ERICAN 9c1-0BER 1975 DANCE SY One of the priceless freedoms we ganization leaders to the cries from enjoy is the right to speak our opin- the grass roots. ions. Lloyd Priest does just that in this Both Callerlab and Legacy have a issue; so do our Feedback and Straight great potential to realize in progress Talk authors. Lloyd's article goes one within the square dance activity. It's step further, though; he "disagrees" but time for a "call to action" for both realizing that Callerlab has made its groups. Callerlab committees need to first strides toward standardization, he present definite steps to be taken at pledges to support the organization. the 1976 Convention, steps that will Many club members need to develop prove its professional status and its this kind of an attitude. Too many of goal of improving the square dance us today think that democracy means picture. Legacy, if it is to avoid the pit- the right to speak or protest but if the fall of considering the same "problems" majority disagree with us, we are ab- every two years, needs the input of solved of further responsibility. Not so! dancers everywhere before May of The differing opinions we hear 1977. Talk to a Legacy trustee you about the functions of Callerlab, Lega- know, or write to us; attend the Mini- cy, national conventions, federations Legacy or leadership conference in and clubs are a healthy sign of aware- your area; speak about your concerns ness and thought. Two things must on the dance scene, and then be willing follow: a willingness to work for im- to take one positive step concerning provement within the "establishment," them. There's nowhere to go but and a responsiveness on the part of or- forward! 2 ,AMERICAN • VOLUME 30, No. 10 • • October, 1975 ■ SQUARE • • • DRNCE • "THE NATIONAL MAGAZINE • • WITH THE SWINGING LINES" • • Publishers and Editors • • Stan & Cathie Burdick • Workshop Editors • Willard Orlich • ■ Bob Howell ■ Ed Fraidenburg ■ 2 Co-Editorial Record Reviewers • 4 Grand Zip Don Hanhurst ■ 6 Meanderings Frank & Phyl Lehnert ▪• 9 Figure It Out ... Feature Writers ■ 11 Square Dancing Harold & Lill Bausch • 12 Caller-Leader Directory Jim Kassel • 13 Developing Round Dancers Mary Jenkins III 15 Callerlab — I Disagree Editorial Assistants ▪• 19 Celebrate the Bicentennial 21 Grand Square Dancer Mona Bird • E 23 25th National S/D Convention Mary Fabik ■ 25 Feedback Jo Homyak • 29 Callerlab Confab Mef Merrell 111 32 Best Club Trick National Advisory Board 37 Encore Edna & Gene Arnfield • 38 Dancing Tips Bob Augustin • 39 Calling Tips Al "Tex" Brownlee • 40 Keep 'Em Dancing Orphie Easson • 42 Easy Level Page Phyl & Frank Lehnert •■ 44 Product Line Singin' Sam Mitchell E 49 Challenge Chatter Ken Oppenlander MI 50 Workshop Vaughn Parrish • 58 Pulse Poll Dave Taylor 59 Puzzle Page ▪• Bob Wickers • 60 Sketchpad Commentary E 62 National News ■ 66 It Really Happened P. 0. BOX 788 • 68 Dandy Idea SANDUSKY, OHIO 44870 69 S/D Record Reviews ▪• AMERICAN SQuAREDANCE magazine is 73 R/D Record Reviews • published monthly at 216 Williams St., Hur- ■ 74 Events on, Ohio, by Burdick Enterprises. Second E 79 Ladies' Choice class postage paid at Sandusky, Ohio. Copy NI 80 Steal A Peek deadline first of month preceding date of is- • 81 Straight Talk sue. Subscription: $6.00 per year. Single co- 89 Book Nook pies: 60 cents each. Mailing address: Box 788, ▪• Sandusky, Ohio 44870. Copyright 1975 by • 91 Finish Line Burdick Enterprises. All rights reserved. E 92 Do-Ci-Do Dolores 3 known about it, the room would have been even more crowded. Lee was given a five-minute standing ovation at the &Id finish, the first time we have ever wit- nessed this happening to a caller. An unbelievably large number of tape dancers work all year long, aspir- ing to become challenge dancers, and find they are not quite up to that level but are better dancers than 75-plus. These people are ardent dancers, who go to state conventions, nationals and other festival weeks only to find there is no 'advanced' level room for them. Surely this should be considered by all convention committees in the future. We are sure the challenge callers, after seeing the success of Lee Kop- Yoe folks are too much. After all the man's experiment, will be only too publicity you have given to C.R.O.W.D. glad to help, thereby increasing the the half page ad in the August issue number of challenge dancers from now really flabbergasted us. How can we on. W. Duke Haigh ever thank you? With all the publicity Zeeland, Michigan from you and the other editors through- out the country, we have just been The article "The How and Why of swamped with mail. Over eight hundred New Basics" has produced a number of requests received this year through the responses, both for your "Grand Zip" end of July, and no sign of any let-up! column as well as to me directly. All Love every minute of it — and really have been laudatory and I would like feel we are making a contribution to to take this opportunity to thank every- our great pastime one for their wonderful comments. Mary & Syl Leibowitz I particularly appreciate Ted Universal City, Texas Wegener's response in "Grand Zip" of August, 1975. I knew that Bill Some of our club members (Wanganui Hansen had created the Square Thru Swinging Squares) would like to corres- in 1957, but I did not know precisely pond with square dancers in as many when he had done so. Thanks to Ted I countries as possible, and thought you now know when we obtained that may be able to help us. We have mem- square dance staple early that year. bers of all ages, and feel it would be in- There is one point, however, regard- teresting to exchange club news. ing which Ted is slightly mistaken. It If you have a way of making our re- was indeed Les Gotcher, who gave Lirtli quest known, anyone interested could to the very first callers' note service. It send letters to me at this address: is true that the notes of the Square (Mrs.) Kath Hannin Dance Callers Association of Southern 37 Webb Road California (SDCASC) did exist before Wanganui, New Zealand Gotcher's note service was initiated, We enjoyed your resume of the 24th but SDCASC's notes were the notes of National very much and would like to a callers association, available only to add a sincere word of appreciation to its members. You could not purchase Lee Kopman for his extra effort in put- them without first applying and becom- ting on the unscheduled workshop for ing a member of SDCASC. As a matter 'advanced' dancers. With only one small of fact, in those days it was a rather in- announcement, over 80 squares turned volved process to become a member; in out in all the heat, and had more people Continued on Page 81 4 *eas., • MEI •• • II. WHEN DANGER IS IMMINENT RIDE IT OUT IN STYLE WITH PO Box 788 AMERICAN SQUARE DANCE Sandusky, Ohio 44870 Please start my subscription NOW. My check (or money order) is enclosed. ❑ One Year at $6 [ j Two Years at $10 Canadian and Foreign add 50$ per year postage. NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE 5 rounds before the knockout), or "Charlie Pumpernickle made the third degree in his Honorable Order Wednes- day night". (I still don't know how to make a third degree — it sounds dan- gerous and ominous.) One old farmer fellow showed me how to fill up a whole column of print- able "nothingness" in jig time and earn myself a whole double-banana-split- worth of jingling cash for the effort. (You learned well — most of your stuff is loaded with nothingness — co-ed.) I spent more time in his kitchen, laboriously copying his "items" as he rambled on and on, than I spent in all the other homes together. I had to ask him to spell about every other word, Journalistically, it was a ripoff. I but it was a real education in the field. mean my first, rather nebulous assign- His favorite closing remark, after ment in the newspaper business, way every rambling description of most any back, almost forty years ago. event, was ".... and a good time was I was so small I could hardly reach had by all". That had a real "ring" to the door bells of some homes. (That it. I began to use it on other items too, HAD to be a long time ago — co-ed.) just to pad my notebook and my But, despite my size and obvious in- pocket. experience, I was a roving reporter for "Beverly Jones and Anita Brown at- the small town weekly tabloid where tended the funeral of Samuel Fudd our family lived at the time. last Tuesday.... and a good time was "A few weeks earlier I couldn't even had by all." It was surprising to see spell R-E-P-O-R-T-E-R, and now I are what fiddle-faddle actually appears in one!" small town newspapers. Perchance it The job paid ten cents for good, fat could be traced to sub-cub reporters! paragraph-size news items, including That was the beginning. Then there home-town gossip that was fit to print. was the Watertown Daily Times, the My job was to walk around the village, Westerly Sun, the Fiat Lux, Dirigo, knock on doors, and say "Y' got any Square Notes, The Scene, etc., etc. — a ITEMS?".