wanted to say to begin with… “Take your corner by both hands and say… nice legs.”

Uff.  Da.

 Until next time, keep dancing!

We had a surprising turnout for the Solos dance.  With the heat, I didn’t think we’d have a square.  In the end, we had two.  Not only that, but they stayed until the end.

The 3rd Sunday dance used to have a workshop the half an hour before the dance started.  We’ve turned it into more of a DBD/APD half hour.  I didn’t make it too hard, but tried to keep things out of the “norm.”

Leo Catt made a surprise appearance, so I put him up for a tip.  He’s doing a great job.  It was obvious that he took his lessons at the school to heart.  He’s got a lot of natural talent and I expect he’ll go far in square dance land.

Leo is calling a dance with one of his fellow students on Friday, 7/20 at the Cedar Grange.  I’d go, but Martha has me scheduled for a family reunion in Leavenworth.

Not too much else to report.  It was a fun dance.

Until next time, keep dancing!

Friday the 13th wasn’t a harbinger of doom.  We had three squares up until the end of the dance, then we had 1 and 7/8 for the last tip.  (I called a Plus tip at the end.)

The fun thing for me was that I used a bunch of material that we shared with the students at the callers’ school in Cle Elum.  I even turned some of what I saw at the school into a module.

Here’s some Caller Speak:

From a Zero Box:
Touch 1/4
Centers Trade
Swing Thru
Scoot Back
Boys Run
Star Thru

Takes you right to your corner.  However, the really cool part of this module is that it rotates the square 180 degrees.  I’ve got a couple of get outs that require this sort of rotation otherwise dancers end at home and don’t promenade.  I’ll post them on my website eventually.  There’s just too much to do.

It was a fun dance, and I tried to manage a balance between dancing and over heating.  I think I did okay.

I did hear that their regular club caller, Dave Knien was not feeling well.  So, thoughts and prayers for him are appreciated.  He’s a super guy and a great caller. 

Afterwards, Martha and I went out with Susan and Larry Morris for some ice cream and fellowship. 

Until next time, keep dancing!

No, I wasn’t attending as a student, I was there as an instructor.  Daryl Clendenin and I talked at the Callerlab Convention about a number of things, and among them, he asked if I might be interested in helping at his school at the Circle 8 Ranch.  I most certainly was as I have, in my ten year plan, a goal to become a Callerlab Accredited Caller Coach.  When I got home from the convention, I made contact with Daryl and worked on what I was going to present.

My topic, as it happens, was computers and digital music.  No small task and I had an hour to do it.  I had to cover a lot, and really could only give an overview.  However, a number of people did ask questions, and I think I gave a nice (though disjointed) presentation.  I’m going to work on it to make it more succinct as well as more portable. 

That was Sunday.  The rest of the week, I spent helping.  We had 11 students.  What a great bunch.  Georgia, Coleeta (and Chuck), Sandy (and Al), Marty (and Nancy), Fred (and Karla), Marvin (and Tammy), Jim, Dona, Cliff, Leo (and Joy), and Mark (and Jennie) did a great job.  Every single one of them has the potential to be great dance leaders. 

I remember how nerve wracking it was when I was attending a callers’ school as a student.  Believe me, it isn’t much different on the other side of the stage.  Everyone has different needs but everyone has the same objective.  For me, it was an exercise in reading people.  I’ve had good teachers over the years, and I let my training pay off.  Given some of the feedback that I got, I think it went well.

A few random tidbits from the week:

In talking about the dance, we rarely hear about individual calls.  When was the last time you heard “that was the best Allemande Left I’ve done all night.”  We don’t talk that way.  Instead, the entertainment value of the dance is actually perceived in its entirety.

Allemande Left and Right and Left Grand are calls that “Chicken Soup for Square Dancers’ souls.”  Use them often enough to make sure dancers feel successful.

All true stories begin with “Once upon a time.”  At least, that’s what Daryl said.

If the call Recycle is removed from the square dance vernacular, Daryl will most likely hang up his microphone.

Likewise, if Scoot Back disappears, Jerry Junck will hang up his microphone and call it a day.

 Well, maybe not, but these two calls, Recycle and Scoot Back, can do so many good things for the dancer and caller. 

Modules are about providing callers something to call as opposed to just rambling.  Have you ever heard someone speak in public without something prepared?  They ramble on for what seems like eternity, then never seem to make a point.  Know what you’re going to say, or at least have an idea, before your open your mouth.

There are only 2 formations that Allemande Left can be done.  Callers may use other formations, but dancers will morph into the two that exist. 

Square dancing is the “art of dancing with hands.”  Jerry Junck said that.  He’s right.

It was great week.  As I remember more, I’ll post it.

Until next time!

No, I didn’t call this one.  This weekend Martha and I went to dance and have a good time.  (Thank you Olga and Otto for letting us stay with you.)  The Circle 8 Ranch is a magical and spiritual place for me.  It is where I’ve found love, and really feels like home. 

The weekend was called by Daryl Clendenin, Jerry Junck, and Doug Davis.  All three working either together or alone did a fabulous job.  Their material was fun to dance and they really choose some great songs to sing.

The hall was not as full as I’d expected, but it was still a great crowd.  With the small number of square dancers these days, I like more intimate settings as it is.  If you don’t have room to breathe, it isn’t as much fun.  Oh, and it was hot, so a full hall would have been an oven.

This year, they added a “No Holds Barred” tip on both Friday and Saturday nights.  This was a step (or two) up in the level of difficulty in the dance.  While not impossible, it was hard, and really felt good to those that enjoy a higher degree of difficulty.  That said, it wasn’t for everyone, but it was for me.

In many ways, this weekend was like ”old home week” as there are a number of people we see just once or twice a year there.  One couple, Monique and Harmon Van Bergen, from Saskatoon, Canada, were there.  It was great seeing them. 

I’d like to add a big thank you to Taj and Rod Alex for their hard work, the home-made cookies, and the root beer floats.  Good show!