BETWEEN TIPS
"BETWEEN TIPS" is the official bulletin of the
SQUARE & ROUND DANCE FEDERATION OF NOVA SCOTIA
Bob Ruohoniemi, Editor, 6939Hwy 1 Ardoise, RR 1 Ellershouse, NS B0N 1L0
phone (902) 757-3884 email: bobruoho@ns.sympatico.ca
DECEMBER 2006 -- NUMBER 133
(Back Issues) (Return to Home Index)
You may download this DECEMBER 2006 as a PDF file.
Editor's Comments:It's almost time for Ho Ho to visit! The busy season for Christmas dances is here!Your newsletter Editor would like to put out a New Year's request! Please send in material for this YOUR Newsletter.The exchange of information that is available here is yours to use! If youare reading this at your club, perhaps you'd like to receive a printed copy via the post? If so, send a cheque for $15 tothe Federation Publisher, John Reid,26 Belle Royal Crt., Dartmouth, NS B2V 2B4. You will then receive a copy of this newsletter, the FederationCalendar of Events, & club flyers for one year. It's a true bargain.
NEWS FROM THE FEDERATION
Your Federation Board is still in need of a Publicity Officer and DANS Representative. Without volunteers to work onyour behalf, the Federation cannot help you and your club to continue with these fun activities that we all enjoy somuch! If you can help, contact the Federation Presidents - Ralph & Valerie Brown,
The next Federation Board meeting will be held at the Melvern Square Community Hall on Saturday, 27 January, 2007with Registration at 1:30pm. & Meeting at 2pm. All dancers are welcome to attend to observe and all Board membersare expected to be in attendance.
The bi-annual Federation FESTIVAL 2007 is planned for July 20 & 21, 2007 at Cole Harbour Place, Dartmouth.Callers & Cuers from ANSSRDT & MCCA will be calling & cueing Basic, Mainstream, Plus & Rounds. In total therewill five dances over the two days. This is a fund-raiser for Halifax National Festival 2010. Look for the blue SRDFNSFestival 2007 advance Registration forms to save some money and help with planning for the event. For info, contact:Dottie & Gary Welch, 435-4544.
NEWS FROM HALIFAX NATIONAL FESTIVAL 2010
The volunteer organizing committee held another meeting on Saturday, 18 November. The Registration numbers arerising steadily! As of that date 108 dancers had decided to support this Nova Scotia dancers' commitment to put onanother Canadian National Convention. Readers need to be aware that the discount for registrations ends with the endof 2007. Full details are available in the Festival 2010 Newsletter that was sent to every club in the province. If youhaven't seen it, ask for it! The committee is already receiving inquiries from Shops across the country to come andoutfit the attendees!
The search for volunteers to take on the "Cookbook" fund-raiser was successful! All dancers and their friends willsoon be approached by the members of the Bluenose RV Squares Club to supply their favorite recipes. If you wouldlike to help with the project, contact Ralph & Barb MacDonald,
The committee approved the format of the ribbon to be provided to each F2010 registered dancer.The search continues for someone to join the fund-raising effort and for someone to provide input for the Opening &Closing Ceremonies. As well, a photographer is needed, amateur or semi-pro will do! If you have any ideas regardingany of these items, even if you would rather not chair a sub-committee, then contact Dottie Welch, 435-4544, ordwelch@orion.stmarys.ca or 415 Conrad Rd., Lawrencetown, NS B2Z 1S3 or the Editor at the addresses above.
The latest information is available on the webpage at: www.squaredance.ns.ca click on the square 2010.
News for Potential Callers!
Mark your calendars for the last week of August for a Caller School to be held here inNova Scotia with a well-known instructor from New England!
RESPECTED CALLER DEPARTS NOVA SCOTIA
Dave and Blanche Paulen moved to Margaree from the West in 1982. In 1983 Dave attended Caller's School with Patand Jim Alguire, Jack MacArthur and John Essex as leaders and has been calling since that time. His home club was thMargaree Country Swingers that included dancers from Margaree, Cheticamp, Belle Cote, Lake Ainslie, andsurrounding areas.
For a number of years, they put on the Margaree Fall Classic square dancing weekend that attracted many dancers tothe beautiful Margaree area for the Fall colours, as well as the dancing with Dave and other guest Callers and Cuers.
Dave has been an active member of ANSSRDT and MCCA, serving as President. He was guest caller over the years atvarious locations in NS, NF, NB and PEI. As a sideline, Dave had an A-1 group in North Sydney and a youth group inMargaree.
Having recently retired from the workforce, he and Blanche have moved to Mitchell, ON, where Dave's mother lives.They are enjoying dancing, and Dave is doing some calling, in their new location. They are greatly missed by the CapeBreton dancers but we are looking forward to seeing them in London at the National in 2008.
49th New England Square and Round Dance Convention - 27/28 April 07 - Springfield, MA
www.nesrdc.org
Nova Scotia Federation "Festival 07" 20/21 July 07 - Cole Harbour Place, Dartmouth, NS
www.squaredance.ns.ca
For complete information about Square and Round Dancing in Canada visit:
www.squaredance.ca
CLUB REPORT FROM THE SUNRISE SQUARES
Sunrise Squares began dancing on Sept. 29th at the MARC in Dayspring with a good turn out.On Oct. 27th they had a Halloween dance and some of the dancers dressed up and acted silly, a nice lunch followed.Nov. 3rd one couple graduated, they were Joyce and John Fox, there was a cake and of course plenty of good food.Our Xmas dance will be Dec. 8th from 8PM-1OPM at the MARC in Dayspring, we invite any of the clubs to join us.Jan. 1st 2007 we will be having our New Years Day Frolic starting at 5PM with pot luck supper. Then at 7PM there isentertainment, and dancing throughout the evening, come join us to start the New Year and bring your musicalinstrument, voice or skit bring your plate and cup. This will be held at the Bridgewater Fire Dept Hall, more information call Neil & Kathy Dorey - 644-2757.
Our Federation Presidents!!! Joyce & John Fox - New Graduates
Written by the late, Elmer F. Caborn.
Interviews with oldsters tell us that some form of Square Dancing in Nova Scotia goes back into the teens inthis century and probably farther back than that. It may well have been more popular in rural areas than in urban,possibly because urban areas offered other forms of entertainment. It also appears that Cape Bretoners may havepursued this activity more vigorously than other parts of the province. We know there was square Dancing inLondonderry near Truro in the late teens and twenties and one caller there was Matt McElman. Also there was SquareDancing in New Waterford in the thirties. A club was formed there known as the Hiburnia and one of the callers wasDanny Dewan. We know there was Square Dancing elsewhere in Cape Breton as one caller was Mr. MacEachern (PatAlquire's father).
It seems that the moves varied from place to place in the province. Mildred Carmichael remembers dancingwhere each square had a caller who also danced. With three squares in the hall, each square would be doing somethingdifferent. However, this seemed to be the exception. Most of the old-time dancers I talked to remember only one callerfor the hall. Strong lungs were essential for the callers since they used no amplifiers. In Cumberland County thedancers usually set up in a circle which quickly became a rectangle so that there were several head couples and severalside couples. (I'm not sure of the nomenclature here, they may have been called end and side couples). They would goForward and back and forward and pass through. They also did allemande left and grand right and left. Sometimes thecaller would have them swing each person they met during a grand right and left. It should be emphasized that thesedances were not exclusively square dances. They also danced waltzes, polkas, schottisches and other local variations.
Most of the time, the music for these dances was provided by a single violin.At other times someone would help the fiddler out with cords on a piano or guitar. When more volume was needed asin a large hall, they might have two or more violins. Music was also provided at times by an accordion or even by amouth organ.
Up until the fifties, it seems there was very little in the way of liaison between Square Dance groups with eachgroup having their own moves so that visiting between clubs was limited. There were, however, a few standard movesthat most groups used. These were allemande left, grand right and left, doh-sah-doh, promenade, swing, and probablysome others. There were no such thing as classes. One simply watched for a while and then got up and danced. Thispicture changed in the fifties when several clubs formed in the Halifax-Dartmouth area and visiting between clubsbecame common.
Some of these clubs were, the Maurianna Whirlers with Maurice Hennigar, the Merry Millers with VernCarmichael, the Happy Whiners with Horace Williams, Ron Duffy and Graham Geddes, the Harbour Hoppers withDave and June Hunter, and the Graylorne Squares with Graham Geddes and Lome Tyler. The only club formed in thefifties that we know of which was outside the Halifax-Dartmouth area, was the Jolly Rogers Squares of Milton withcallers over the years, Roger Whynot, Arch Ericson, Ivan Dogget, and John Medicraft.
Through the fifties and into the sixties, the type of Square Dancing performed was known as the old ortraditional type. Some of the moves were, lancers, birdie-in-the-cage, quadrilles and contras. Contra dancing was verypopular in New England at that time so it is very probable that it may have spread from there into the Maritimes. VernCarmichael, in particular, was fond of contra dancing. In the early sixties, an event was taking place in far-offCalifornia that would forever change Square Dancing, not only in Nova Scotia, but in all the world. Three Californiacallers, namely, Bob Osgood, Stan Burdick and Charlie Baldwin organized CALLERLAB and set out to standardizeSquare Dance moves. They spread the word through three Square Dance magazines which were, Square Dancing,American Square Dance, and New England Square Dance Caller. As you can imagine, there was some resistance &many callers carried on the traditional type for some years, but, by the early seventies, most clubs had converted towhat is Modern Square Dancing.
In the early seventies, another type of dancing became closely associated with Square dancing. It is known ascued Round Dancing, and soon became quite popular. Several round Dance clubs were organized in the late sixties andearly seventies. The first of these was the Dancing Shadows with John and Fran Essex and Tom and Marg Keighan.Also, about the same time, the Min-u-ettes in Stellarton was organized with Brundage MacDonald and MargeJohnstone. Round Dancing has now become an integral part of Square Dancing in Nova Scotia and most Square Danceclubs intersperse a few easy rounds between Square dance tips.
We are deeply indebted to two ladies who realized some years ago that no record existed of Square Danceclubs in Nova Scotia. They decided to do something about it. They were Mildred Carmichael(wife of caller Vern) andObie Benjamin(wife of dancer Fred). They must have spent many hours and written many letters and interviewedmany people to get all the information but they managed. As well as their written record, they produced charts whichclearly show when each club was formed, who the caller(s) or cuer(s) were and the date each club was dissolved (ifapplicable). This means we now have a record of all known Square and Round Dance clubs in Nova Scotia from1950-1984.