I’m calling a 50’s dance for the El Camino Reelers next week. They’ve done a good job on publicity; check out their radio ad.

So, I’m starting to prepare. Nick Turner did a 50’s dance last year; his program is online. (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the URLs at dosado.com?) On the same page with Nick’s program, there’s a list of supposed 50’s music…but if you’re a stickler, be careful: there’s a lot of songs from the 60’s as well.

Here’s a list of singing calls from the 50’s that I own:

And here’s a website focusing on the 50’s: fiftiesweb.com. I think the only “look” that I can use, as a self-respecting lesbian, would be either casual teen girl (dungarees, daddy’s white shirt, loafers) or greaser guy (the Fonz). I just can’t see me in a tight skirt and stiletto heels, or (shudder) petticoats and a poodle skirt.

Square dance caller Mike Sikorsky has a (non-square-dance) CD out, The Glass Slippered Dream, including some songs he’s written. Quotes from the website:

Listening to Mike’s sexy bedroom voice will make you wish you were cuddling by a fire with your lover on a chilly night, sipping a cup of hot chocolate, as he sings Country Pop, Updated Traditional Country, and Easy Listening, with a sprinkling of humor.

(What’s Mike’s style like? Think Vince Gill mating with the Mavericks, after having gone through puberty 3 more times.)

This isn’t Mike’s first non-square-dance venture; you can find other CD’s here.

While rooting around online for contras, I found some really interesting syllabi from the Ralph Page Legacy Weekend. The syllabi are available for 1997 through 2003, and contain the choreography for all the dances called at the weekend.

On the same page, you can find a link to the digitized archives of the Northern Junket, a square dance magazine started in April 1949. In the first issue, there’s a review of Ed Durlacher’s Honor Your Partner. Sample quote:

Every physical education teacher, every recreation specialist, every square dance teacher, ought to have this book. And having it, they should study it and profit by it. If they do not; then they are neglectin their art, and deserve to be ridden out of town on a rail.

No mincing words here!

Here’s a mention of someone I know:

Al Brundage, formerly of Danbury, Conn. and one of the top callers of New England, has built a big barn in nearby Stepny, Conn. and is holding a weekly square dance party every Saturday night.

Here’s a whole page of educational square dance stuff from Educational Activities, Inc.

Over a year ago, I wrote about Henry Morgenstein, a contra dancer and caller who had written a bunch of essays on contra dancing. Well, he’s still writing; there are new essays on his site. I particularly enjoyed Analysis of a bad contra and Great Callers – How They Prepare.

I also enjoyed reading one of his older essays, in which he talks about how English contra dancers like complicated, intricate contras, while American contra dancers like lots of swinging. In it, he says something relevant to the difference between MWSD and (American) contras:

If you always went to a dance with your partner (wife) and almost always danced with just one other person, what is the point of intense eye contact, of dances with long swings, of dances that are repeated & repeated & repeated?

Since you go with the same person each time, and dance with the same person all night long, your interest is in the dance: the moves, the progression, the structure. Once you’ve mastered that dance, it is time for another dance.

If, as is the case in the U.S., every dance is with a different partner, you want dances that contain eye contact, long swings, and you want the dances to last for a long time.

Thanks again to Clark Baker for this one.

A German square dance group received a request from some people in Nigeria, asking for help in getting a visa so they could attend a Challenge square dance weekend. Here’s a copy of some email coming from the Nigerians.

And here’s an Alta Vista Babelfish translation of the German on the page (showing the difficulties with machine language translation):

Concerns: Attempted fraud/with intent ton deceive? Surely everyone of you has already at least mail notorious “Nigeria Connection” gotten siehe http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/ With always new stories is tried to use and to draw to them with the prospect on much money only once the own from the bag the greed of other humans. Now one wants apparent by the promise to visit an international meeting arrive at a German visa. After our knowledge there are in Nigeria no Square Dance, already no in the C-programs – or someone somewhat of it heard? Please a copy sends it to webmaster@eaasdc.de if similar post office gets.

And here’s my favorite part: a history of square dancing in Nigeria. This link displays an image file (probably a scan of the original). Here’s the text:

Square Dance was first introduced in Nigeria the then Bendel State of Nigeria by the Britons and the Portuguese who settled after the Independence in Nigeria. Although it was introduced along with Round Dance but very few persons took it seriously as it was a Dance cut out for the elite and basically the African man is concerned about our own local tradition way of dancing.

In 1990, November 17th, the 1st body to co-ordinate Square Dance and Round Dance was established and was headed by Mr. Wayne Daniels. The organisation under Mr. Wayne introduced Square Association to so many schools in Nigeria after which private clubs and Associations were established.

Most recently in 2000 a body to organize and co-ordinate Square Dance and Round Dance in Nigeria at the Obafemi Awolowo University IIe- Ife, Osun State was established. It saw dance clubs joining the Association known now as the Nigeria Association of Square and Round Dance.

The body was established to organize and co-ordinate the activities of Square and Round Dance in Nigeria. To choose cloths and colours to suit the Dance and sponsor and community.

Square Dancing in Nigeria is also a participant activity that is beneficial and fun. We enjoy fun and friendship set to music. Square dancing to us is movement to music. We do it in couples, with teams of four couples. We also relate it to little exercise of the body, mind and spirit as we believe it is for the active heart and mind.

Most Square dance clubs in Nigeria are established by ready-made groups of friends. It also has greatly giving us in Nigeria the opportunity to meet with new friends and establish each other as there is no better way for active, contemporary people to meet each other and build a circle of friends.

With Nigeria as a multi ethnic and multi religious country with diverse culture, Square dancing has changed the orientation of most of us as we see all kinds of folks sharing a love of action and teamwork.. You see Square dancers who are Governors, presidents, secretaries, lawyers, machinists, farmers, corporals, ministers, colonels, doctors, nurses etc, whatever you think of. While dancing or when together, they forget tribes, tradition, customs and discuss square dancing.

Pretty impressive, especially the fact that they want to send C3A dancers to Germany. And it’s also interesting the way they weave various phrases taken from square dancing websites to create a history. (But then, I recently received email from Uday (or was it Qusay) Hussein’s Nigerian wife; I didn’t read the text, so I don’t know what kind of deal she was offering me.