Last year our club supported the George Eastman House Fund Drive at Christmas time. They provided a table-top sized artificial tree which our club decorated. The tree was on display at the George Eastman House and auctioned off in the Rochester community, where it sold for $180.

We were contacted again this year to decorate another tree to support their annual fund drive. They again provided the tree and Bob and I worked along with Dee and Roy to make that happen. A special thank you to Dee and Roy for spear heading this project and picking the tree up and delivering the decorated tree.

We came up with a rather unique theme for this year: “COVID-19” complete with an ace bandage garland, ‘Covid germ’ tree top ornament, and ‘face mask’ tree skirt.

It was a fun project and we thought you might like to see some pictures. Thursday the tree will be at the George Eastman house for their display and auction.

If anyone goes to see the tree, please provide some feedback.

Submitted by Bob and Alice Hager

Dave and I were at the Copy Cats summer get-together and mentioned that we would love to have a square dance in our garage in Victor. God love Mike Callahan, who volunteered to do the calling. So, we set everything in motion. We can fit two squares in our garage, and we decided that twenty people was the most we could have and still maintain COVID “safety.” We sent out emails and had a wonderful response.

The day arrived for our first dance. We had the doors open and fans going, as it was warm and muggy. We even had a little rain, but you know the spirit of dancers—we had a great time. We were all quite surprised at how many calls we remembered. Mike wasn’t easy on us—testing how much we remembered … We danced with our masks on and kept our hands sanitized. It was such as success we decided to have a couple more. If the weather would cooperate, we’d still be getting together for our “Garage COVID-19 ” square dances. It was wonderful to dance and see our square-dancing family.

At the last of these dances, Mike introduced his hilarious … COVID-adapted lyrics to the tune of “Those Were the Days” that go something like this (reproduced here with Mike’s permission):

Opener:
Once upon a time there was a virus
And we had to cancel a dance or two
Those Covid days my friend we thought they’d never end
We had to stay inside, wash hands and sanitize
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days

Verses:
If you wanted to eat out today
Take out was the only way
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days
We had to stay inside
To keep our friends alive
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days

Middle Break:
It started with a run on toilet paper
There wasn’t one roll to be had
Those Covid days my friend we thought they’d never end
No bars or weddings
Cause of social distancing
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days

Verses:
Got kind of lazy …
We were going crazy …
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days
We stayed inside and ate
We gained that Covid weight
Those Covid days, oh yes, those Covid days

Ending:

If you ventured out to go shopping
You had better make sure to wear your mask.

Submitted by Mary Jo Webster and Jackie Rogers

Despite all the disruption to our dancing schedule, our current insurance coverage expires on December 31st. The rate for RAF Clubs in 2021 will remain the same as last year – $4.80 per dancer. Unbelievably, the Insurance provider has raised the rate to the USDA, even though almost no one was dancing for the majority of 2020 and COVID-related incidents are not covered. Feeling frustrated, like most of us, the USDA has agreed to absorb the increase, so that our 2021 rate will be unchanged.

For those clubs that have a place to dance, let me know where and I will request a certificate of insurance for next year.

For those clubs that have resumed dancing, you probably have an idea as to who has chosen to remain a member. Using a printout of your current insurance roster, make the necessary additions/subtractions and MAIL (not email) the list to me at 350 Fishell Road, Rush, N.Y. 14543. I will make the necessary changes online and do my best to cross reference those who belong to more than one club. Then I’ll let you know the amount you will owe, and you can send your check (made out to USDA) to me at the above address. The new roster and certificates will be emailed to me by USDA, and I will forward them on to the clubs.

The TARGET DATE for this is DECEMBER 1, which I realize is near to impossible, since many of us are not even considering dancing before January 1st or later. The USDA coordinator has promised further instructions, but they have yet to be sent.

As for CLASSES: In most cases the free insurance will have expired by the end of the year. Those who resume classes will no doubt find they need to start over with lessons. A restart of lessons can be considered the start of a new class. Send me the names of those returning and the date of the restart and it will be considered a new class with nine months FREE coverage. If you have chosen to bring them in as club members, they must be included in your membership roster and be included with your paid members.

I will try to answer questions you may have. My email is stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com

PS (From a later email):

This only matters to those clubs that have a place and are currently dancing or have firm plans to resume. I have told the USDA national insurance chair that this is the situation. In most cases there is no reason to have insurance if no one is dancing outside private homes, which are not covered anyway.

Carol Ann Stahl, Insurance Chairman

The Grand Squares held an open-air “Meet and Greet” get-together on the afternoon of September 26, in the yard of George and Carol Ann Stahl, Presidents of the club. It was a fun gathering, planned just a few days ahead. The weather was gorgeous and it was wonderful to see one another in person for a change!

Submitted by Barb Miller

One goal of the RAF’s “Return To Dance” task force is to gather and share “best practices” for clubs to consider when they plan their own return to dancing. The tabulation that accompanies this article is one outcome of that effort - a matrix of Club Safety Considerations. It’s a work in progress but it gives a good idea of where the consensus is heading.

At the bottom for reference are links to available CDC cleaning guidelines and EPA approved cleaning materials. This matrix is available in spreadsheet form. Send your email request to the Promenader and we will make the connection (promenader@rochester.rr.com).

The Silver Squares were on the verge of resuming club dancing, but when COVID conditions deteriorated they decided to wait. For COVID risk management, they had developed a plan (consistent with the matrix) that other clubs can use as a starting point for their own planning.

Their process is described in “Silver Squares COVID19 In-Person Guidelines” that accompanies this article. In addition to taking temperatures at sign-in, a key feature of their plan is a list of “Screening Questions” for dancers to sign on entry to the hall. Dancers would answer the questions and sign the questionnaire on arrival. The sheet would then be saved by the club for re-use use at future dances, where the signatures would go on the log printed on the back of the questionnaire.

An image of the questionnaire and signature log accompanies this article. These documents (Guidelines, Screening Questions and Signature Log) are available in editable form on request. Send your email request to the Promenader and we will make the connection (promenader@rochester.rr.com).

From materials submitted by the RTD Task Force

Over the summer, the RAF has been working through the many issues that COVID has presented to square dancing. In addition to meeting with club presidents in the summer, we established the “Return To Dance” task force to look at ways the RAF could contribute to the response in Rochester. Several efforts are in progress, including (a) gathering and sharing “best practices” and guidelines for safe dancing, (b) thinking through problems and opportunities around resuming classes, and (c) developing local options for virtual (“Zoom”) dancing with our area callers.

COVID restrictions will be with us for a while, keeping most of us off the dance floor. But a few have been experimenting with virtual dancing at home and found it works pretty well. It keeps us in touch and keeps our square dance memory in shape, and it’s good exercise.

Whether you are two couples in the same room, one couple dancing with a phantom couple, or a solo dancer with three phantoms, in Zoom sessions, there’s at least some social contact. Visitors are also welcome to log in to simply watch the dancing and of course take part in the conversation between tips.

Three RAF Virtual Fun Square Dances—December 4, 11, & 18

The Rochester Area Federation is teaming up with area callers to bring virtual square dancing to Rochester. Our goal is to offer a regular Mainstream-Level program of “Virtual Square Dancing for Everyone” by familiar callers from our own area. Look for the 2-page flyer in this issue of the Promenader.

The dances will begin at 7pm on Fridays Dec. 4th, 11th, & 18th. (The 12/18 dance will have a holiday theme.) We hope you will encourage your members and recent graduates to join us to dance … or watch. The calls at these dances will be “safe” for recent graduates, and even for some who were in class when COVID shut things down.

Callers will use only figures that can easily be done by two couples. You will be surprised at how many of the Basic/Mainstream calls fit this description! A companion article elsewhere in this issue describes the mechanics of virtual square dancing from a dancer’s perspective.

Zoom Connection for RAF Virtual Dancing

Dancers can connect via their smart phone, or tablet, or laptop.

A desktop computer can also be used, but to be visible to others and speak with them, it will need to be equipped with a webcam and microphone.

If you already have the Zoom app (or if you download it and install it now from zoom.us.com), then all you need to do is open it and then use the session number and passcode.

To receive an invitation with the Zoom information and an embedded link, please contact the RAF presidents Jeff and Debbie Blood at “dfbjvbhome@aol.com” and request one.

If you don’t already have the Zoom application loaded on your device, your browser will make the connection once you click on the Zoom link provided in the e-mail invitation. This is the same Zoom link that will be used for all three Friday night Virtual Zoom Dances in December.

If you have any questions …

Please don’t hesitate to contact RAF Presidents, Debbie & Jeff Blood

at dfbjvbhome@aol.com or 585-880-9161

Adapted from an announcement by Jeff & Debbie Blood

Let’s start with comments from the November “caller tune-up” sessions:

From Rick LaDonna:

“Donna and I have tried Zoom dancing on two occasions, dancing with John Wright and Barb Green the first evening, and adding MaryJo and David Webster the second evening. One couple sat out each tip. We found two-couple dancing to be somewhat challenging but lots of fun. We had tried dancing with phantoms in a couple of Wednesday night Zoom dances, but found the two-couple format to be very much easier, with lots of laughs. The social aspect added a lot to the evening.”

From Debbie Blood:

“The first experience with virtual square dancing as one couple feels very different. We found it very beneficial to listen carefully to the calls and pay attention to the positioning our hands for phantom dancers. After our second time dancing with phantoms we felt much more comfortable and confident, and really started to enjoy it.”

From Jeff Blood:

“It was so nice to be dancing and seeing our square dance friends again. We loved hearing and seeing our local callers even though it was virtually. We’re looking forward to our next virtual dance.”

Two-Couple Dancing

“Two-couple” dancing refers to the call selection. It’s most fun with two couples dancing together, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you need two couples.

If you are a couple who prefer not to take the COVID risk of getting together in person with another couple, or if you are solo, these dances will work for you too. You will need to imagine two or three ‘phantom’ dancers, but that’s not as hard as you might think.

At the beginning of the RAF Virtual Fun Dance on December 4, Gil Porter will provide dancers with a brief introduction to two-couple virtual dancing. The points he will cover are listed later in this article.

Each foursome dancing together in person should agree in advance on whatever COVID precautions you are all comfortable with, such as masks, hand sanitizer, etc.

The two graphics accompanying this article show the recommended floor space. (The same graphics are on the second sheet of the flyer.) For two couples, you should clear a circular area to a diameter of at least eight feet.

One couple with phantoms takes less space, about six feet diameter, while a solo takes even less. A hard floor is recommended, but several dancers have reported that carpet is also okay. Be sure to remove any tripping hazards!

Two-Couple Setup and Tips

1) Two-Couple Dancing uses a foursome…
…arranged as two couples at the Heads position.
There are no Side couples (so you don’t have to imagine them).

2) Couples start as “Normal” couples…
… with the Boy on Left, and the Girl on Right …holding hands.
During the dance, you may sometimes become “Half-Sashayed”
…with Boy on the Right, and Girl on the Left
(The Caller will generally let you know when you are Half-Sashayed.)

3) For wall alignment, you should consider your camera to be the Caller:
The Heads will have their faces (or their backs) toward the camera.
The Sides will have one shoulder to the camera.
(This makes it easiest for the Caller to tell when couples are in trouble.)
(If your floor space doesn’t allow this, it’s okay to align the other way.)

4) Square up as Heads, so you are Couples #1 & #3
Couple #3 is Facing the Camera
Couple #1 has their Backs to Camera
Or, if you are one couple dancing with a Phantom couple:
Couple #3 is YOU, Facing the Camera
Couple #1 is your Phantom couple, with their Backs to the Camera

5) Leave enough space between you and the couple facing you…
…so that both couples can take a full step forward.
(That allows room for calls like “Forward and Back” or “Grand Square”)

6) The partner you start with is referred to as “Your Date”
… your special partner.
(The caller will often remind you when you are “with your date”)
(If you get separated, that’s your cue to get back together again.)

7) When you’re “Squared up”…
Your “Corner” is the person you are facing in your foursome …
So, your Corner is also your Opposite.
(The Caller will bring you to Home often enough to help you stay in sync.)
(When you should be at home with Your Date …
…the Caller will say something like “and you’re Home.”)

8) For calls like “Circle” or “Weave the Ring” or “Grand Right and Left”…
…you should visualize a circle, even though there are only four of you.

9) Swings are optional !!!

10) If you are dancing with phantoms…
Don’t be surprised if it takes more than a couple of sessions to feel comfortable!
But, as you get used to it, you’ll find there’s less to “imagine” than you think.
Positioning of your body and hands are key! … greatly reducing the mental work.

Phantoms, if You Need Them

There are downloadable aids available to help you visualize where your phantoms are and get accustomed to dancing with them—including “Tip Sheet” pages accompanying this article and in past issues of the Promenader.

Dancing with phantoms is fun but requires concentration, along with an awareness of where you are and where the other dancers should be. A good place to practice is with the Pandemic Squares—via Zoom on Wednesdays at 8pm. Email the Promenader for an invitation (promenader@rochester.rr.com).

Positioning and Hands for Those Dancing with Phantoms

1) Imagine a square pattern on the floor, and imagine a dancer at each corner of it.

As you dance, pay attention to where you are relative to the imaginary square.

In general, you will either be at the corners of that square or along lines that cross in the middle of it. (see Tip Sheet graphics)

2) Your HANDS turn out to be an important aid.

They tell can you where you are and which way to turn.

Four different hand positions are useful for dancers with phantoms:

Position 1) Hand(s) up; Shoulder height; Palm forward (As in an ocean wave or partner facing opposite).

Position 2) Elbow 90 degrees; Hand waist high; Palm open (As with partner at your side, facing same way).

Position 3) Arm & hand down; Palm against leg (As when there’s nobody on that side).

Position 4) Inside arm & hand pointing diagonally down (As when you are a Pointer, in a Diamond).

Usage: When doing a call, move and place your hands in the way you know they would be if there were a real dancer there, whose hand you were touching.

Example 1: Stepping to a Wave:

If you are a Center, raise both hands to shoulder height with palms high & facing front (#1 above).

If you are an End, hold your inside hand up with palm forward and your outside hand at your side (#3 above).

Your “up” hand is in contact with the “up” hand of a dancer (real or phantom) who is facing the other way.

From the Wave, on a “Swing Thru” or “Hinge,” you will pivot around one or the other of your “up” hands.

Example 2: Right and Left Thru:

Reach out your Right Hand; Pull your Opposite by; Courtesy Turn.

End up with your Partner, side by side, facing in, with inside hands joined at position #2 above.

(For animated call diagrams, refer to https://www.tamtwirlers.org/taminations/)

(For diagrams showing you in relation to Phantoms, see the accompanying Tip Sheet diagrams.)

Submitted by Peter Emmel

A few of our local clubs are getting together regularly on Zoom. The Silver Squares join with the Belles N Beaus on Mondays, and the Village Squares & Friends gather on Wednesdays.

As part of the RAF’s “Return To Dance” task force effort, our local round dance cuers gathered on Zoom recently to begin working out sound and logistics for Virtual Round Dancing. Several dancers joined them for feedback—of the helpful kind—and to help determine what would be needed at the dancers’ end in the way of floor space.

Virtual Square and Round dancing from home is most fun with local callers and dancers you know. But once you get started dancing at home, you will find there is no shortage of on-line opportunities. Two Facebook groups “Virtual Square Dances” and “Square Dance Flyers” carry numerous announcements for virtual dances of all kinds—including beginner lessons and Two-Couple Dancing.

Brenda Bixby has been attending virtual square dances on Facebook for many months. Here’s what she said about it in October: “The best thing about Zoom is that you can choose whether to have your camera on. I will admit that after 6 months participating in Virtual Square Dances, today is the first day I feel comfortable having my camera on. And ya know what? I find I really don’t care now if and WHEN I make a mistake. I’m always "home" and when the caller actually says we’re home, I know I have a fresh start. I also can choose to blame my phantom dancers at my home. They care even less than I do, and are always willing to try again!”

Access:

For access to these, type the group name into the Facebook Search box, then when you get to their page, click the “Join Group” button. There may be a few questions to answer, and you might have to wait a few minutes (or at most a day) for confirmation.

Once you are a member, you can scroll through their full listings of event announcements, flyers and comments. They both have an expandable “Upcoming Events” side-bar that makes it easy to find ones you might be interested in.

These dances cover the full range of skills, so pay attention to the level designations! Some of them are Zoom-type events and others are in-person dances being live-streamed. Some are for lessons at various levels.

When you get there, you will find a range of situations. Some are clubs having their own weekly Zoom dance. Others are callers welcoming an international audience.

I’ve found a good way to introduce yourself when you arrive in an unfamiliar Zoom group is to type a greeting and introduction into the chat “to everyone” (something like “Hi, I’m Peter, from Rochester NY, here to try virtual dancing with you!”). Someone will notice at a break and welcome you—just like at a real dance! You can start with the camera off, if it makes you more comfortable, then I generally turn it on after someone has noticed me or my chat or my empty square. So far, at both events I’ve attended someone has said “Hey, do you know Mike Callahan?” so, you’ll fit right in!

Process:

The process for attending these events varies depending on the preferences of the host.

Some put all the Zoom login info in the flyer. Others post the Zoom invitation on the day of the event—so you’ll come back to the group’s Facebook page on that day for the login info. Some include a button for you to make a reservation (or at least express your interest, as in “might” or “will” attend). Some will ask for your email address, so they can send you an invitation.

Bottom line: for an event you are interested in, just click and follow the directions wherever they lead.

Many will have a “Tip Jar” for donations to charity, or for the caller/cuer—with payment via PayPal or possibly credit card.

The jar will be somewhere on the Facebook screen where you found the flyer or the login.

A few events will require registration and payment in advance.

This is a mode of dancing that’s still seeking its best-practices for serving its dancers and its leaders.

What these Groups say about themselves:

The “Virtual Square Dances” page is maintained by callers Denise Carbonell and Mike Dusoe.

Here is their official description:

“This is a group for managing Virtual Square Dances for those who already know how to do Modern Western Square Dance. We will be posting dates, times, and conference links in the group.”

The “Square Dance Flyers” group draws from a broader base of callers, but operates in much the same way.

Here is their official description:

“We love to dance and are glad you are here! We encourage you to post or share your dances here. There are dances from all over the world including Virtual Dances which you can do from home. Our mission is to promote Square & Round Dancing. This group is for anyone to share Square & Round Dances and is open to Callers, Cuers, Dancers, and anyone interested in dancing. We started Square Dance Flyers in November 2019 as an experiment to help others to promote and find dances. We were amazed at the number of square dancers and clubs there are. This group is for sharing your dance events! Off-topic posts may be removed by our administrators. Posts that advertise past dances will be removed from the group. Thanks for joining Square Dance Flyers!”

Other on-line dancing resources:

For links to a wide range of lessons, you can Google the phrase: “learn to square dance online” which brings up a long list of opportunities, mostly on YouTube, but also live events.

Taminations—a resource for every call in the book, organized by level (Basic, Mainstream, Plus, etc.), with definitions and animated diagrams. You can find them online at (https://www.tamtwirlers.org/taminations), or you can download their app for your phone or tablet.

The dance calendar site “Where’s the Dance” (https://www.wheresthedance.com) caries virtual dances, indicated by “VSD” and a cloud graphic, though at the moment most of the listings are at the higher skill levels.

Based partly on communications from Brenda Bixby

For clubs anticipating the post-COVID recovery beyond, the other USDA (United Square Dancers of America) has instituted a Zoom-based tutorial program called “Beyond the Dance Floor” that augments their extensive library of available printed club resources.

The following three upcoming workshops look particularly interesting to RAF area clubs:

(For log-on information and access to other USDA materials, visit their website: http://usda.org/)

Sat 1/16/21—2pm EST—Do you Hear What I Hear?
- By USDA leadership panel
- Topic: Using newsletters and other forms of social media to get the word out

Sat 2/13/21—2pm EST—Promoting Square Dancing During the Most Challenging of Times
- By Mike Hogan- Marking Executive of IHeart Media
- Debbie & Jeff Blood heard him present at USDA convention in Atlanta GA in 2019
- Mike does an outstanding job, his presentation was excellent,
- Highly recommend to everyone for their recruiting efforts later in 2021

Sat 3/13/21—2pm EST—USDA Educational Materials
- By USDA leadership panel
- USDA offers an extensive range of brochures (http://www.usda.org/Education.php)
- Debbie & Jeff Blood have a master listing and many brochures that were available at the USDA convention in Atlanta GA in 2019, including the electric files for the ones listed in the USDA list of materials pdf file.

Submitted by Jeff and Debbie Blood

Some of the learnings from the past few weeks of VSD experimentation are more on the technical side. We’ll report them here in hopes they will be useful for dancers, callers and cuers.

We will revise and improve this section based on experience.

(Dancers, Callers & Cuers, please send email with recommendations to promenader@rochester.rr.com)

1) General issues

a) Mute your Zoom microphone when you are not talking. (Extraneous sounds at your end will draw Zoom’s attention away from the caller/cuer and from whoever is speaking in breaks.)

b) If you are the caller/cuer, turn off your Zoom camera when you are calling/cueing. (Reduces demand on limited “outgoing” bandwidth at your end.)

2) Connection issues at home

If your sound cuts in and out, and/or the video of people in the frames on your screen freeze, there can be several causes—some at your end and some at the other end. Steps you can take at your end that might help include:

a) Close other internet applications or inactive tabs in the browser on your Zoom device. (They can be doing things in the background that use bandwidth.)

b) If you are using a wireless home network, turn off other internet-connected devices in your home that are sharing your wireless router bandwidth.

c) If possible, switch to a wired connection (i.e. connect your device directly to your internet connection box—your modem).

d) Turn off your Zoom camera. (Reduces demand on limited bandwidth.)

3) Issues we can do little about

a) Audio speed-up and slow-down is Zoom’s way of keeping video and audio in sync despite connection glitches. Your experience with this isn’t necessarily the same as others, since it can be a local adaptation based on your own connection, or it can be from the caller/cuer connection.

4) Sound hookup advice for callers and cuers

a) Set up your normal sound equipment as for a normal dance, including your hand microphone and speaker.

b) Put your Zoom/Internet device in front of your speaker (with its microphone as close to the speaker as you can get it).

c) Launch the Zoom app on your Internet device (phone, tablet or laptop) and turn its speaker volume down/off. (It will have a delay from your outgoing signal.)

d) Call/Cue into your normal equipment.

e) Adjust music and microphone volume on your normal sound equipment for balance (as judged by dancers).

f) When not calling/cueing, to talk with dancers: Turn off your hand microphone; Turn on your Zoom camera; and Turn up the speaker volume on your Zoom device.

5) For Zoom hosts

a) An important duty of the host is to ensure that dancers are muted while dancing (mainly to prevent extraneous noises from interrupting the music and calls). Do this by clicking the “Mute All” button (and again in the “are you sure” box that follows), then before also muting yourself, you will have to remind the caller to “Unmute.”

b) If sound quality or intermittency is a problem, the Zoom support site says they use automatic noise canceling that sometimes affects music. It can be disabled by the host clicking “Turn On Original Sound” in their account screen.