Stephen’s Square Dance Blog

I’ve long said that a fellow square dancer is a friend that you’ve not yet met.  The Rosetown Ramblers are no exception to this.  What a fun dance. 

Martha and I went down early to visit family.  Our Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Bill rented an apartment in Portland to be close to their son and his family.   It was great seeing the whole family. 

The dance was actually two dances.  The first dance was actually sponsored by the Advanced club, “Heads to the Center.”  I frequently omit them when I talk about Rosetown, but that’s an error on my part.  They are their own club.  We had two squares of members and visitors.  I’ve not been calling the program regularly for a while, so I don’t sight very much of my Advanced material.  If something breaks down, I’ll go into sight-resolution mode to work a call or two.  The material I use for this I call my “festival” material.  It is a number of shorter sequences (10-20 commands long) that end with Right and Left Grands, Allemande Lefts, or “You’re Home.”  They work really well.  I’ve said for years that “Right and Left Grand” is the chicken soup for the square dancers soul.  If nothing else goes right, that one will work, or, if a square is broken down, it helps with a reset.

There is a potluck between the Advanced dance and the Basic/MS/Plus dance.  Last year there was a wedding too.  (I heard that the newlyweds were doing fine, but they were working on some non-SD stuff for a bit.  Congratulations to them on their first wedding anniversary.)

The food was (once again) amazing.  There’s another (nearly) universal truth that square dancers eat well.  That is very true here.  A big thank you to everyone that brought food.  It was delightful.

After dinner and during the dance Martha visited with as many people as I did.  I’ve known a number of my peers that bemoan the fact that they don’t know how to meet new people.  I love how square dancing lets me connect with so many people from so many walks of life.  I know Martha feels the same way. 

Several friends came down from Seattle to dance and visit, as did a number of people from Eugene, OR.  There were a few students present, so I did do a few beginner tips.  I also split the night between Mainstream and Plus.  I initally was going to workshop a new call or two, but then thought better of it.  This was a “fancy dress dance.”  There was no need to stop the momentum of the dance with learning.  So, I stuck to the programs. 

Like so many evenings, this one ended too soon.  (I’ve been to dances where I look at my watch and say “it’s only been an hour?”  Yuck.)  At the end of night I still had three squares of people dancing and one (maybe more) square of people sitting out, out of the 5 squares that were there in total. 

When people stay to the end of a dance I know that I did a good job.  No amount of praise means the same thing.  A Seattle area caller will tell you that everyone lies.  If you’re bad, people that like you will tell you that you were great because they don’t want you to change.  If they do like you, they’ll tell you that you were good because they don’t want you to feel bad.  People staying to the end is people talking without speaking and they’re saying nice things.

We’ve not scheduled next year’s dance, but I’m going to talk to the club about it.  Even though we’re in AZ now, I’d still love to come up and call for the Heads to the Center (see, I didn’t forget) and the Rosetown Ramblers.

Until next time, keep dancing!

Okay… I know it has been nearly two months since this dance, but it was worthy of note.

(Until I get caught up with current events, I’ll be jumping around a bit in my blog and things may seem a little disconnected.)

Since it was my last big dance, I pulled out the “finery” for it.  I wore my tails.  I’ve had them for years.  (Over ten, and yes, they still fit.)  I’ve decided that their a tad on the “overkill” side of fashion, so eventually I’m just going to get a regular tux coat, but as costumes go, it is fun to wear.

I think, I counted enough people for it to have been over 10 squares.  However, there were a number of people that just came out to be social and not dance at all.  Some of these people, I suspect, either were unable to dance due to a physical issue or had been away from the activity long enough that they didn’t really remember how.  Kudos to them for coming out and being with us.  It made for a great party.

I didn’t have a contract for the dance, so I wasn’t sure exactly what my duties were.  Back in the spring of 2007 Steve McKay mentioned being a “Caller/MC” so I knew that I’d be expected to put other callers that were visiting on the program.  I figured that I’d take the first three tips for sure as well as the last one or two.  Since every third tip was a Plus tip, I was able to “set the tone” of the dance.  Visiting callers included Leo Catt, Mark Seabree, and Don Wiggens.  I think that it worked out that we got 9 tips in the evening.  (It helps to keep tips short.)

Before I forget… here are some photos:

 http://picasaweb.google.com/mysticole/RainierCouncilSNewYearSEveDance

Stephanie Speelman did a very nice job on the rounds.  I think the only guest cuer was Pat Wiggens.  She did a nice job too.

Martha spent some time scrapbooking with Lynn Redd.  Our friend Thal came with us which was good as I had a round dance partner.  Thanks Thal for coming! (I’m just sorry we didn’t get to dance any Phase 3 rounds.)

Robert and Theresa celebrated their first anniversary with us.  (They got married after the dance last year.)  Happy Anniversary!

I did some of my best songs, and I ended with one final singing call… Auld Lang Syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.Happy New Year!

So, after two months, a malfunction at my ISP, and my struggling to get back into a routine, my blog is back on line.

I’ve got some catching up to do, but look for some updates in the very near future. 

I’ve also updated my software so I can “blog remotely.”  We’ll see if it works.

 Okay, until next time keep dancing!  (It feels good to be back!)