BETWEEN TIPS
"BETWEEN TIPS" is the official bulletin of the
SQUARE & ROUND DANCE FEDERATION OF NOVA SCOTIA
Alex Ritchie, Editor, 58 Oakdale Crescent, Dartmouth, NS B3A 2L8
phone (902) 469-1492 email: alexr@eastlink.ca
NOVEMBER    2004
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You may download this November 2004 issue as a PDF file.


Mark Savage Appreciation Award
Spring Closing Dance at M.M.M./ Ocean Waves

           It is difficult to separate Mark Savage from his verytalented and closely related family in the square dance world. Hisentire family are all accomplished square dance callers , cuersand dancers.
           It is at this moment we , the M.M.M./ Ocean Waves clubwant to recognize the achievements and accomplishments of oneof our most respected callers. Mark Savage has a remarkablememory. At the tender age of 12, when the jive was just coming tobe the dance to learn in his age group, Mark decided to takeSquare dance lessons. Needless to say , he becamed hooked. Thenumber of moves in the square dance was nothing for him toremember, so he added all the moves of the round dance worldalso.
           Mark's ambition was endless. When the knowledgeablecallers, John Essex & Cecil Smith encouraged Mark to become acaller, He joyously attended Callers school at East Hill Farm in Troy, New Hampshire USA. In 1976, Markand his brother, Wade , inherited a group of teens, known as the "Teen Troopers". This was the start of hiscallers career. This teen square dance group where he began square dancing and then became caller continuedfor eleven years.
           It was also during this same time, Mark called for "The Sackville Downers" ,an adult club in Sackville. He was caller for The Keen Teens, The Odd Couples and has been a guest caller at the M.C.C.A conventions .
           In 1987 ,He started calling for the "Stardusters" club in Dartmouth. It was the following year, in 1988 ,our history notes state, Mark and some of his loyal family and friends formed the club known as " The FunSquares". This newly formed club was an extension of the existing Fun Squares Plus Club workshop at thattime.
           In 1989, the Ocean Waves Plus club joined with the M.M.M. to make the present day club. Mark wasthe caller chosen to teach the new M.M.M./Ocean Waves Plus class in 1993. He has been one of our regularTuesday night club callers, executive caller on our club's executive and one of our Harvest Moon callers inNovember.
           This room tonight (April 27, 2004) has many couples including Paul & I who have been priviledged tohave Mark Savage as their teacher, square dance caller and round dance cuer. He has acquired manypermanent and true friends throughout his career. He can walk among the square dance community withpride in all his achievements and accomplishments.Tonight, on behalf of the M.M.M./Ocean Waves club and all its members we present Mark with this mementoof appreciation. Thank you Mark.
                      Submitted by, Reta Blades
                      President & Historian, M.M.M./ Ocean Waves


SCOTIA DANCERS GRADUATION

           The Scotia Dancers held their first graduation ceremony in their new dancing premises at the Sackville HeightsCommunity Centre on Wednesday May 19, 2004. The club members were in full attendance to celebrate thecompletion of another full teaching-term by Club Caller, Pat Matheson. The traditional ceremony saw the lighting ofcandles and reading of the four oaths of square dancing. It is always a good reminder for all dancers to reflect on thetraditions of our activity and remind ourselves of the benefits we derive from square dancing.
           The Graduates were welcomed as full members of the Scotia Dancers and immediately invited to enjoy thefellowship of our square dance club. There were smiles all around the floor as "Honey Bears" were exchanged!
           The graduation photo illustrates the effects that square dancing can have on everyone. It's time to smile whenNew Dancers join our Scotia Dancer family! Scotia Dancers and guests join in welcoming Michael and HollyMitchell to the square dance family.




           The Club looks forward to many more occasions for graduation ceremonies as the most senior club in MetroHalifax continues in it's third decade of dancing.


GROUP TRAVEL to FESTIVAL '05

METRO area dancers are invited to consider joining a group travelling by van or bus to the Federation FESTIVAL '05in Yarmouth on 5 & 6 August, 2005. Transport & advance accomodations may be arranged by contacting:

           Kerry Fletcher, 435-0245, kdf@ns.sympatico.ca
           Pauline Arsenault, 434-3648, paulinearsenault@hotmail.com

Prior registration for the FESTIVAL is encouraged by sending a cheque or money order ($20/dancer)made payable to: "Festival '05":
           Festival '05
           26 Nauss Avenue
           Bridgewater, NS B4V 1V7
Please include each First name, Last name, Address, Dance level(s), Club.

For additional FESTIVAL '05 info visit: Festival 2005


Admiral Dancers

Admiral Dancers started their new season on Sept. 18, and although they had a few missing members, theyhad a great time of fellowship and dance. A couple ( William and Pennie Taylor ) from Gilmer, Texas, had contacted us months before, and they weregiven a Nova Scotia welcome, and quoted "We want to thank both of you and especially your club membersfor making us feel so welcome. We had a great time and really enjoyed visiting with everyone."And here is a picture to prove so.


What is your club doing that's kind of special and fun this year? The space is herewaiting to be filled with your club's exciting activities. Kindly submit your stories.


           Gentlemen let's look around the room. You can see the single lady sitting there. She is enjoying the music and the fellowship of the other dancers, but if she could dance a tip or two over the evening,it would make a good night an even better one.

           There are about ten to twelve tips in the evening. If we were to just give up one tip with ourpartner and get this single lady on the floor, I am positive that our partner would not complain aboutthat one tip during the night. Then we all would have a great night and not just a good night.

           Think about it. If you were sick or out of town, what would your partner do at the dance? Let'stry to spread the joy of this activity around. It takes so little and imparts so much. On behalf of theseladies, I thank you for your participation in this endeavor for the enjoyment of Square and RoundDancing for all.

"Friendship set to music" includes our attitude towards singles doesn't it? The Mayflower Award


The Mayflower Award

An award of excellence in recognition of 20 years or more of outstanding contribution at the local, and/orregional, and/or provincial level.

The 2004 Mayflower awards were presented at the ANSSRDT dance on October 2nd to Alex Ritchie, inrecognition of his outstanding contribution to the dance movement in Nova Scotia, and to his dancing partner,Bernice Thurber for her loyal support in his dance activity.

With the help of his partner, Alex created and leadsthe round dance club Rag Rounds, and is currently theleader for Dancing Shadows. In addition they operatethe Golden Squares and Rounds, a dance club forseniors, two mornings a week. They also conduct twolevels of round dance classes on Sunday evenings. Alex 's contributions to the Federation began asChairman and was responsible for the creation of theFederation's logo, the Calendar of Events, andBetween Tips. Recently his creation and maintenanceof the Federation's Web Page has been outstanding. Equally impressive has been his administrative workwith DANS (Dance Nova Scotia), ANSSRDT(Association of Nova Scotia Square and RoundDance Teachers), and MCCA (Maritime Callers andCuers Association). In August of 1999 Alex washonoured with the "DANS AWARD", Dance NovaScotia's highest award.

The Awards Committee organized the presentationand the SRDFNS immediate past-presidents, Ron & Dot Connell, made the presentations. Dancers, callers,and cuers extended personal congratulations to the well-deserved 2004 Mayflower Award winners.


Pat Alguire Honoured

           The Association of Nova Scotia Square & Round Dance Teachers (ANSSRDT) awarded to Pat Alguirea lifetime Honourary Membership. Pat is now retired from calling. During the year 2000 Pat was honouredby Dance Nova Scotia with the John Essex Award for Excellence in Teaching Dance.


WE REMEMBER

           At the Federation's Web Site there is a list of Nova Scotia Dancers who have traded their dance shoesfor wings in heaven. The list is not complete. If you fondly remember a fellow dancer that should be listed. Please send the necessary information to our web master, Alex Ritchie.           The following pages are dedicated to two noteworthy Nova Scotia callers who passed away in the lasttwo years.


WE REMEMBER WARREN MARSHALL
By George and Wendy Michaels

           Warren and Dorothy Marshall began square dance lessons in September 1967 with Reagh Nixon whocalled for the Fundy Frolickers in Digby. Later they moved to Kings County and danced with the NixonPromenaders in West Paradise. When they realized there were several clubs nearer Kingston, they decided tojoin the Belles 'n' Beaux with caller Don Haley. They also danced with caller Lloyd Eisner with the WagonWheel Squares. Often visiting other clubs, they sometimes danced four nights per week!
           Warren taught square dance to the grades 4, 5 and 6 in the West Nictaux School for approximatelythree years in the early 1970s. He was principal of the two "feeder schools" in the Nictaux area, and there wasno Physical Education equipment for the pupils.
           Warren attended the DANS Callers' School held at Acadia University each June from 1987 through1989. In October of 1987 he began teaching square dance to schoolchildren in Lawrencetown, grades 3through 6. With five classes to teach, and a shortage of time, his bag lunch was essential. Then the gymteacher in Kingston school asked him to teach some of his grades 3 and 4 to dance. Both schools danced untilFebruary 1988, and each held a special assembly to show what they had learned. Warren was asked to bring asquare from Lawrencetown school to Wolfville to dance at a Teachers' Association for Physical Educationconference. The teachers enjoyed them!
           Each summer from 1990 through 1994 he did an evening of square dancing with the students in theShad Valley Acadia Program in Wolfville. They were a different age group than we were used to workingwith, but just as enjoyable.
           Warren often talked about the most enjoyable time he had calling to a youth group. It was onNovember 10, 1988 when the 57th International Allied Youth Conference was held at the Old Orchard Inn. Their usual caller couldn't attend. Warren set up his equipment in the Heritage Barn, and the first group ofsixty arrived at 9:45 a.m. and danced until 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. the second group of about sixty came in. Whenit was time for the last group to go in to dinner, one square didn't want to stop dancing. They kept asking formore! They covered about all of the basics in those two hours! Warren told them he wished he could findsome new dancers around here who were as enthusiastic as they were!
           Warren and Dorothy really enjoyed the dancing at University Sainte-Anne fair grounds during theAcadian Festival each summer as well as in Norman and Alma Comeau's barn in Meteghan Centre! It wasgood to have a place to dance during the summer months. Warren enjoyed it, and was so sad to see it come toan end.

Clubs

           In January of 1988 the Marshalls started a new club in New Ross called the Balsam Country Dancers. They called for them for two years.
           A singles group in Upper Clements asked Warren to call for them. They named the group ParkPromenaders. They danced from February 4, 1989 until August 1989.
           On August 30, 1989 the Treetop Twirlers was formed in Upper Clements. Warren called for this clubuntil it closed on October 21, 1998.
           Warren began calling for the Danseurs Acadiens in Saulnierville, Digby County, NS in January 1992when Garnet Banks retired. Warren called for them until May 2003.
           The Marshalls were told Warren had cancer in 1994. Despite this, he continued to call, traveling overan hour and a half each way, from Kingston to Saulnierville every Thursday night. He passed away onSeptember 2, 2003 after being in Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Middleton for one month.
                       Copied with permission from ANSSRDT NEWSLETTER, September 2004


WE REMEMBER LORNE TYLER
By Dottie Welch


           Lorne was born in Toronto. Audry came from Brookfield, Nova Scotia. They met while theywere both serving in the Air Force during the Second World War. After the war they lived inMontreal, learned to square dance and there Lorne began calling for the Greenfield Park dancerssouth of Montreal.
           They came to Dartmouth in 1963 and Lorne soon became involved calling for the GralorneSquares who were started by Graham Geddes and danced traditional style squares from 1958 to1963. He also called for the Maurianna Whirlers who were started by Maurice Hennigar and dancedfrom 1954 to 1964.
           At Christmas time of 1963 some of the dancers from the Gralorne Squares and the MauriannaWhirlers met in Fred and Obee Benjamin's basement to begin learning the new moves of modernsquare dancing. That group became the Tartan Twirlers who danced in Dartmouth for 21 yearsfrom January of 1964 to January of 1985 reaching a membership roster of at least 100 dancers intheir heyday. In 1967 the Tylers, Benjamins, Knowltons, Robin Campbell and Audrey Brundagetraveled across Canada on the Centennial Square Dance Train.
           In the 1970's a small group of dancers attended a weekly workshop on experimental calls inthe Tyler's basement at the top of Rodney Terrace in Dartmouth (quite a treacherous spot on icynights). At that time Callerlab was in its formative stages. Callerlab held its first official meeting in1974. In 1975 it accepted 68 moves in 3 groups as the Basic, Extended Basic and MainstreamPrograms. In 1976 a trial Plus list was made of 16 additional calls and 6 experimentals. ByFebruary of 1978 the first Advanced list had been approved. By 1979 Plus had been stabilized intoa Plus One List of 14 moves and a Plus Two List of 12 moves. (Eventually these were combined,18 are still on our Plus list, and 6 on our Advanced list.) Lorne and Audry were active in thatprocess of establishing our programs as they work-shopped the moves, passed along their opinionsand attended at least one of the Callerlab meetings.
           Modern Square Dancing was flourishing. As Plus became established, more dancers wantedto participate so the workshop group soon outgrew the space in the basement. They moved to St.Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hall and became the Eager Eights. From 1979 to 1988 up to eightsquares whooped it up on Friday nights dancing Plus and continuing to experiment with new movesas they came along. Since several members were serving on the board and committees of the 3rdCanadian National, the breaks during the season of 1981-1982 were full of convention relateddiscussions. It was a stimulating time of great enthusiasm for the activity and hugely successfuldances.
           Lorne and Audry were founding members of MCCA. Lorne called at the first 20 MaritimeConventions (1970-1989) and they chaired the 1971 and 1975 Conventions. They were also incharge of the Square Dance Programme for the 3rd Canadian National Convention in Halifax in1982.
           After retirement they moved to Shubenacadie in 1986 and enjoyed several years pursuingtheir favorite hobbies of bird watching, golfing and gardening. In the last few years Lorne's healthdeteriorated due to a stroke and Alzheimer's disease. That necessitated a move to Truro andeventually placement in a nursing home. A heart attack ended his life at age 82 on September 8,2004.
           On September 9th we were still dancing at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hall andremembered those many happy nights there with Lorne by dancing again to one of his best singingcalls -- "Kindly Keep It Country". That brings more old favorite tunes to mind so let us "Stop andSmell the Roses" as we remember "That Old Gang of Mine" with "Fond Affection".
                      Copied with permission from ANSSRDT NEWSLETTER, September 2004


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