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Fun night dancing
Well, not dancing for me. Tonight was the Basic Crossover party for Class 60. This is the first time in a number of years that we've actually had eight finish a Basic class.
Since the focus was for bonding and fun, I geared the night around that, rather than brainbeating them into learning new calls. We had about 25 there tonight, so it was a decent showing.
A bewildered out of town dancer/caller visiting from Great Falls Montana (Dave Hinds) wandered over from next door...he had come to dance to Rich Stewart, but his hall was dark tonight. He opted to join us, and jumped right in. I asked if he would call a Mainstream tip after I had finished my first two Basic tips and he happily ran out to his car to get his laptop and microphone. I danced his tip...he was a fairly new caller, but eager and not unpleasant. After the patter tip, I asked him what color record he was going to use for the singer. He's never OWNED a record...he's only had mp3s! Boy was I feeling old! I wondered about his using "Long Black Train" as his singing call, but it fit his voice.
Jim Effinger, our club prez who has been through three (I think) GCA callers schools wandered in toward the end of Dave's tip. I wonder if Jim was thinking black thoughts about me asking a caller up to the stand, when I never asked him. If Jim had mentioned anything about that, I'd of course bring up the 10 or so times I had asked him to call a tip, and he always backed out with the excuse that he didn't have any material or music with him or the like. Jim didn't have any announcements, although he obviously should have considering there were birthdays and the Denver Flyin is coming up.
ANYWAY, the minutes ticked down until we started the 8pm crossover ceremonies. Jack Denvir started Part One off with a bag on the head bit for all the dancers. The bags all had eyeholes, but on my command of "girls switch" or "all switch," they had to turn the bag around while they were dancing. THAT was the expected hoot, as dancers wandered off or bumped into each other.
Part Two was my part, so I had two squares dancing together in tandem. That got quite a good response, although one dancer is (and always has been) clueless about walking and chewing gum at the same time.
Part Three was organized by the Basic class itself. David Gant (an MCC pastor here) gave out lemons to everyone, and they either had to dance with them between their thighs or had cut up lemon wedges in their mouth. More laughter and frivolity from THAT tip, since I donned my madonna mic and called and danced at the same time with both a lemon between my legs and with a wedge in my mouth!
After than, we had a tasty chocolate cake baked by Jack, who took over as interim class director a few months back. We did the Barn Dance, and a few more tips at Basic, Plus and Advanced, and finally called it a night at 9:30. A long night, since I started at 6 with C1, most of which I called and danced at the same time, since we had a lot of no-shows.
So, we seem to be on a new, happy roll with the Wilde Bunch...it's very rejuvenating to see interest for the future.
Since the focus was for bonding and fun, I geared the night around that, rather than brainbeating them into learning new calls. We had about 25 there tonight, so it was a decent showing.
A bewildered out of town dancer/caller visiting from Great Falls Montana (Dave Hinds) wandered over from next door...he had come to dance to Rich Stewart, but his hall was dark tonight. He opted to join us, and jumped right in. I asked if he would call a Mainstream tip after I had finished my first two Basic tips and he happily ran out to his car to get his laptop and microphone. I danced his tip...he was a fairly new caller, but eager and not unpleasant. After the patter tip, I asked him what color record he was going to use for the singer. He's never OWNED a record...he's only had mp3s! Boy was I feeling old! I wondered about his using "Long Black Train" as his singing call, but it fit his voice.
Jim Effinger, our club prez who has been through three (I think) GCA callers schools wandered in toward the end of Dave's tip. I wonder if Jim was thinking black thoughts about me asking a caller up to the stand, when I never asked him. If Jim had mentioned anything about that, I'd of course bring up the 10 or so times I had asked him to call a tip, and he always backed out with the excuse that he didn't have any material or music with him or the like. Jim didn't have any announcements, although he obviously should have considering there were birthdays and the Denver Flyin is coming up.
ANYWAY, the minutes ticked down until we started the 8pm crossover ceremonies. Jack Denvir started Part One off with a bag on the head bit for all the dancers. The bags all had eyeholes, but on my command of "girls switch" or "all switch," they had to turn the bag around while they were dancing. THAT was the expected hoot, as dancers wandered off or bumped into each other.
Part Two was my part, so I had two squares dancing together in tandem. That got quite a good response, although one dancer is (and always has been) clueless about walking and chewing gum at the same time.
Part Three was organized by the Basic class itself. David Gant (an MCC pastor here) gave out lemons to everyone, and they either had to dance with them between their thighs or had cut up lemon wedges in their mouth. More laughter and frivolity from THAT tip, since I donned my madonna mic and called and danced at the same time with both a lemon between my legs and with a wedge in my mouth!
After than, we had a tasty chocolate cake baked by Jack, who took over as interim class director a few months back. We did the Barn Dance, and a few more tips at Basic, Plus and Advanced, and finally called it a night at 9:30. A long night, since I started at 6 with C1, most of which I called and danced at the same time, since we had a lot of no-shows.
So, we seem to be on a new, happy roll with the Wilde Bunch...it's very rejuvenating to see interest for the future.