July 17, 2006 - Hot
With the record heat and humidity, we skipped the dances this weekend. It's just too hot to dance.

July 12, 2006 - Report
E-mail from WSDC - "Please write an annual report and be prepared to present it at the meeting. Traditionally Wrangler board members have presented this in rhyme."
In RHYME?!! What?? Now I'm supposed to be a poet, too?

July 10, 2006 - Flair
At the dance last night, someone showed me a swing with a "back swing." Basically it starts with a four count buzz step, then the man turns the woman under for a smooth transitioned change of direction, and continues the buzz step for four more counts - very cool. It looks good, but is not difficult. He said that in the sixties that's how everyone did the swing at the end of each sequence ending at home. Hardly anyone even does a regular swing at home position anymore. It's just a "high five" or clap, clap clap.
We were talking about how, in the sixrties and seventies, rhythm and timing played a much more important part in square dancing. Classes emphasized stepping in time to the music and moving with smoothness and flow through the patterns. Everyone learned, and could do, a buzz step swing. A good dancer was judged by their style and flair, as well as their timing and smoothness in the execution of the calls. In MWSD today a "good" dancer is measured simply by how many calls they know.
Square dancing used to be, not only fun to do, but also fun to watch. This is the reason exhibitions don't work anymore. With all the dance styling removed, no matter how complex or difficult a call may be, to a spectator it just looks like people walking around. Exhibitions need the whoops and the hollers, the kicks and the twirls, because it needs to look FUN if you want to draw people into the activity. And now people don't even want to get dressed up. Performance is only effective if it involves showmanship. Just ask any stage choreographer - it's the difference between competitive and performance art. You may as well save the intricate moves for the judges because the average audience can't tell hard from easy. They're looking for flair.

July 3, 2006 - Convention
We drove up to Anaheim yesterday morning to catch at least one day of the IAGSDC dance convention.
It was SO MUCH FUN! Very high energy, fast dancing with excellent callers (Saundra Bryant, Deborah Carroll-Jones, David Mee, Tim Crawford, Anne Uebelacker, Michael Kellogg, Tim Pepper, Dave Rensberger, Jack Borgström, Mike Jacobs, Todd Fellegy, and Vic Ceder.) And NO rounds - just non-stop square dancing all day!

One of the things that the IAGSDC does at their conventions, that I like, is to schedule new or Caller School callers for short tips in between the sessions, while the scheduled callers are setting up. What a great system. It gives mic time and exposure to new callers and keeps the dancing going during transition times. Some of the new callers we heard were pretty good, and some still need to work a bit, but at least they had the opportunity to try their skills on a room full of dancers.

The day ended with a Fantasy Masquerade Costume Ball dance in the evening which was a lot of fun (and also interesting to see.) Some people really went all out on their costumes.
And, since the Anime Expo was being held at the same time, there was a lot of very strange (oops - I mean unusual) garb seen at the hotel that day. We spent the dinner hour watching the groups of dancers and anime "characters" moving up and down the hall.
"They're square dancers! It's hilarious!" I overheard a young guy with spiky blue hair and bat wings say to his friend wearing large, furry animal ears and a four foot long racoon tail.
There's maybe not as much difference between the generations as he might think. People like fantasy, and they like to get dressed up. (It's a fact that we, and Fun 'n Folly Costumes, actually count on.)

It was a very fun day. It's too bad we didn't have time to attend more than one day of the convention. And yes, to you-know-who-you-are-who-kept-sayng-we-should-go, I am glad we did.

June 26, 2006 - Ice Cream Social
We found a Ben and Jerry's shirt at the thrift shop. "Ooh, perfect," I thought, "the Ruffles 'n Beaus' Ice Cream Social is coming right up." They're always saying everyone should dress for the party night themes (and often fine those who do not.) So last night, for the Ice Cream Social dance, we were ready. Lloyd wore the Ben and Jerry shirt and I had a Ben and Jerry button Kimberly got while visiting the factory.
Unfortunately our cleverness was lost on the other dancers and now everyone just thinks Lloyd works at Ben and Jerry's.

June 24, 2006 - Tangles
Packing up his equipment, caller John Marus held up a tangled mass of cords. "No wonder my voice was garbled," he said.

June 22, 2006 - Teaching Order
Diane makes the observation that the calls which should be given the longest teaching time, (the hardest, most complex calls), are taught just before graduation when there is no time for reinforcment through repetition. These are the calls that break down squares the first time the new grads go dancing and destroy their confidence. She suggests teaching them earlier in the class, so that they are the ones given the most floor time, and saving some of the easier calls, which can be learned more quickly, for the end. Makes sense to me.

June 9, 2006 - A Goal
"We have a goal for you," Dave said. "We want you to dance with us at our September Dance."
"Isn't that A-2?"
"Yeah, but you have all summer."
Well yeah, I guess.
We have been enjoying the Magic Square workshops. They're informal and casual, and I like the people. Learning "advanced" is interesting, and I can see how it would hold a certain appeal for the sort of person who couldn't wait to get to geometry class. But I still maintain that it isn't dancing. It's a mental challenge; a puzzle done while walking. There's no grace, flow, rhythm, or style. The music isn't even necessary. Of course I've gone round and round on this with a number of people who don't share my opinion, and that's okay. To each his own. But I prefer a fast-paced dance with lots of twirls, spins, and swinging, and I don't really want to have to think too much about it. My goal, when dancing, is to totally lose myself in the music, the movement, and the moment. There are times when it feels as though my body is just moving on its own and I have no conscious awareness of the different calls, patterns, or even how I end up where I am at the end. It feels like I am flying and those are the best dances.

May 27, 2006 - Star Tip
Mike Sikorsky from Arizona was calling at the Whirlaways last night. He is a real showman with his calling, dancing as much on the stage himself, as the dancers on the floor. One writer described his singing as "Elvis meets Gordon Lightfoot." It's a lot of fun just to watch him perform.

Dave and Heidi went with us to the dance. Dave said we were ready to dance the A-1 star tip. I wasn't so sure, but he said we had to because he had already signed us up for it. So, after four advanced lessons at Magic Squares, we danced our first real A-1 tip. Of course we had a pat square of "good dancer" friends to help us out, if needed, but it went pretty well.
"You're dancing advanced?" Karen and Irene said, barely containing their giggles, having heard our philosophy numerous times, and having endured our teasing about the snobbishness of advanced dancers for so long.

"When did you start dancing advanced?" everyone asked."
"Last month," I said.
"Oh. . . Wow."
"You're our best publicity," Dave said.

May 13, 2006 - Holmes & Randall
A fun, fast dance at the Whirlaways last night with Holmes & Randall calling. Ray and Jim really do sound great together, their voices harmonize so well. They have been performing together for a long time and have a very good on-stage repore, and they are both a little crazy, so their silly antics can be a lot of fun. They did almost all singing calls last night, (and were taking all requests), so it was a very fast-paced, lively dance. Rey [Garza] was also playing all fast, upbeat rounds last night (two polkas!). And, with little waisted time between the tips, we were just moving non-stop the entire dance.

May 8, 2006 - Plan to Rejuvenate
"2006 Plan to Rejuvenate Square Dancing" - by Lloyd
"There is a desperate need to increase the number of square dancers, particularly younger dancers. I hope that the ideas in this proposal will be noticed and implemented in some form by some caller and/or club looking for a means to start or revitalize square dancing in their area. Though this proposal was formulated with the San Diego County area in mind, the suggestions in this article would be appropriate elsewhere. The type of club proposed here is modeled after a young singles club we belonged to 30 years ago." READ MORE. . .

May 3, 2006 - A-1
"So you're free on Thursdays, now? You should come dance with us at Magic Squares."
"We don't dance advanced, and I don't want to commit to endless months of lessons, learning a call or two a week. If I could find three advanced couples to dance with me, I think I could learn A-1 in a weekend."
"Yeah, We could do that. We'll blow right through that list."
Well, okay then.

"Hey Pat," I said, "Dave says he and Carl can teach me A-1 in, like, twenty minutes."
"I don't think I'd hold him to the twenty minutes," Pat said.
"Wait, I NEVER said 'TWENTY MINUTES,'" Dave said.
Yeah, yeah, figure of speech.