April 30, 2006 - So Sad
The Barn took out the beautiful, original, pecan wood floor and replaced it with plain, ol' hardwood.
Personally, I think the money would have been better spent on ceiling fans.

April 29, 2006 - Great Dance
A great dance at the Whirlaways last night with Deborah Carroll-Jones from Texas calling. There were eighteen squares. She is a fun caller and has a lovely voice. During one patter she had the ladies do the outer part of "load the boat" while the men were to "drop and do five push-ups." Three guesses as to who actually did the push-ups, (yes, it was Lloyd). It stopped the floor as we waited. Everyone was laughing. "Yeah, you should have seen it from up here," she said.
She also did a few of her tradmark singing calls; Don't Cry For Me, Pasadena (with the beauty queen wave), Bear Necessities (with "do the bear thing"), and also some yodeling. I will be looking forward to the next time we can dance to Deborah Carroll-Jones again. Too bad she doesn't get out to California more often.

April 23, 2006 - Whirlaways
Wranglers cancelled on Friday, nothing happening on Saturday, and Ruffles dark on Sunday, so no dancing this weekend -- but I am really looking forward to dancing to Deborah Carroll-Jones at the Whirlaway's dance next week. We heard her at the Fiesta a couple years ago and very much enjoyed her calling.

April 21, 2006 - Cancelled
As it turns out, I didn't have to worry too much about providing refreshments for the dance after all, since, when we arrived, we found a note on the door informing us that the dance was cancelled. For some unknown reason the school decided they had to wax the floor at that exact time and failed to inform anyone of the plans. So we went back home and ate cookies. I have lots of cookies.

April 18, 2006 - Phone Call
"Su, D. is not able to handle the hospitality so we don't have any refreshments for the dance this week."
"Is anyone else on the commitee?"
"Well, C. and P., but I haven't seen them at a dance in a really long time. . . I don't think there will be that many people there this week anyway though, because Ray has his camping thing."
"Okay, well, If I bring some refreshments and you bring some, it should be all right."
"Well, actually, we won't be there, either. We didn't realize it was a dance night."
"You mean you'll be camping with Ray?"
"Yeah."

Oh, for Heaven's sake, am I the only one trying to hold this club together? (And, just how many club members are going to be out camping during this dance?)
They didn't know it was a dance night? Yeah, right.

I'm not even going to address the "clique-ish" element of this.
I guess I'm doing refreshments.

April 14, 2006 - Take the Lead
I loved the movie "Take the Lead" about a professional ballroom dancer teaching kids to dance. Wouldn't it be great if they made a movie showing square dancing in such a positive light, highlighting the fun of the activity?

April 13, 2006 - Denim and Lace
From the Lamar Daily News - Lamar, CO (April 6, 2006)
Community Continues Long Tradition of Square Dancing
"It's spurs, chaps, cowboy hats and a whole lot more! The boys' feet will fly and the can-cans will swirl as the girls are twirled around and around this weekend for the 22nd Annual Denim and Lace Revue."
"Since the 1940's square dancing has been a part of the culture of Southeastern Colorado. However, over the decades the tradition began to fade away, that is until 1982, when the late Trudy Harmon revamped the age-old activity and formed what has become known to many throughout the United States as 'Denim and Lace'."
"With Trudy's vibrant and overall sweet demeanor as well as zest for life, the newly reorganized dance group quickly grew to well over 700 students participating in square dancing. The kids came from communities all over the Great Plains region of Colorado. . ."
"Today, there are over 500 students from Lamar and surrounding communities who practice semimonthly from September through April in an effort to prepare for the end of the year special - The Denim and Lace Revue. . ."
"The two stepping, clogging, toe tapping action is one of Lamar's largest annual attractions. The Denim and Lace Revue sells more than 3,000 tickets for the three night performance and is regularly sold out on Friday and Saturday nights."
"The Denim and Lace Revue is filled with energy and eager participation from children, parents, alumni members and the community. Attendees of the event will be in for a real treat this year, as the dancers are set to perform to many traditional Texas themed numbers, as well as traditional favorites such as the signature black light dances, the Bunny Hop, Freight Train, Salty Dog and Bobby Sue."

Five to seven hundred young people traveling from all over the area each year in order to take lessons and perform in a square dance review! This is the sort of thing we need promoted in the media - mIddle and high school aged kids having fun with square dancing! They sell over 3,000 tickets to this show. The group also holds fund raisers to raise money so that the kids can travel to the National Square Dance Convention each year.

March 27, 2006 - Sunday Dancing
We had a full day of dancing yesterday - First, Scrambling Squares' "Whoop Square It Is!" dance, celebrating their 1st anniversary, with live music provided by the "The Good Ol' Western Boys." They had a good turn-out of more than two squares and it was a fun, casual-style dance. I think the live music really added a special touch to the atmosphere and we also enjoyed hearing Peter play his fiddle again.
Peter called a good, fun dance and, true to Scrambling Squares' unique style, there were no rounds between the tips, but instead a folk song sing-along break in the middle and a waltz segment at the end of the dance.

Then, dinner at a nearby retaurant, a quick change into my poodle skirt, and we were off to the Ruffles 'n Beaus "50's Sock Hop" party night dance. Thanks to the Sandpipers visiting, they had five squares dancing and Pat called a very fast-paced, lively dance.

March 23, 2006 - Circle to a Line
I don't like the new way of doing "circle to a line." If the callers are going to be so adamant about following the exact Callerlab definitions, then they should at least teach this call the way it is written. And now Ray is even changing the name. "Now they call it slide to a line," he told the class. Though that certainly describes the current movement better, it is not the name of the call or the definition, and I have never heard anyone call "slide to a line" at a dance. When we were dancing before they used to say "circle half and break to a line." Though the call "circle half" is no longer used, I think this better describes the call, as defined, and makes a nicer looking movement.

March 22, 2006 - Time to Play
When asked about levels, Dawn (who dances Advanced and Challenge) said, "But Plus is really the best because you have time to play." I think that's a nice way to put it.

March 9, 2006 - Details
"Ping pong circulate" - clap clap, "Just one clap," Diane said, passing me.
"Ping pong circulate" - clap clap, "One clap, there's only ONE clap," she said.
I've noticed before that Palomar clubs clap once and San Diego clubs clap twice (regional styling, whatever), but I sure can't figure out why anyone should care how many times I clap.
A lot of dancers, and callers too, seem way too concerned with stupid, little details. What does it matter if I do a highland fling instead of a back-to-back dosado, a roll-away instead of a slide on a half sashay, a curlicue instead of a touch 1/4, or put extra twirls and kicks in my dancing? I only make changes while with my partner, the end result is the same, and I'm not folding any squares.
Yeah, I know "DEFINITION DEFINITION DEFINITION," they tell me. Well, for the record, I know the definition, but I choose to modify (or ignore) it, so LIGHTEN UP - IT'S JUST FOR FUN.

March 4, 2006 - TAMinations
There are several different sites on the internet showing animations of square dance calls, but this one, sponsored by the Tam Twirlers Square Dance Club in Marin County, is the best I've seen. With animations of calls ranging from mainstream to challenge, their "TAMinations," as they call them, clearly show the movements from the different starting positions and also have various options, such as a speed adjustment or floor grid, for easier viewing, if needed. The animations are also accompanied by written definitions of the calls, including timing and styling tips. Someone spent a lot of time and effort and did a fabulous job putting this together.

March 3, 2006 - "Whoop Square It Is!"
A fun dance coming up this month:

March 1, 2006 - Old-Time Dances
This looks like fun.
Friday Night Square Dances - "Keeping the Old-Time Square Dance tradition alive."
Held in Seattle on the last Friday of each month, they call it "the closest you can get to the house dances of the late 19th and early 20th century."
"There’s live fiddle music and a caller who will teach you all of the dances. Someone always brings food. You can dance or just sit, talk, and listen to the music. There’s no need to dress up, comfortable clothes and shoes will do just fine. Families are welcome. The kids have developed their own corner of the hall, where they put down blankets and pillows and toys. They dance a little, then hang out, eat, read, play, and fall asleep in their nests when they're ready . . . As always, we want this to be a community event and invite people of all ages to join us."