It’s been a long weekend, extending into a long week and another long weekend. I went to the Rocky Mountain Roundup (53rd National Square Dance Convention) in Denver this past weekend. I’ll write more about my experiences there later; suffice to say I got too little sleep, and too much foot fatigue from standing around in boots on cement floors.

I drove down from Denver today, unpacked, and repacked for the gay international square dance convention, Remake the Heatwave in Phoenix. We were supposed to fly out at 9:55, but here it is, an hour later, with no plane in sight. We’re supposed to be out of here by 11:30, but I’m not counting on it.

At least the Albuquerque airport has free wireless internet access, so I’ve been catching up reading online stuff that I missed while at the Nationals (to give the Radisson Stapleton its due, it also had free wireless, but I barely had time to check email and send an occasional note to T-B).

So check out this story on the Hotlanta Squares from Public Broadcasting in Atlanta: Public Broadcasting Atlanta. Here’s a quote:

“It’s something a couple can do forever. By dancing with strangers, you learn how to shake hands, become more social, and more confident. It’s the best exercise for the brain and the body. You get a sense of accomplishment by learning and remembering all of the calls and implementing them quickly. You get to meet new friends and have lots of fun.”

There’s also a video

, but I couldn’t access it; I don’t know whether it’s some kind of Windows-specific media or some Windows-IE-only link or something.

This seems like a good idea…and maybe something that the ARTS should have an interest in: J. Appleseed Society

To encourage the creation and growth of organizations that sponsor and promote participatory arts and leisure activities. We are especially focused on “lifetime” activities , pursuits that have low entry barriers, and endeavors that bring people from diverse backgrounds together with the opportunity for informal socialization.

This group’s ideas are based on Robert D. Putman’s book, Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community (see the Bowling Alone website.

Did you know that

Joining one group cuts in half your odds of dying next year.

This is kind of cool: Dance Weblog. It’s a weblog created by people using camera phones and sending pictures to the weblog. It’s all automated (and free!) by textamerica.com.

Now

, our demographics (at least in the U.S.) are such that we probably don’t have tons of dancers using camera phones (and even if we did, they would probably balk at the cost of sending the photo using their cell phone minutes). But it seems like a way to build a sense of community among dancers all over the world.

Back when I first started SquareZ, I tallked about domain names quite a lot. I thought having a good domain name was important, and I was disappointed when good domain names were grabbed up by speculators.

Now I’m disappointed that gaysquaredancing.org is being used to promote naked men square dancing. Yes , the gay square dancing community does have some clothing-optional events that are limited to men. And I wouldn’t care if the domain name was nudegaysquaredancing.org, or nakedmensquaredancing.org. But I guess I don’t like a nice generic URL leading to such a limited segment of the gay square dancing community.

Guess I’m just being a little curmudgeonly tonight.

Here’s a little online square dancing game: Hangman.

The only thing that makes it a little bit hard is the fact that all the words are run together…no spaces.

Check out: Old-Time Square Dancing in the 21st Century: Dare to be Square!.

This article has a lot of history and some interesting analysis of current contra dancers, why they dance, and why they don’t like squares.

Here’s an interesting tale from New Orleans in 1804:

The contra-square controversy continued and erupted into a brawl at another public dance later that month. As reported by the New-York Herald on March 10 , 1804, the dancing began with cotillions [squares], followed by a country dance [contra] for twelve couples. The musicians were instructed to end the contra after all of the couples had been active, but six additional American couples joined the end of the line and demanded that the music continue. In the ensuing ruckus, fiddles got broken, swords were drawn, and dancers were arrested. In an effort to resolve the issue and let the dances continue, the New Orleans City Council stepped in, prohibiting citizens from carrying arms to the dances, assigning policemen to keep order, and legislating a rotation of dances: two “French contredanses[squares],” followed by one “English contredanse [contra]” limited to twelve couples, and then a waltz, to appease those of Spanish descent.

Some comparisons:

I have observed that some of the same characteristics of squares that one dancer dislikes are exactly what another dancer likes. Some dancers like the challenge and variety of figures offered by squares. This, however, does not satisfy those contra dancers who want to get into a “trance” or “the right brain ÔZen’ state that is sometimes possible in contra dancing.” The challenge, sometimes bordering on confusion that these dancers dislike, is enjoyed by others who like the faster pace and spontaneity characteristic of squares.

Some contra dancers object to dancing with only seven other people in a square set, but others enjoy the “great sense of teamwork” and “synergy of eight people working together” in a square. One dancer pointed out that “…you spend enough time with the people in your square to get to know them, unlike a contra where the interaction is fleeting and superficial.”

Speaking of squares and contras, the FolkMADS dance this past Saturday was called by Bill Litchman, an internationally-known traditional square dance caller. He did three squares:

• A goal posting routine (heads pass thru, separate around one, come down the middle and pass thru, split the outside two, separate around one, come down the middle and pass thru, separate around one, into the middle and pass thru, split the outside two and separate around one; swing, etc. This is a pattern that we often use in early MWSD lessons, although it’s not used very frequently at regular MS and Plus dances
• Because, Just Because: A singing call (kind of rare, especially with a band that anyone can sit in on like the Albuquerque MegaBand). I don’t remember the whole figure; what I do remember is that he threw in a change the second time through, which our square totally ignored (fortunately, it didn’t matter; each variation had the same result).
• Forward Six, Fall Back Eight: This dance has a lot of variations, and I left as he was walking it through, but here’s an online description: Forward Six, Fall Back Eight.

Inside:

What the heck does dosey doe mean?

I’m going through old stuff; a friend sent me this card back in the mid-nineties.

Last October, I received an email from Dan Smith; it was basically a press release:

Stained-Glass Windows Celebrate Square Dancing

Dan Smith, a San Francisco artist makes stained-glass windows and loves to square dance. He has pooled these interests to produce a unique and stunning exhibit of stained-glass windows that celebrate people’s experiences at the city’s three lesbian and gay square-dancing clubs.

Using a San Francisco Arts Commission grant, Dan trained 16 dancers from these clubs to make stained-glass windows. None had worked before in stained glass. But under Dan’s artistic guidance, they have produced beautiful results.

Dan explained that people of all sexual orientations, and both sexes, come to gay square-dance clubs. “Same-sex square dancing is inclusive and celebratory,” said Dan.

“Straight women can come without a male escort and feel perfectly at home,” he added. “Both men and women enjoy the release from rigid sex-role stereotyping. Gay men and lesbians experience a sense of community. Above all, everybody has fun, which is the whole point.”

A new web site displays these incredible windows and explains what each one means to its creator. Take a look and see for yourself:

http://www.squaredancingstainedglass.com

for further information

apoteketreceptfritt.com

, please contact Dan Smith at dan at squaredancingstainedglass.com

For some reason, I didn’t check out the website (maybe because I received the email on October 31? I don’t know). All I can say is, don’t wait six months to check it out for yourself.

Here are a couple of images representing square dance calls:

Weave the Ring (Ron Masker):

Teacup Chain (Rojean):

Be sure to read the stories associated with each piece of art; they could be used as a recruiting material for square dancing, and gay square dancing in particular. Here’s a great story about a grandmother’s gay pride experience:

A kind, straight woman from a small town in Wisconsin, the grandmother loved all her grandchildren unconditionally, regardless of their sexual orientation. When my friend’s brother and his partner found out that Grandma was visiting during Pride Weekend, however, they were a little bit afraid that some of the more colorful activities of the event might offend her sensibilities. She expressed an interest in attending the parade though, so my friend’s brother tried to prepare her for what they might encounter.

Always polite and tolerant, Grandma sealed her lips as her eyes boggled at some of the sights of the Pride parade; my friend’s brother began to worry that perhaps she was overwhelmed, but then, groups of men square dancing paraded down the street. Grandma, a square-dance enthusiast for years, clapped her hands in delight to the beat and followed the gay square dancers all the way to the end of the parade. She still talks about the “nice men square dancing” to this day!

And here’s something from Donald “Bullseye” Wescoat. First, Donald composed a song that debuted at the memorial tip at the 1996 convention in San Francisco. The chorus:

We are squares In the circle
Dancing below and above
Weaving an unending story
Squares In the circle of love

And the final part of his writeup on his stained glass:

Square dancing Is my solace – it gives me something to do almost any night of the week – it brings me back to health when I am ill – It puts a smile on my face when I see my dancing friends – it boosts my ego when I remember a difficult move – it warms my heart when I mentor a new dancer as a square dance caller, my credo –

· D delight the dancers

· A advance the art

· N nurture the tradition

· C celebrate the geometry

· E evolve the music

Probably most of us square dance afficianados think square dancing should be taught in gym classes…as long as the school brings in a “real” caller who can present square dancing in a fun (and semi-modern) way.

But we fail to take into account the cruelty that kids can inflict on other kids. Here’s a tale from a Live Journaler who will never

, ever square dance again: negroplease79: DOSE-E-DOE…BOW TO YOUR PARTNER. A few quotes:

With the exception of kindergarten, I was enormously unpopular for most of my school years…..and square dancing only magnified this.

…

Then came all outright hell…and be prepared, this is going to sound like an episode of Freaks and Geeks, but this is truly what happened: It was now time to dance with your group. Michael and Andre had made fun of me to my face, and then had concocted a plan amongst the boys in the group that I was to go untouched. They were not going to touch my hands whatsoever. Square dancing is pretty much all hand touching and swinging and shit, right? Yeah, right. So, as we are dancing, Mr. Lagger notices that none of the boys are touching me, except for Nehvin, who at this point, is barely touching my hands (out of sympathy, I presume). He gets pissed and stops the music and embarrasses the fuck out of me. The boys tell Mr. Lagger, while telling the whole class… “Rita is ugly and gross, and we didn’t want to dance with her in the first place, you made us! We don’t like her, no one likes her, we can’t help that she is ugly.” Yep.

…

The point to this story….I don’t need sympathy, if that is how this has come off, that was not my intention…my point is square dancing was worthless bullshit that serves no purpose to a young person’s future. It only exemplified just how unpopular my black ass was. And it made elitists out of 13 year olds. Have I square danced since then…hellz naw. Do I have the desire too…fuck no. What was the point of the shit? Really, any takers??? I just don’t see it. I don’t use square dancing to solve life queries. I don’t use square dancing to help me get through Pathology and Pharmacology. Hell, I don’t square dance when I go to the club (not that I’m a clubber), nor does it help me get laid.

Pointless shit….Redneck Soul Train.

This could have happened with almost any kind of dancing in 8th grade PE…but square dancing is what gets foisted on kids, and with its forced social interaction, provides a lot of opportunities for cruelty.

Something to think about…

I think this is great. The 53rd NSDC (Rocky Mountain Round-up) is marketing itself to non-dancers as a family-oriented entertainment option:

The whole family will be entertained by thousands of dancers in swirling, twirling colorful costumes-as they perform square, round, contra, clogging and more! And don’t miss the world famous “Ghost Riders Square Dance Band”, playing nightly in the Denver Coliseum!

And:

Special appearance by our own spokesman “Blackhawk Ben” a fictional Colorado mountain man! Each afternoon watch exhibitions performed by fourteen visiting dance exhibition teams from across the U.S.A., including “The Rocky Mountain Dancers” who will represent the U.S.A. In a worldwide folk dance competition, this summer in the Ukraine. Aerialist dancers at their flying best!

And:

LEARN TO DANCE CONTRA

The community dance hall will be open Friday and Saturday evenings from 7pm – 10pm, featuring a program of easy dances designed to give the visitor a taste of dancing!

I don’t know how they’re actually doing the publicity

, but you can see the flyer here: Public Invitation