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"Square Dancing"By
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"Square Dancing"By
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September 2010
I would like to begin by introducing myself. I am Susan Morris, square dance caller. My husband, Larry, and I live and dance in the Greater Seattle area. I have often told new acquaintances that we dance from Vancouver (WA) to Vancouver (BC). You can most often find us at a dance in Mt. Baker Council. Though we do show up other places from time to time. I am looking forward to our conversations this year as Square Dance Editor for Footnotes.
I began calling in 1997. I took my first callers class with Bill Metz, a long time caller in Everett. I attended the Cascade Callers College with Daryl Clendenin and Jerry Junck in 1998. I have attended two other Callers Schools. I have attended the annual Callerlab Convention the last four years. Currently, I teach for the Happy Hoppers (Marysville) and the Samena Squares (Kirkland). I’ve always thought that September was a better month for a new year to begin than January. After all, there are lots of beginnings in September – kids go back to school, a new season begins, there are new shows on TV. And in Square Dance Land we start a new dance season.
Many clubs take the summer off from hosting club dances. Dancers have the opportunity to dance at festivals and special weekends around the state and to different callers at Circle 8. September means that our club dances begin again. Since this is the start of the dance season, let’s take a few minutes to review a couple of things that occasionally we forget about or take for granted.
Are guests and club members greeted at your club’s dances? Is there a designated couple to greet guests as they arrive? Do you take turns doing this? Does the Club Treasurer greet guests while taking their donation and helping them get signed in?
Some clubs take greeting their guests very seriously. There are always one or two friendly faces and a welcoming hug to greet you as you arrive. Unfortunately in some clubs this is not happening. We have all seen or experienced the Greeter or Club Treasurer, who continues the conversation they are in the middle of while automatically taking our money and handing us a pen to sign in with. A hand comes out to take the money and there is little to no personal contact.
We also need to make every effort to say good-bye to these same guests. This gets a bit trickier because everyone else may be dancing. It would be nice if everyone stayed until the end of the dance and we could have one big group thank you and good-bye. Then one or two couples from the hosting club could be by the door to give more personal good-byes as guests leave and the rest of the club cleans up. It seems there will always be staggered arrivals and leavings. Now I’ve talked about the beginning and end of the dance but what about the middle? We, all of us, need to be talking to these same guests in between squares and rounds. They are guests at your club. You wouldn’t invite 24 people to dinner and not talk to them. Maybe you aren’t comfortable talking to someone you don’t know. Well, the truth is that they may not be comfortable either. If you don’t know someone, good conversation starters are the weather, the traffic getting to the dance, or any sports team that is playing that week. Or you can always talk about the Caller – “Can you believe it,
fill in the Caller’s name, finally got a new patter record? I liked it. Did you?”The point is every club dance should be a Dance Party! As a club you should make every effort to greet your guests warmly, talk to them during the dance and then thank them at the end of the evening as you say good-bye. If your guests feel welcomed and are having fun then you will be having Fun too! We’ve been talking about paying attention to how our clubs welcome and take care our guests at dances. I would like to suggest that we also keep the kitchen open until the end of the dance. It helps our guests feel more like we want them there and want to make them comfortable and not so much that we are anxious to have them leave.
The start of our square dance season also sees the start of lessons. We need to be as welcoming to our new dancers as we are to our guests at our dances. The new dancers are nervous being in a strange environment with people they don’t know and participating in a new activity that they don’t know how to do. Treat them gently. Make plans now to include them in your club’s activities this fall and all year. Set a good example, jump up with enthusiasm when the music starts and invite them to join you in a square. Set another good example by dancing the calls exactly as the caller is teaching them. Initiate a get together for dinner before a student level dance and go with them. Include these new dancers in the Fun from the very first night.
I want to mention just one more thing this month. Several dancers have asked me how to get people to be gentler with handholds. I suggested that they talk to their caller so that he/she could talk about it at the start of a dance or at lessons. I decided to mention it here so that everyone can be aware. There are many members of our dance community who have arthritis in their hands so it can be quite painful to dance with someone who squeezes tight or holds on too long. Actually it can hurt even if you don’t have arthritis. One result of a tight grip or holding on too long is that someone could get hurt. It could even be you! Another result could be that even thought you are a really nice person and you did remember to use your deodorant, your square will be the last one filled. You can have an effective, secure handhold with out gripping at all. If you are not sure of the correct handhold, ask your caller. They will be glad to help you figure it out. If there is someone in your club who holds on too tight and is unaware of their own strength, talk to them. Or ask your caller to talk to them. Square dancing is a team contact sport. I’m sure no one means to be hurtful. They just don’t know their own strength.
A quote for this month…
“Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work.”
William Arthur Ward
And don’t forget to Dance! Make it a great start to your club’s 2010-2011 dance season!
Happy dancing,
Susan
and Larry