Square Dance Magazine

An online magazine for square dancers world-wide that lists calendars of square dance events. Square Dance Magazine is a resource where square dancers can find out about future dances, plus read square dancing articles and reports that include photos of recent square dance activities, hence the magazine format.

Initially much of the content will focus on Australian square dance activities but we expect this to change with time and to take on an international flavor.

We invite contributions from square dancers and square dance clubs anywhere, and welcome regular contributors who we can set up with personal access to the web-site via the WordPress interface which makes contributing articles very easy.

Our goal is to promote square dancing on a world-wide basis as an activity for young and old. Share this web-site with your friends and help us promote square dancing.

Paul Place and Traveling Hoedowners Update

Paul Place Photo’s courtesy of Michael and Alice Craft of the Traveling Hoedowners.

Click on photo to see enlargement.

Traveling Hoedowners News
by Alice Craft

Some of you may be familiar with Paul Place & The Traveling Hoedowners’ Mainstream and Plus Reference DVDs which were reviewed in this magazine recently (http://squaredancemagazine.com/category/learn-square-dancing).

Two of the Traveling Hoedowners couples traveled to Germany to attend the European Square Dance Convention in Hocheim, Germany on June 6-8, 2008.

We also attended the Die Hard Square Dance Club’s 30th Anniversary Dance on May 31, 2008 in Schweinfurt, Germany.  Paul Place, the caller for The Traveling Hoedowners, founded this club when he was in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany 30 years ago.  Paul was scheduled to be the caller at this Anniversary Dance, but was unable to attend due to poor health.

This spring Paul was diagnosed with incurable cancer.  This is a terrible loss to us, his loving family, his local clubs, and to all square dancers.  Paul has given up his 5 square dance clubs in the Central Florida area, and has moved back to Alabama to be close to his family.

During the week of July 6, Paul returned to Central Florida to record his last DVD with The Traveling Hoedowners.  Paul’s Square Dance Party DVD will be available soon on our website www.travelinghoedowners.com.

While in Central Florida, Paul called his final two square dances at the Whirl & Twirl Square Dance Club on July 9, and July 11, before permanently retiring from square dance calling.

Paul looked great and his calling was top-notch; he did not even miss a beat of “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”, while being wrapped in toilet paper onstage by enthusiastic dancers.  Both performances were outstanding, although heart-breaking for all those in attendance, especially when Paul ended Friday’s dance with “The Cowboy Rides Away”.

On Wednesday we had 15 squares of dancers, including 16 first time visitors to Whirl & Twirl, 6 visiting callers, and many more repeat visitors.  On Friday we had an additional 16 first time visitors making over 18 squares of dancers, the most I have ever seen in that hall.  After Paul’s final dance, a long line of callers and dancers formed to wish Paul well, thank him for coming, and to bid him a fond farewell.

We love you Paul!

Photos of Paul’s final two dances are posted on the Whirl & Twirl website www.whirlandtwirl.org.  Click on “Michael’s Pictures” on the right hand side.

Round Dance

Square dancing activities often incorporate round dancing, with many dancers participating in both forms of dance.

Modern social round dancing is choreographed and cued ballroom dancing that progresses in a circular pattern, counter-clockwise around the dance floor. The two major categories of ballroom rhythm found in round dancing are the smooth or international rhythms, such as foxtrot and waltz, and the Latin rhythms, such as cha-cha and rumba.

Round dancing differs from free-style ballroom dancing in that each round dance has been fully choreographed ahead of time, and a “cuer” or leader at the front of the ballroom tells the dancers, as they dance, what steps to do. As the music plays, and just ahead of the beat, so the dancers have time to respond, the cuer names each dance figure in the choreography. As a consequence, all the dancers on the floor are dancing the same steps at the same time.

Square Dance Magazine will also feature round dancing information and so we are looking for interested individuals or clubs to contribute material on a regular basis. Contact us if you are prepared to assist and help support round dancing.

Jim Pead’s Rovin Corner

YOUR ROVIN’ CORNERS

Jim and Betsy travel across the US and around the world, dancing and promoting dancing. Each month we share with you our experiences and thoughts. This month we want to talk about square dancing in California and Texas and “giving” in square dancing plus some special dances.
 
The holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving has come and gone, along with “black Friday” at the stores and we are well into Christmas parties and our “Square Dance Christmas.” In some areas, Christmas calls for lots of dark nights while square dancers celebrate Christmas in other ways. In “Let’s Square Dance” the British square dance magazine, we found a listing for the Lune Valley Ocean Waves annual “Twixmas” in Carlisle 2007. For 139 British pounds per person get three nights dinner, bed and breakfast and three nights dances plus workshops! December 27-30. Contact Chris and Trevor Day chrisday_narca@hotmail.co.uk
 
Many square dance clubs have Thanksgiving feasts and celebrations, special dances for “Toys for Tots” and entertaining at nursing homes and other venues during this season. One long-time, highly successful event is the annual Thanksgiving/Toys for Tots dance in San Jose. There must be many more around the country.
 
Among the gifts you are bestowing on other folk this year could be the opportunity to learn to dance. Many of you have worked hard to get new dancers into class and are supporting them as they learn to dance. We were particularly impressed with two groups on our recent flying trip to San Jose, CA. The Santa Clara Valley Square Dance Association has their big annual “Jubilee” each year in October. This year they made a concerted effort to draw non-dancers to beginning dances and then announced a “Blast Class” the following three Saturdays. Ruth Reigelhaupt-Herzig taught the group. By the end of the day, the students have a bit of the ”deer in the headlights” look, but they covered the entire mainstream and plus program in the time alloted. Now they will gain experience dancing with various clubs and become finished dancers. We attended their graduation program which was inspiring and will bond the dancers to dancing for some time to come—especially with the help and support of the members of the clubs where they will dance.
 
John Sybalsky has been calling for 35 years, many of those for the Stanford Quads in Palo Alto, California. The club is a high energy, APD plus level club. We went to the first night of instruction and found some 37 new dancers eager to learn our favorite activity. John was doing an especially good job of teaching. With minimal talking, maximum dancing, the new dancers covered a LOT of calls, with most dancers alternating “boy” and ”girl”so they truly learn All Position Dancing.

We see a variety of systems to teach beginners. They all work. Whether the traditional 30 weeks from September through May, the Blast Classes, and the multi-start system. When the classes are taught skillfully, with enthusiasm and sensitivity they succeed. .
Finally, two special events: March 29 and 30, 2008  with the Funnyfish (guy.leclere@club-internet.fr) in Nice, France. The Funnyfish are a small group near Nice, one of only 4 square dance clubs in France keeping the spirit of square dance alive. They have no regular caller, and dance mostly to records. Michael Braithwaite of England is doing their special. If you want to do something different and enjoy a great welcome, contact the Funny Fish of Nice.
 
Many U.S. clubs (and almost all European clubs) are “singles and couples” clubs. The Single Square Dancers U. S. A. are having their 38th Dance-A-Rama August 28-31 2008 in Nashville, Tenn. The three “Tims” (Crawford from Canada, Marriner from N.C. and Tyl from Texas) headline the program. They have excellent tours and lots of dancing planned. After the National Convention, this is annually one of the best weekends in the country.   All are invited – couples and singles alike.  
 
We continue to have many international square dance contacts and are often contacted by dancers traveling abroad for suggestions and contacts. We are happy to provide some direction and suggestion of places to dance. We would love to hear from you and your experiences dancing overseas (as well as this country!) just email: jimbetsy@aol.com.
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
Your Rovin’ Corners, Jim and Betsy.