blue spirit region news letter€¦ · · 2016-01-06schedule and info half-way dance fun dancing...
TRANSCRIPT
KENTUCKY FEDERATION OF SQUARE DANCING INC
BLUE SPIRIT REGION NEWS LETTER
WWW.SQUAREDANCEKY.COM
Volume 9 Issue 1 January, February, March 2016
Inside This Issue:
Message from the KFSD
President
Message from the Blue
Spirit Region President
Message from the Editor
Insurance Reminder
Regional club dance
Schedule and info
Half-Way Dance Fun
Dancing In the New
Year
Square Dancing: A
Swinging History
The 2nd annual Square and Round dancers’ Christmas Ban-
quet was another great hit. This years party was hosted by a
committee of multiple people led by Ted and Cissie Litt. Many
donations were provided by local businesses for door prizes.
There were games played, half and half sold, and a slide show
playing while dinner was being eaten. The slide show repre-
sented many present dancers as well as those we have lost
during 2015. There was plentiful food and desserts for over 80
dancers to enjoy. A great big thank you to all for the food and
toy donations. These will be taken to the Garrard Co. Food
Pantry. They are associated with the Lexington food pantry but
are one of the lowest funded pantries in the state of Kentucky.
Often the folks who run the pantry supplement some needy
families out of their own pockets, so any and all donations are
greatly appreciated. If there is anyone who thinks they would
like to host the Christmas Dinner next year, please contact
Mark Patterson. The Half and Half sold at this years dinner will
be utilized to start a fund for next years committee to use as
they see fit. Thanks again to all who came out to support and
enjoy a wonderful evening of food, fun, and fellowship.
2015 Christmas Banquet
Happy New Year,
The square dance world is everywhere and you never know when you will meet
fellow square dancers. On our recent trip, we were seated at dinner with a couple
from Canada and during the conversation they mentioned an upcoming dance they
were going to attend. We soon realized they were talking about a square dance.
You can imagine we had a lot to talk about from that point forward. They were
lovely and we have emailed each other since our return. We hope to see them across a square one of
these days.
There will be some great opportunities to dance in the New Year—the weekend at General Butler State
Park with four great callers, the dance at Jabez, as well as the monthly dances at the various clubs. If
you are inclined to travel, Winterfest in Lakeland, Florida is the last weekend in January. I think there are
a few from Kentucky going down for it. It is a great dance. So, there is no reason not to get out and en-
joy square dancing. We will see you across the square.
George and Margaret Scott
[email protected] or 859-236-4050
Greetings from the K.F.S.D. President, Sharon Morgan
Rick and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. We would like to say thank you for electing us as your President of the K.F.S.D. With every-one’s help we hope to make this a successful and prosperous year.
Thanks to Jerry and Donna for their hard work this past year. Through their hard work and efforts we had a successful year. They are great ambassadors for our Federation and
the state of Kentucky.
Thanks to everyone that attended the Executive Board Meeting at the KFSD Convention. Welcome to our new Officers, Vice President Claudette Raymer, Secretary Debbie and Bob Wright, returning Treasurer Phillis Tomes and Parliamentarian Jim Tomes.
Thanks to everyone who support KFSD, if you bought a split the pot ticket, took a chance on a bas-ket, donated or bought square dance clothes, bought a ribbon or volunteered your time, you supported your Federation. This is your Federation, if you have any ideas, suggestions or thoughts, let us know.
A special thanks from Rick to everyone that helped lay, tape, take up and load the dance floor. It is quite a chore and could not be done without all the help, thanks again.
There are many upcoming dances, so let’s try to get all new students to go to one or more dance. Once again Happy Holidays to all and hope to see you at a dance soon.
Best Wishes,
Sharon and Rick Morgan
Message from the KFSD President
Message from the Blue Spirit Region President
Insurance Reminder
Thanks to all the clubs that got the insurance enrollment forms into me by the end of October. Most of
the certificates have been forwarded via email to the club officer who sent the initial information to me. If
you have not received it, please let me know. Keep in mind that any time your club does not dance at
their regular location and/or regular day and time that Markel Insurance Co has on file, the club must
submit a Request for Certificate for the change. Otherwise the club does not have liability coverage for
that dance. So, make sure you send in the Certificate Request. Check with the Insurance Coordinator of
the association you have the insurance through for the lead time needed. Don't wait until the last minute.
It takes time to get the certificates from USDA and the insurance company. To make life easy you can
just email the Certificate Requests to me ([email protected]). I don’t need two copies. Call
Margaret Scott at 859-236-4050 with any questions.
Another year has flown by, one set of new dancers have graduated and another set of lessons
for beginners have begun. Hopefully angels are doing there best to guide their new club mem-
bers in the right directions of having fun while making new friendships along the way. Gradua-
tions will be coming up in March which is always an exciting time. New graduates can get out
and strut their stuff. Keep an eye out for used clothing being sold. For those who like to wear
square dance attire this is a great way to get great clothes at an extremely affordable price.
There will also be upcoming weekends to attend. Check out the flyer page so you don’t miss
your chance to participate. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and may all your resolutions
happen in 2016. Hope to see you across the square somewhere soon.
Katie
Message from the Editor
Swing your partner and do-si-do—November 29 is Square Dance Day in the United States. Didn’t know
this folksy form of entertainment had a holiday all its own? Then it’s probably time you learned a few things
about square dancing, a tradition that blossomed in the United States but has roots that stretch back to
15th-century Europe.
Square Dancing: A Swinging History November 29, 2011 By History.com Staff
Square dance aficionados trace the activity back to several European ancestors. In England around 1600, teams of six trained performers—all male, for propriety’s sake, and wearing bells for extra oomph—began presenting choreographed sequences known as the morris dance. This fad is thought to have inspired English country dance, in which couples lined up on village greens to practice weaving, circling and swinging moves reminiscent of modern-day square dancing. Over on the continent, mean-while, 18th-century French couples were arranging themselves in squares for social dances such as the quadrille and the cotillion. Folk dances in Scotland, Scandinavia and Spain are also thought to have in-fluenced square dancing.
When Europeans began settling England’s 13 North American colonies, they brought both folk and pop-ular dance traditions with them. French dancing styles in particular came into favor in the years following the American Revolution, when many former colonists snubbed all things British. A number of the terms used in modern square dancing come from France, including “promenade,” “allemande” and the indis-pensable “do-si-do”—a corruption of “dos-à-dos,” meaning “back-to-back.”
As the United States grew and diversified, new generations stopped practicing the social dances their grandparents had enjoyed across the Atlantic. This was not the case in every region, however. Similar to English country dance and the quadrille, the “running set” caught on in 19th-century Appalachia. But in-stead of memorizing each and every step, participants began relying on callers to provide cues—and, as square dance calling became an art form in its own right, humor and entertainment. During the early years of square dance in the United States, live music was often played by African-American musicians. Blacks also worked as callers and contributed their own steps and songs to the tradition.
By the late 19th century, waltzes and polkas, which allowed couples to get close without raising too many eyebrows, had supplanted group-based dances in urban ballrooms. Even in the country, square dancing was beginning to seem dated, particularly when the jazz and swing eras dawned. In the 1920s automak-er Henry Ford resolved to revive the tradition, which he considered an excellent form of exercise and a way to acquire genteel manners. He hired dancing master Benjamin Lovett to develop a national pro-gram, required his factory workers to attend classes, opened ballrooms and produced instructive radio broadcasts for schools throughout the country. Lloyd Shaw, a folk dance teacher, took up the cause in the 1930s, writing books about the rescued art of square dancing and holding seminars for a new gener-ation of square dance callers.
In the 1950s callers began developing standards for square dancing across the United States, allowing
dancers to learn interchangeable routines and patterns. Microphones and records made the activity even
more accessible to the general public, since a highly trained caller with a booming voice no longer had to
be physically present. Along with standardized—or “Western”—square dancing, unregulated regional
styles, known collectively as “traditional” square dancing, continue to thrive in certain parts of the country.
Generally speaking, however, enthusiasm for all forms of this European-American hybrid has floundered
in recent decades, according to the United Square Dancers of America.
Square Dance Ballet
The New York City Ballet Company was the first to offer Square Dance in a ballet, in 1957. In this original version, the musicians were
placed on stage and a square dancer called out the steps. In 1976, the ballet was revived, with musicians placed in the pit and there was
no caller (a male dancer improvised the caller). Other ballet companies have since performed the program (Miami and San Francisco).
Anywhere you go in the world, Modern Square Dancing is called in the English language.
Healthful Exercise
It's true, you can get your much needed exercise and have fun at the same time by square dancing. In one study, researchers attached
pedometers to square dancers and found each person covered over four miles in a single evening. You can burn calories, strengthen
bones, achieve cardiovascular conditioning and it is fun-time to socialize.
History Channel Staff (Nov. 29, 2011)
Square Dancing: A Swinging History
Retrieved from: http://history.com/news/square-dancing-a-swinging-history
Fun Facts
Referenced in Part: New Square Dancer Information
http://www.happytimesquares.com/html_pages/new_dancer/new-fun_facts.html
Bachelor & Bachelorettes (B&Bs) St Michael's Episcopal Church
2025 Bellefonte Drive, Lexington, KY 1st Saturday Pres: Henry Sowers
8:00 p.m.-10:30p.m. 859-863-4344
* Advance 7:00p.m.
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 2, 2016 Mark Patterson* Charlene Mann
Feb. 6, 2016 Mark Patterson* Charlene Mann
March 5, 2016 Pamela Courts* Charlene Mann
Constitution Squares Danville Senior Center
569 Jean Drive, Danville, KY 3rd Saturday Pres: Jim & Geneva Wash
Food 7:00pm 859-236-1996
Dance 7:30p.m.-10:00p.m. [email protected]
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 16, 2016 Travis Cook
Feb. 20, 2016 Charlie Wheatley
March 19, 2016 Mark Patterson Graduation
Bluegrass Motivators (Advance) Odd Fellows Hall
1108 Winchester Rd., Lexington, KY
2nd & 4th Mark Patterson
Sundays 859-333-9587
3p.m.-5p.m.
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 10, 2016 Mark Patterson
Jan. 24, 2016 Mark Patterson Cancelled Cancelled
Feb. 14, 2016 Mark Patterson
Feb. 28, 2016 Mark Patterson
March 13, 2016 Mark Patterson
March 27, 2016 Mark Patterson Cancelled Cancelled
Do Si Do's Hunter Presbyterian Church
109 Rosemont Garden Lexington, KY
2nd & 4th Fridays Pres: Kathie Kok
8:00p.m.-10:30p.m. 859-806-6559
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 8, 2016 Travis Cook
Jan. 22, 2016 Cancelled General Butler Weekend
Jan. 29, 2016 Kristy Williams
Feb. 12, 2016 Mark Patterson/Rein Nabar Half-way dance
Feb. 26, 2016 Roger Steele
March 11, 2016 TBA
March 25, 2016 Mark Patterson/Rein Nabar Graduation Dance
Fort Logan Pioneers Habitat Building
4160 US Hwy 27 South, Stanford, KY
4th Saturday President Jerry Bailey Jr.
7:00 – 7:30 Meal (859) 410-4556
7:30 – 10:00 pm [email protected]
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 30, 2016 Les Centers
Feb. 27, 2016 Rein Nabar
March 26, 2016 Mark Patterson
Down Under Squares 1108 Winchester Road
Lexington, KY
2nd Saturday Pres: Bill & Patty Morris
8:00p.m.-10:30p.m.
*Advance 7:00pm [email protected]
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 9, 2016 Mark Patterson*
Feb. 13, 2016 Mark Patterson*
March 12, 2016 Mark Patterson*
Lake Cumberland Squares Rocky Hollow Park
142 South Central Avenue, Somerset, KY
1st Saturday President: Jim Beckner
Food 7:00-7:30p.m. 270-585-2509
7:30p.m.-10:00p.m. [email protected]
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 2, 2016 Winford Cummiins
Feb. 6, 2016 Travis Cook
March 5, 2016 Mark Patterson
Hill Country Dancers
Pikeville, KY
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Disclaimer
Please call and confirm if you are not sure. Times/Dates/Callers are subject to error/change.
Wheeler Dealers Springdale Baptist Church
1380 Higbee Mill Rd Lexington, KY
1st and 3rd Fridays monthly
Pres: Bob & Wanda Wagner
8:00pm-10:30pm (859) 272-4769
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 1 2016 Cancelled
Jan. 15, 2016 Mark Patterson
Feb. 5, 2016 Les Centers
Feb. 19, 2016 Mark Patterson
March 4, 2016 Mark Patterson
March 18, 2016 Les Centers
Triple Stars (Advance) Court House Annex Building
103 South Broad Street, London, KY
1st & 3rd Tuesdays Pres: Doris Pitts
7:00-9:00pm
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Somer-Sets Rocky Hollow Park
142 South Central Avenue, Somerset, KY
2nd Saturday Pres:
Dance 7:00pm-9:00pm
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Disclaimer
Please call and confirm if you are not sure. Times/Dates/Callers are subject to error/change.
Rhythm Rounds Tates Creek Recreation Center
1400 Gainsway Drive Lexington, KY Pres: Jim & Patti Johnson
Every Wednesday
Workshop 7pm 859-278-5759
Dance 8-10pm [email protected]
DATE: CALLER: CUER/LEADER: REMARKS:
Jan. 27 2016 Glenn Kelley
Feb. 3, 2016 Glenn Kelley
Feb. 10, 2016 Glenn Kelley
Feb. 17, 2016 Glenn Kelley
Feb. 24, 2016 Glenn Kelley
March 2, 2016 Glenn Kelley
March 9, 2016 Glenn Kelley
March 16, 2016 Glenn Kelley
March 23, 2016 Glenn Kelley
March 30, 2016 Glenn Kelley