JANUARY vncG 1950 THE MAGAZINE OF FOLK AND SQUARE DANCING 25c m:IMM-W0MfK^-m FOLK DANCE FOLKLORE GROUP USE THE RIGHT RECORD BADGES Washington Irving High School when you folk dance Folk identification celluloid badges, our Irving Place and East 16th Street drawing or your own individual drawing. See our extensive stock NEW YORK CITY All sizes. Ideal for festivals CONCORD ELECTRIC SHOP We meet every Saturday at 8 P. M. For further information write 2028 Mt. Diablo St. STAR ENGRAVING COMPANY MURRAY SHERMAN, Leader CONCORD, Calif. 177 Minna Street San Francisco 5, Calif. "I have gotten more good out of American Squares and books that i ordered from ?4tteHti<Mt{ you than from any other source in my fifty years of calling." Change of Time and Place. F. A. SPRUNGER, Bristol, Ind. Starting Jan. 10th and 12th MADELYNNE GREENE'S Only $1.00 for 12 months of the finest square dance magazine FOLK DANCE CENTER Moved to 451 Kearney St. Intermediate and Advanced AMERICAN SQUARES Thursdays 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Beginners Tuesdays 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. 121-6 Delaware St. Woodbury, N. J. 451 Kearny St., S. F. SU 1-2203 or SU 1-8155 We sell books and records. Write for our catalog at the same time. DON'T FORGET NEW LOCATION 2146 CENTER STREET BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA McKAY RADIO AND RECORDS ffi* HEADQUARTERS (Home of Outdoor Dancing) FOR YOUR FOLK DANCE COSTUMING 4015 MacArthur Blvd. GAY, COLORFUL FULL SKIRTS FOR THE BEGINNER OR AUTHENTIC REPRODUCTIONS FOR FESTIVALS Oakland, Calif. Kellogg 3-2323 VT"C,TAT For the men! Sport shirts made of same material and trimmed to match the lady's skirt or dress Free instruction sheets with each Folk Dance record ordered, if available in our instruc¬ tion sheet catalogue. Send for our free SANFORIZED, COLORFAST Folk Dance catalogue. MATERIALS IN GAY PRINTS We will ship records in a three-pocket 10" AND PLAIN COLORS storage album, at our cost of 23 cents each if specified on your order. Minimum order, three records. If you have had trouble on SPECIAL ATTENTION previous mail orders be sure to order stor¬ age albums to avoid breakage. Also your TO ALL MAIL ORDERS record storage, warpage, and breakage problem in your own home is solved. Order as many storage albums as you wish. WRITE FOR OUR BROCHURE LET'S DANCE! CONTENTS FOR ANUARY, I 950 A /jI V Magazine of Folk and Square Dancing WESTERNER FOLK CALENDAR OF EVENTS........................................................... 4 TELL IT TO DANNY............................................................................... 5 AND HIS BORN TO DANCE, by Robert Douglas Lamont.................................. 7 FEDERATION ON THE AIR, by George De Martini.......................... 9 THE RECORD FINDER, by Ed Kremers........................................... 10 FOR FOLK DANCE GLAMOUR—SO UKRAINIAN BOOTS by Ruth E. Prager.............................................................................. 11 PEASANT EMBROIDERY—HERE'S HOW! by Grace Perryman.... 13 FOLK FOOD (Enchiladas)..................................................................... 14 On page ten of the July, 1947, issue of LET'S DANCE! THE MERRYMAKERS OF SAN LEANDRO, by Milton Roberts... 15 a name appeared for the first time beneath that of the editor, FOLK DANCES FROM NEAR AND FAR, THE AMANOR WALTZ 17 a name that has grown to mean a lot to readers of LET'S LET'S DANCE SQUARES...................................................................... 19 DANCE! in California, New York or Texas. AROUND THE SQUARE SET.................................................................. 20 But at the time of that first appearance it was unknown CALL OF THE MONTH......................................................................... 20 and bore only the vague title "Assistant." Not "Assistant Editor," just "Assistant." Eleven months went by and still NATIONAL PROMENADE..................................................................... 21 that one vague word didn't change. Yet things were hap¬ THE DANCER'S BOOKSHELF............................................................... 22 pening to the magazine—new writers with talent appeared CHEERS AND JEERS.............................................................................. 23 for the first time, cartoons and humor became more plenti¬ ful, new departments were added. Then, in the July, 1948, number, the words Wayne Wills, (loJuent ^b&uala^ J.amcmt Editor Editor, headed the staff and the man who had done such fine work under such a vague title took over the full respon¬ (l(me/d and £lean&l &Uocld Art Directors sibility for the magazine. What happened after that is known to everyone who has ASSOCIATE EDITORS read the publication. Circulation jumped from the hun¬ Mildred R. Buhler, Square Dancing Ed Kremers, Records dreds into the thousands; advertising, the lifeblood that Iris Munsen, Southern Section Ruth E. Prager, Costumes keeps a magazine going, increased in proportion; layout Grace Perryman, Folk Craft Harold Pearson and became more readable ivith an ever-increasing number of Charles Rich, Events pictures to add additional interest to articles on folk dancing EXECUTIVE STAFF from authorities from all over California and the United Advertising Mgr., Pearl Preston Promotion Mgr., Walter Grothe States. Within 18 months LET'S DANCE! became what Business Mgr., Margaret Lamont Circulation Mgr., .......................... it is today—the nation's leading folk and square dance pub¬ OFFICES lication. Publication—273 Broadway Editorial—Route I, Box 319 To say this was all the work of one man is ridiculous and MiNbrae, California Guerneville, California Wayne Wills would be the first to deny it. But he wore a Phone: OXford 7-2605 Phone: Guerneville 8Y5 mighty big pair of editorial boots and, when he climbed Business—Route I, Box 319 Promotion—390 Liberty St. Guerneville, California San Francisco 14, Calif. sideout ofthe themeditor's in Decemberdesk. of 1949, he left them right be¬ Phone: Guerneville 8Y5 Phone: VAIencia 4-5017 The entire staff of LET'S DANCE! join me in wishing you Advertising—1690 26th Ave. San Francisco, California the best of luck in your new position as Chairman of the Phone: SEabright 1-6320 Publications Committee, Wayne. And as for those boots— Subscriptions—273 Broadway well, they look something like the legendary Pecos Bill's Millbrae, Calif. (Phone OXford must have looked—but I'll try my darndest to fill them. 7-2605) and 262 O'Farrell St., Bob Lamont San Francisco, Calif. (Phone SUt- ter 1-7294). THIS MONTH'S COVER Ernest Lenshaw, charter member LET'S DANCE is published monthly by the Foil: Dance Federation of of Changs International Folk Danc¬ California. Northern Section: DAN McDONALD, President, 4356 18th ers and one of the Federation's St., San Francisco 14, California; ALVINA MERRETTIG, Secretary, outstanding Spanish dancers, doing 512 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, California. Southern Section- the FARRUCA with vivacious Alicia HAROLD G. COMSTOCK, President, 1853 Arvin Drive, Glendale, Arroya. California.California; BETTY HICKS, Secretary, P. O. Box 722, Wilmington, The FARRUCA is one of a group of Spanish dances classified rough¬ Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Millbrae, Cali¬ ly as FLAMENCOS and, like all in fornia, December 7, 1948, under Act of March 3, 1879. this category, Has a wild, informal gypsy feel to it, with roots going FEDERATIONCOVER AND OFCONTENTS CALIFORNIA. COPYRIGHTED 1950 BY THE FOLK DANCE deep into the folk traditions of the Spanish people. (Photo by Norm Lenshaw.) JANUARY, 1950 LET THE FIGURES GUIDE YOU! FOLK CALENDAR OF EVENTS NORTHERN SECTION sdffik NORTH AND SOUTH OUT OF STATE DON WHEARTY EDITED BY HAROLD PEARSON AND CHARLES RICH NorthFEDERATION <*BPFESTIVALS ffr» North REGIONAL FESTIVALS JANUARY 15 OAKLAND. The Oakland Folk Dance Council is host FEBRUARY 12 SACRAMENTO. Valentine Party. Your hosts: The toAfternoon the Federation. from 1:30 to Their 5:30. theme: Evening: "A 7:30 Winter to 11:30.Frolic." Place: Time: Circle Whirla-jigs, Square Dancers.Capitol Fiesta,Time and Sacramento place to Folkbe announced. Dancers and (See the Oakland Civic Auditorium at Lake Merritt. Council meeting February LET'S DANCE!) at 12:30. FEBRUARY 19 MARYSVILLE. MARCH 12 SAN FRANCISCO. APRIL SACRAMENTO. South LAST FRIDAY of every month. SANTA BARBARA'S McKinley School. 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara OOUth. MARCHFolk 12 WatchDance for details Groups. on the Orange Show Festival! JANUARY 22 (SUNDAY) PASADENA. The Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op will be host for a "Mediterranean Festival" at the Pasa¬ dena Civic Auditorium. Ask anyone in Pasadena for the loca¬ tion in case you can't find it. Time: 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. FEBRUARYDancers. 12 Theme: LOS ANGELES. "Abe Lincoln Your Festival."hosts: The Time: Westwood 1:30 Co-opto 5:30 TPAPHPB^' ' c"^ncl^J IKKTITI "^ lllulc ITC p.m. Early American dances to be exhibited and featured. JANUARY 22 Time and place to be announced. Items to be included in the Folk Calendar of Events must be forwarded by the fifth of the month prior to publication to 1636 Oak View Avenue, Berkeley 7, California. Out-of-state events are welcome! Federation on the Air—KSFH, FM, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Folk Dancer on the Air—KWBR, Sunday at 10 p.m. Calling All Folk Dancers—KVSM, Sunday at 10 a.m. IS BURL IVES OR SOME OTHER FAMOUS FOLK ARTIST COMING TO YOUR TOWN? IS YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM GO¬ ING TO HAVE AN EXHIBITION OF FOLK COSTUMES OR FOLK CRAFT? IS THERE A FOLK PARTY COMING IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT'S OPEN TO OTHER DANCERS? IF SO, LET YOUR MAGAZINE KNOW ABOUT IT BY DROP¬ PING A LINE TO HAROLD PEARSON, 1636 OAK VIEW DRIVE, BERKELEY 7, CALIF., AND SHARE YOUR ENJOYMENT WITH OTHERS. DEADLINE ON ALL ITEMS IS THE 5TH OF EACH MONTH. LET'S DANCE! Dove's Record and Folk Dance Studio 372 Colusa Ave. TELL IT TO DANNV Berkeley 7, California LA 5-5122 By DAN McDONALD Headquarters for Junior Section Folk Dance Federation of California Specializing in FOLK DANCE RECORDS On the train going to That wonderful RAI- FLASH—JOHN BITMAN and RUTH RUBY AND FOLK DANCE SIN HARVEST FESTIVAL in Fresno; met a were married on December 17th! ACCESSORIES MR.