I’d never been to the National Square Dance Convention before, and I don’t know whether I’ll go to another (I’ve paid for the 50th in Anaheim, but I haven’t registered yet; in order to sign up for housing, one is supposed to send in all the registration forms for people sharing a room at the same time…hello?!! how do I know who I might want to share a room with a year from now).

Why wouldn’t I go again? Well, as a marketing opportunity, it was the pits. I never called for more than about eight squares max, and I never called MS or Plus to more than one square (well, I wouldn’t have been in the Solo hall at noon either, if I didn’t have to be). As a social opportunity, it can’t compare with the NACC (or whatever replaces it), CALLERLAB, and, of course, the gay convention. As a dance opportunity, again, it can’t compare with the replacement NACC and the gay convention. The format of 10 minute slots in MS and Plus doesn’t allow for any “build”; all the caller can do is call pretty vanilla stuff in an entertaining way. As a research opportunity? That’s probably the best bet…sign up to call one tip for tax write-off purposes and spend the rest of the time listening to other callers.

I have to say that I resented having to pay for a schedule. I bought the program (a total waste, mostly filled with full color photos of the convention organizers) without knowing that I had to in order to get the little program booklets in my registration packet. I also found the schedule confusing to read. Of course, since they do it exactly the same every year, I’m sure it gets easier. But it’d sure be nice to be able to look at, say, 10:00 on Thursday and be able to see all the choices, rather than having to thumb through the whole book trying to see (and remember) everything going on at a particular time. It would also be nice if they’d put the schedule on line. They could even do it in a database format, so one could view it by time, or by caller, or by program…what a novel idea! And one could even plan in advance! What a concept!

While I was at the convention, I had a pretty good time. I did resent going off to call for the one square that had to be dragooned into dancing in the solo hall at noon when I could have been dancing C3A…it was the one time I was tempted to tell the tireless caller organizers to find someone else. I also wondered at the purpose of segregating singles into a special hall, when they didn’t really want to be there. Apparently, it functioned mainly as a place to go to find a partner before heading to the other halls.

It was in retrospect that I began to question the point of going. I probably will go next year, but that will be my last easy opportunity; after that, we’ll go back to the annual confict: the NSDC is usually the week before, and on opposite ends of the country from, the gay convention.

Here’s a link, just for sticking through this whole diatribe thing: Nominations for Quote of the Quarter — 2000 (April, May, June).