We’d like to welcome everyone to the 58th Dance-O-Rama, and extend a special welcome to our enthusiastic new dancers. We’re proud that you are joining the square dance community and we know that you will enjoy this wonderful activity and the many new friendships it will bring you for years to come.

The Daphne-Norma Leadership Award has a long history. It began in 1977 when Frank Salvaggio and John Fink decided to establish a square dancing award in the Rochester area in honor of their wives, Norma and Daphne. The purpose of the award is to recognize and show appreciation for extensive and sustained leadership within the square dance community over an extended period of years.

Last year, Sally and I were honored to receive this award. We’ve enjoyed taking the Daphne-Norma candy dish around for the past year, to bring attention to the award and encourage nominations. The candy dish has visited many Rochester area clubs, several of them more than once! Sally’s motto is “All chocolate all the time” and my challenge has been to get the candy dish to each dance without it being emptied on the way.

As we pass the candy dish on to the 2016 recipients, we hope that they will have as much fun with it as we have. We’re also passing along some ‘getting started’ candy. Good luck saving it until the next dance!

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a nomination for this award. This year there were several deserving nominees for the committee to choose from. Nominees who are not chosen will remain in consideration for future years.

We now ask all the Daphne-Norma recipients from previous years who are in the audience tonight to come forward and form a receiving line to congratulate the 2016 recipients. We thank all of you for your continuing contributions that have kept square dancing alive and well in our area over the years.

We’d now like to tell you a little about the 2016 recipients of the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award. They are enthusiastic ambassadors for square dancing. They consistently support dances at other clubs and their creative outfits frequently add a real flair to the dance floor. They have been active square dancers for many years and have been presidents of their own club since 2003.

They always arrive early to set up for their dances, lugging in the coffee pot, water jugs, refreshments and putting out the large sandwich board sign by the road each week. Then they stay late to clean up after each dance and carry everything home again. For many years they’ve planned their vacations and work schedules around their club’s dances. They are welcoming and friendly, encouraging new dancers and remembering former members and including them in club activities. Every summer they open their home for a very popular Club Picnic, and they help organize an annual Barn Dance.

As their club’s RAF representative, SHE is a constructive contributor at Federation meetings and helps with the important task of organizing the Federation’s dancer insurance.

They both are also active in their community and in their church. HE was a member of the Rush Volunteer Fire Department and SHE joined the women’s auxiliary. SHE frequently assists with the care of an elderly neighbor. Are we giving you enough clues?

When we re-read their nomination letters for the Daphne-Norma Award we were struck by the fact that three people had used exactly the same phrase: “They are the glue that holds our club together.”

For decades they have embodied the spirit that square dancing represents, and we are honored to present the 2016 Daphne-Norma Leadership Award to: GEORGE and CAROL ANN STAHL.

These pins are yours to keep and wear proudly as the recipients of the 2016 Daphne Norma Leadership Award.

This plaque is for you to keep to always remember today.

As this year’s recipients, your names are engraved on the Daphne-Norma silver plate.

Now for the fun part of the award. We hope you enjoy taking this candy dish to dances as much as we did.

Congratulations to you both.

Receiving Line of Daphne-Norma Award Recipients at Dance-O-Rama 2016

1987 Jerry & Betty Carmen
1990 Mike & Wanda Callahan
1994 Sally Baechele
1999 Ken Georger
2006 Tom & Liz Chrzanowski
2007 Ron Brown
2008 Eileen Okolowicz Webster
2009 Carl & Shirley DeGraff
2012 Chuck & Sharon Meyer
2013 Barb Green
2014 Dick & Irma Halstead

Peter & Sally Emmel

One of the many Dance-O-Rama highlights is the annual parade of graduates. These are our new dancing friends who have completed the past season of Mainstream Square Dancing classes at clubs in our Federation.

Many established dancers already know the new dancers—from serving as class angels or from the season’s many “class/club” dances. But the annual parade is their official welcome into the Rochester-area dancing community.

The June Promenader issue is our opportunity to congratulate this year’s graduates by name.

2016 Square Dance Graduates:

Batavia Silver Stars
Fran Harmon
Joyce Jewell
Nelson Perry

Belles ’N’ Beaus
Roy Baird
Tom & Ronni Camiolo
John & Barb Corman
Phil LaRussa
Mary Martin
Ed & Susan Orlando
Judi Schoomaker
James Speares

Cayuga Cut-Ups
Bob & Jeanne Hering
Chris & Pam Kelley
Joe & Donna Manning

Champagne Whirl-A-Ways
Delores Danzer
Leroy Graff
Brenda Finnerty
Don & Sandy Jones
Pete & Sharon Houghtaling
Anthony Parez
Betty Towne

Cloverleaf Squares
Melissa Coleman
Louise Cook
Sue Eddy
Bud & Elaine Eggebrecht
Mary Jane Kosel
Ron & Maureen Reidel
Sue Sepkowski
Carol Wachtman
Linda Williams
Wendy Williams
Joan Young

Copy Cats
Karl Aeckerle
Jeff & Debbie Blood
Nancy Burdulis
Carlos & Pam Chapek
Lee Comella
Evan DeSmitt
Jean Dibble
Gary & Lorraine Granath
Judy Kleine
Phil LaRussa
Jim & Tracey Lasch
Mary Martin
Dennis Morrissay
Dennis & Marilyn Rogers
Royce & Jackie Rogers
Jet & Shirley Thomas

Dalton Gang
Dan Egle
Courtney Haynes

Shirts ’N’ Skirts
Dave Bingham
Ginger Jacopelle
Barb Race
Rose Rhinehart
Henry & Jessica Shank

Silver Squares
Anne Granger
Judi Oliveri
Jim Speares

Thanks to all who made the Basket Raffle a great success once again this year! It seemed as if everyone had fun creating the baskets, competing for them and, most of all, winning them. Winners are listed below. As you can see, there are a couple of winners we didn’t “catch” when they picked up their baskets, or information was lost in the excitement. We are still perfecting our process for basket retrieval. It’s fun for folks to know who the winners were. If you won one of these baskets, please e-mail your name, club and which basket you won to bgreenanc@gmail.com. Thanks again for participating!

Batavia Silver Stars—Ed Austin—Silver Squares

Belles ’N’ Beaus—Dean Rich—Batavia Silver Stars

Cayuga Cutups—(did not catch name)

Champagne Whirl-A-Ways—(did not catch name)

Cloverleaf Squares—Eric Bomgren—Shirts ’N’ Skirts

Copy Cats—Ron & Mary Griffitt—Franklin Squares (PA)

Dalton Gang—Rick & Nancy Simmons—Copy Cats, Village Squares

Grand Squares—Royce Rogers—Copy Cats

Seneca Silhouettes—Joy Bookmiller—Batavia Silver Stars

Shirts ’N’ Skirts—Donna & Rick LaDonna—Copy Cats, Village Squares

Village Squares—Terry & Joe Pratt—Dalton Gang

Waterwheel Squares—Fred Ventura—Village Squares



Federation Mother’s Day Hydrangea—Sharon Meyer—Cloverleaf Squares



Pennsylvania Convention—Eileen Webster—Cloverleaf Squares

Barb Green

On Sunday, March 13, 2016, the Cloverleafs celebrated their 46th anniversary.

In March of 1970, a group of young adult square dancers decided to form a square dance club on the west side of Rochester. They gained the sponsorship of the Chili Recreation Department, which supplied a place to dance at the Chili Town Hall. The club became known as Cloverleaf Squares and their first caller was Bruce Shaw. After returning from military service, Mike Callahan became the instructor for the class lessons. He and Wanda met there. Not long after that, Mike also assumed the role of club caller, and he continues in that capacity today along with being our class instructor. The club has danced at many locales over the years, but the current venue on Chili Avenue is not far from its original location.

Cloverleaf Squares was the host club for the Single Square Dancers, USA Dance-A-Rama weekend that was held in Rochester in 1988 and again in 2006.

Over the years many friendships have been formed. Plenty of healthy exercise and numerous hours of fun times have been enjoyed. Cloverleaf’s dances, as well as other social activities, allow time to enjoy the fellowship among members. Square dancing is an activity that can be enjoyed locally as well as throughout the world.

Thank you to Carl DeGraff for the historical information.

Sharon Meyer

On April 28, 2016 about 70 enthusiastic supporters helped Grand Squares celebrate 55 years of square dancing. We were pleased to have some new dancers as well as many more seasoned ones. Several past members were also invited, and we were happy that Andy Shubert and Luke and Marlys Whitcomb accepted the invitation to join us even if just to watch and visit.

There have been many changes since its beginning in 1961 as the Lima Grand Squares but through the years the club has tried to maintain the spirit of friendliness that characterized the earlier days. However, just as a married couple cannot exist in a vacuum, a square dance club needs many contributing factors to survive. Over the years several dedicated callers have provided us with the music and the moves. We definitely could not have survived without them. Our past callers include Will Herzog, Jerry Carmen and Gary Bubel, and now Mike Callahan is doing the honors.

Many clubs from the past are no longer in existence and Grand Squares itself has had a few rocky years. When a depleted treasury almost caused an early end to our dance season, the Federation gave us some extra funds to see us through. On another occasion, Mike graciously accepted a reduced fee so we could keep our regular number of dances.

On the positive side, we’ve been blessed with a strong core of dancers, club members and guests, who have supported us by coming to dance, and thankfully we have MaryLou, Barb and Terry who step in to dance the man’s part when we have a shortage. (Lately it is George and Dick dancing the woman’s part when we have a female shortage.) And we can’t forget the individuals who have, over the years, given extra time and effort to be officers. They have built the foundation upon which we function today. Special thanks to Ray and Donna McCagg, who have been our secretary and treasurer for the past 10 years. We would not be here today without their help.

To a lesser extent, a club needs local support, since we do have to dance somewhere. Our move to Henrietta has been graciously supported by the Rush-Henrietta School district. Sue in the office helps to secure our dance nights and has even found us alternate places or rooms when construction or scheduling conflicts have arisen. The staff of custodians have willingly moved tables and set up chairs so we could dance and then put them back again when we finished.

So, to everyone who has done their part we thankfully say “Happy Anniversary” and many more!

Carol Ann Stahl

About five years ago, the State Fair finance management was picked up by the State of New York in Albany. As a result they made all of the department superintendents employees of the state. We were required to clock in and out when working.

Facts

The time that I had to clock in during Fair hours was approximately three hours. (The time required to put on the dance itself.)

A stipend was provided to my department for services and was a flat fee. As far back as I can trace, the stipend has existed for at least the past 20 years at the level it was initially set at. There have been no increases. At 2.2% inflation the fee should now be double what it was 20 years ago.

From this fee I paid the caller, cuer, mailings, advertisements in magazines, promotion travel, etc.

Each year for the past 13 years I have spent approximately 60 to 70 hours preparing and planning for the State Fair Dance.

In April I received a letter from the management team at the State Fair stating that they were reducing the stipend/fee by 67%. This reduction left not even enough to pay for the Caller and Cuer.

In essence the fee being offered did not even make minimum wage requirements of the State of New York before expenses as stated above. The fee was approximately 0.1% of the department budget. What are they doing?

I met with the Department Manager and then the State Fair Director. They stated that they can only pay $200 for this activity because I am only working for three hours. I refuse to work as a professional in this capacity at a compensation level that is well below minimum wage. Note, according to the Fair Director, I was not the only Superintendent reduced in pay. I therefore am apparently not the only one being abused.

In my view the management team at the State Fair is out of touch and have no idea what they are doing. They had no idea I was paying for postage, advertising, mailing costs, or fees for callers and cuers, etc.

As a result of the current situation, I refuse to work 70 hours for $2.86 per hour. All of the work to make this a success was done off the clock. I intend to protest this with Albany. Albany controls the contracts and processes the Superintendents as State Employees. All contracts are signed and sent to Albany.

They further offered to “allow” us to dance at the Fair. My interpretation again is that they have no idea what they are doing. This has been a Square Dance for the dancers of the State of New York and not just a demonstration of dancing. They appear to be incapable of understanding that and are totally unaware of what the past three Superintendents have been doing to make this event successful. They apparently see it simply as three hours worked.

Bottom Line

THERE WILL BE NO MORE SQUARE DANCING AT THE FAIR. I refuse to be taken advantage of or abused by this management team. This will undoubtedly end a tradition that I believe it is safe to say has existed at the fair since the 1840’s. Square Dancing has been the fun activity of choice for many decades. I’m sorry to see it end in this way, but I don’t see how it can continue.

Ron Brown, New York State Fair Dance Superintendent

At this year’s Dance-O-Rama ceremonies the Rochester square dancing community welcomed at least 76 new graduates who have completed the Mainstream class program at their respective clubs. These are the folks who persisted through nine months of bombardment with new words and new moves and survived the weekly awkwardness of stumbling through class with strangers who gradually became friends. Now what???

The stock answer used to be that the next thing to do after Mainstream graduation is to start attending one of the summer dancing programs that teach the next level—the Plus calls. That’s a great option for those who are ready.

But for many it might not be the best bet. If you don’t feel all that proficient with many of the Mainstream calls, why jump into a whole new set of calls? Well, the stock answer to that used to be that you have to learn Plus because nearly every square dance club in our area dances at the Plus level.

Sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it? All the fun and enthusiasm you built up over the past nine months seems to run into a wall at this time of the year. But that’s not really how it is.

Actually, there is plenty of Mainstream dancing throughout the summer and the coming year. Your class and club leaders have probably already explained what they have in mind for you over the summer. But if your club takes the summer off, then your leaders can tell you where to find dancing at the level you want—Mainstream dancing, Mainstream workshop or Plus instruction/workshop.

We at the Promenader haven’t yet found a good way to clearly identify and present all the class options on the website, but the list below shows a few of the possibilities.

NOTE: You’ll find details on each of these suggestions in the schedule pages of this website by clicking the “OUR CLUBS” button on the RAF Home page, then clicking “Schedule” beside the name of the club you are looking for. Also, read their Club News for more information about each club’s summer plans. Browse the “Ads & Flyers” section for details on individual dances (shown in chronological order). Click the quarter-page flyer image to view or print a more readable full-page version.

Weekly Summer Mainstream Workshops and Plus instruction:

• Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. in Henrietta at Cloverleaf Squares (Mike Callahan and others calling & teaching)
• Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. in Henrietta at Boo Bull Squares (Gary Bubel calling & teaching)

NOTE: Both Mike and Gary have told me that Mainstream practice is included in their summer programs, and that you will be welcome for Mainstream practice, even if you are not there for the Plus instruction.

Also Note: The Henrietta location (Fire Company #1, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd) is air conditioned.

Weekly Summer Dancing, Mostly Mainstream, with Announced Plus tips

(see later in the article for what that means):

• Monday afternoons at 1 p.m. in Greece at Silver Squares (Mike Callahan calling)
• Monday evenings at 7 p.m. in Batavia at Batavia Silver Stars (Bill Ryan calling)

Individual Summer Dances that welcome Mainstream Graduates:

• Saturday, June 4, 2–10 p.m., Shirts ’N’ Skirts ALS Dance in Fulton (Dave Eno)
• Saturday, July 30, 7 p.m., Copy Cats Mainstream Beach Party Dance, Henrietta
• Saturday, August 13, 7 p.m., Callers Co-Op Summer Sizzler in Henrietta (Multiple area callers)
• Friday, Aug 19, 7 p.m., Grand Squares Barn Dance in East Bloomfield (Mike Callahan)

(This is only a partial list, based on what I know from a few clubs who answered my email. Please check back now and then for updates to this article, since I suspect I will be adding items to this list as I hear of them.)

Come fall, you will have several options. Many of the area’s clubs are planning to adopt a policy of alternating Mainstream and Plus tips. That will give all graduates a chance to enjoy the company of their new friends and dance regularly through the coming year, regardless of whether they completed a Plus class or not.

Graduates of a Plus class will find that in addition to regular club dancing there are workshops—often held during club dances—that help with troublesome calls. Mainstream dancers will also find many dancing opportunities.

You might ask why there are not more Mainstream clubs in our area. Mainstream clubs have been started many times over the years, only to fold soon afterward or evolve into Plus clubs. That’s because of something you will learn about yourself. If you are like most of the graduates who have gone before you, then after a season or two of Mainstream dancing (which I’m told comprises 68 calls) your body and brain will want more variety and challenge. You will want to learn more calls so that you can take part in the Plus tips with your new dancing friends.

There’s nothing magical about Plus calls. They are all based on the same fundamental movements you have already learned. it’s just that a given Plus call combines the movements in different ways and expands the variety of positions from which you do them. They give your mind an added challenge and reward you with a higher level of satisfaction at the end of a breakdown-free tip.

And while we are revealing secrets, there are a few things you should know about those “Plus Clubs.” First of all, not all Plus clubs dance at the “full-on” Plus level. There are many that dance a more relaxed mix. Maybe in the September Promenader we can expand on this, but four clubs have told me that they purposely maintain a relaxed mix. They are the Batavia SIlver Stars, the Belles and Beaus, the Grand Squares and the Silver Squares. Even if you join the club whose class you attended, it’s a good idea to travel to other clubs to get extra dance time. It’s not “disloyal” to your home club. In fact many area dancers belong to multiple clubs.

The second thing to know is that every Plus club does plenty of Mainstream dancing, but it’s often mixed in with the higher level. If you are a Mainstream dancer, you should look for flyers that advertise “Announced Plus” tips or “Alternating Mainstream and Plus” tips or “Announced Mainstream” tips. Those are clues that tell you roughly how much Mainstream you can expect. Here’s the decoder: Announced Plus means mostly Mainstream; Announced Mainstream means mostly Plus and Alternating means half and half.

The third thing to know about Plus clubs is that their squares often break down on Mainstream calls! That’s because nobody is perfect, and it doesn’t take perfection to make dancing fun. In fact—and I’m sure you noticed this in your classes too—some of the most hilarious moments in dancing start with a breakdown of some sort that snowballs and eventually melts down into fits of laughter.

The final, and maybe most important thing to know about clubs at any level is that they REALLY want you to stay with dancing and share the fun and lasting friendship that it fosters. It’s natural for you to feel hesitant, coming in as a novice into an established group of friends and proficient dancers. You naturally fear that you might be spoiling their fun by breaking down their square. But for every established dancer who is bothered by your inexperience, there are ten others who are glad to see you up and dancing and who will bend over backwards to welcome you and help you fit in. Your dancing skills will grow with time and experience.

I remember Sally’s and my first year after classes. We did not feel at all comfortable with at least half the calls we had supposedly learned, and we broke down our share of squares. But every now and then, at the end of a tip, George Dormer would lean across and say in his quiet way: “That’s good dancing.” What a lift that gave us! I was sure, even at the time, that he said this to every new couple, but it pumped us up for the next tip and kept us coming back week after week.

It’s dancing that makes you a better dancer and more confident. If you don’t have George to encourage you, find some other way to motivate yourself to keep dancing. And be sure to pass along the encouragement to next year’s crop of new dancers, when you become the experienced one and someone else needs encouragement.

Square dancing is a social activity. The dancing gives it a unique structure and adds a healthy dimension of physical and mental dexterity, but it’s secondary to the social connections among dancers in your club—and between clubs.

You’ve already formed friendships with club members who have joined your class as angels, and in some clubs you have been mingling all year with the whole club. Don’t let doubts about your dancing ability keep you from deepening those friendships in the coming year. Keep dancing—at any level—and your skill and confidence will continue to grow.

There’s plenty of Mainstream dancing between now and fall. Your new friends are hoping you will keep dancing and join them in the fall for a new season of dancing.

I especially urge you to greet the rest of us at the Fall Friendship Ball in Canandaigua on September 24th—with (… wait for it …) Alternating Mainstream and Plus tips! Nobody will be left out. (Click HERE for the flyer)

The dancing will start at 2 p.m. and is free of charge. Buffet dinner starts at 6 p.m., costs a subsidized $12 per person and requires a reservation. Take a moment to clip the coupon from the flyer and send in your dinner reservation.

By Peter Emmel—5/26/2016