Thursday, July 20, 6:30-8:30 pm.
Fellowship Hall, Chapelwood Methodist Church, 11140 Green Bay, 77024
MAP TO CHAPELWOOD
Sponsored by the Hey Lollies Square
Dance Club.
Hosted by Rick and Marla Archer, Bill and Sharon Shaw, Dennis and
Karen Clawson.
The Fun Night caller will be Bill
Mengers assisted most likely by his lovely wife Patty. Bill and
Patty are former club presidents as well as current vice-presidents.
Fisher and Maria Reynolds and
Charles and Carol Thornburg will likely assist as well. They are
class coordinators for the upcoming September training program.
There is no charge to attend.
Everyone is welcome, singles and couples alike. Just show up and
enjoy the festivities.
.................................
What is Fun Night and what is the purpose?
Since Square Dancing is something of
a mystery to the general public, the main purpose of Fun Night is to
educate. This event will show guests what square dancing looks like
and will share information about the upcoming Learner's Program here
at Chapelwood in September.
As it turns out, Square Dancing is
fairly complicated. There are roughly 100 patterns used on a
regular basis. These patterns need to be learned in advance in
order to participate with experienced members in a Square of 8
people. For this purpose, the Hey Lollies offer a 9-month training
program (September to May) held in a separate room at Chapelwood.
In essence, Fun Night is a way for
the Lollies to attract students to the September training program.
Fun Night is also a way for guests to meet some of the members and
decide if these are people you would enjoy becoming friends with.
The evening is meant as an
introduction to Square Dancing and the Hey Lollies organization.
Since Fun Night is held in July and the training program will not
begin till after Labor Day, there is nothing to sign, no need to
commit, no pressure, no selling. It is just "Fun", a celebration of
a different type of dancing than what many people are used to. All
you have to do is show up and decide for yourself if this is an
activity you would be interested in pursuing.
....................
How is Fun Night conducted?
Rick Archer's Note:
Fun Night will involve three
activities.
From 6:30 till 7 pm, we have our
Texas Twostep Happy Hour. As a rule, people who like to Square
Dance like to Social Dance as well, a brotherhood of sorts. For
members of the Hey Lollies, the main event is two hours of dancing
to a caller in Fellowship Hall every Thursday night.
But why limit ourselves just to
Square Dance? As a warm-up to the Square Dancing which begins at 7
pm, we spend half an hour practicing Twostep, Polka, Western Waltz,
East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing. This is strictly optional.
We play the music and those who want to dance get out on the floor
while others may prefer to chat with friends until the Main Event
begins.
Since many of our Fun Night guests
will have prior experience with Social dancing, we invite everyone
to come early and dance a Twostep or a Waltz with your spouse or
some of your friends. Or perhaps you can ask someone you don't know
to dance and make a new friend.
At 7 pm the Hey Lollies Presidents,
Greg and Rosemary Przybyszewski, will offer an appreciative welcome
to the guests. Then they will turn the festivities over to K.O.
Jeanes, the caller. Members of the Hey Lollies will form 10 to 12
Squares and put on a demonstration to show the visitors how
everything works. This should take 10-15 minutes.
Somewhere around 7:20-7:30, the
guests will walk down the hall to another room known as "Circle of
Friends". This is the same room where the September training
problem will be held. Once everyone is comfortable, Bill Mengers
will use the next hour or so to teach people basic Square Dance
moves such Right and Left Grand, Do-Si-Do, Swing your Partner,
Circle Left, Weave the Ring, and Allemande Left. Incidentally, the
Guests are expected to participate. No sitting! How will you learn
what Square Dancing feels like if you just sit there and watch? By
the end of the evening you will know enough material to dance to an
entire song, so that's exactly what we will do. Once you've seen it
and once you've danced it, you will be in a good position to know if
you want to learn more.
....................
How Does Someone Join the September Training
Program?
Rick Archer's Note:
Once everyone is in the Circle of
Friends room, I am fairly certain Fisher and Maria Reynolds, the
September Training Class coordinators, will explain the details.
However, based on my own experience, I can share some information.
The first two Training classes in
September will be free. You will meet Tim Ploch, a highly talented
instructor (in my opinion), as well as Fisher and Maria Reynolds and
Charles and Carol Thornburgh, the class coordinators. If you enjoy
the two free classes and wish to continue forward, at this point you
will be asked to pay tuition for the entire 9-month program.
As a nod to the times, the Hey
Lollies have opened club membership up to Singles as well as
Couples. However, they have a "Noah's Ark" rule in effect for the
training program. What this means is they only accept boy-girl
couples as a way to keep the class ratio in balance.
What does this mean for a single
person who wishes to join the Training Class? It means "find a
friend ahead of time to sign up with you." You don't have to marry
them. You don't even have to like them (although it would make life
easier if you did). You just have to show up together.
So what happens to those who are
unable to find a companion on their own? My guess is Maria
Reynolds will keep a Waiting List. As people make inquiries, Maria
can match people up. If you have any questions on the matter, I am
certain Maria will address this issue during our July 20th Fun
Night.
......................
Who Will Attend on
July 20th?
Rick Archer's Note:
The July 20th Event is being held
specifically as a gesture of friendship to the Monday Night
Chapelwood Social Dance students taught by Rick Archer and Sharon
Shaw.
By coincidence, Monday Social Dance
and Thursday Square Dance both meet at Chapelwood. The coincidence
does not end there. The two programs are a mirror image of each
other featuring the mental challenge of mastering tricky dance
patterns as well as the joy of sharing friendship with the other
participants. Over the past year I have learned the SSQQ tradition
of finding Friendship and Community through Social Dance can be
found in Square Dance as well. For that reason I have arranged a
special night for members of the Hey Lollies Club to introduce our
Monday students to the world of Square Dance.
As it turns out, people who love to
dance do not limit themselves to one particular style of dance. Hey
Lollies membership includes so many faces from SSQQ there are times
when I think my former dance studio has been reborn.
That said, everyone is welcome
whether they attend our class on Monday or not. Yes, the Hey
Lollies are going out of their way to welcome Rick and Sharon's
students, but that invitation is not limited in any way. Come one,
come all.
THE JULY 20TH FUN NIGHT IS AN INVITATION TO THE ENTIRE HOUSTON DANCE
COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER IN THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP.
.........................
Sharon Shaw, SSQQ's Square Dance Pioneer
Rick Archer's Note:
Sharon Shaw is SSQQ Royalty. As a
much-loved and greatly respected teacher at SSQQ, Sharon's career
was almost as long as my own. Hmm, let's do the math. I ran SSQQ
Dance Studio from 1978 till 2010. 32 years.
Unfortunately, after I sold the
studio in 2010, I was no longer welcome, so that ended my tenure.
Sharon, however, was asked to continue on. She taught at the new
studio through 2017 when Hurricane Harvey put the studio out of
business. Sharon's tenure was 1988 till 2017. 29 years. Close
enough; we'll call it a draw.
My respect for Sharon is so great
that I cannot imagine asking anyone else to join my Chapelwood
Social Dance program on Monday. That is how much I trust her. But
here is what I did not know. Sharon is the daughter of the most
famous Square Dance caller in Texas. How is possible for me to know
Sharon for all these years and she never bothered to make this
clear? Sharon and I not alike. My life is an open book, warts and
all. Not Sharon. Sharon is so modest that she prefers not to talk
about herself. However, recently Tim Tyl, a well-known Square
Dance caller who is a good friend of the Hey Lollies, spilled the
beans.
Here is what Tim had to say:
"(Based on what you told me) Sharon did not
give you near all the details on her father, Red Warrick. Sharon's
father is in the
Texas Callers Hall Of Fame.
Red Warrick was an icon in square
dance activity from the late 1940s through the early 1970s. During
this time he was one of top callers in the state and throughout the
country (the best in my opinion). Red was in demand all over the
country for big festivals and conventions. At a time when we used
live music more than records, Red Warrick had the top square dance
band in the country (or if not the top, then definitely one of the
best). The band's name was Eva Nichols and the Lone Star Ramblers.
This was a five piece band when most callers used 3 piece and a few
used 4 piece.
In addition to Red himself, his band
was the 'most in demand' square dance band for big festivals and
conventions, and to play for square dance recordings. Red's square
dance recordings were always the top selling square dance recordings
every month. They were bought not just by callers, but by dancers
who used them to dance at home with their friends. When Red's
recordings were released, they sold big and sold immediately.
Callers and dancers didn't even wait to hear the record to see if
they wanted it. If it was a new release by Red Warrick then they
knew they wanted it. Every caller wanted to call Red's recordings
and every dancer wanted to dance his recordings.
I (Tim Tyl)
grew up around square dancing. My parents began dancing in 1952
seven years before I was born. I met Red in the early 1970s when I
was a preteen, going to dances with my parents and then learning to
dance myself. In 1974 I decided that I wanted to become a caller
and Red Warrick is where I started. First time I ever called to
dancers was a "tip" at one of his dances in 1974. Red was my idol,
mentor and a tremendous influence on my calling. I was around him
continuously from the early 1970s until his death, I believe in
2002. Red was still actively calling right up until his final
days. He always helped me, and provided me guidance, help and
support. The chance for me to be around Red Warrick to learn square
dance calling was the same as Ricky Skaggs being around Bill Monroe
to learn bluegrass music. It was learning the best from the best.
At the time I didn't even realize what I had and how lucky I was.
To me as a teenage kid, Red was just an old man that called square
dances. It was not till years later before I fully understood who
and what Red Warrick was, and how fortunate I was to have him as my
mentor."
Rick Archer's Note: Tim Tyl said
"At the time I didn't even realize what I had and how lucky I was."
As for me, I can say the same thing about Sharon. What on earth did
I do to be blessed with a friend like her? I imagine the members of
the Hey Lollies feel the exact same way. From where I stand, I can
see how Sharon has taken her father's legacy and used her knowledge
to propel both my dance studio and the Hey Lollies club to become
the largest in the city.
In case anyone is curious why I
decided to try Square Dancing, look no further than Sharon. After
Covid ravaged the club membership, they looked to rebuild. One of
Sharon's first calls was to me. Given my respect for Sharon, I took
her at her word that Square Dancing was something I would probably
enjoy. I am so glad I listened. And now I would like to pass that
message on.
Dancing, be it social or square,
remains one of the premier activities for senior citizens, a
veritable fountain of youth. If you like to social dance, then I
would bet you would enjoy square dance just as much (or almost as
much).
Here is the good news: You don't
have to choose one or the other. I do both and so can you.
During this same time
that Marla I have doubled
our friends, we have also become thinner in the process. Dancing is
good for you. Spread the word.
…………..
(Note to Reader: if you have a question,
rick@ssqq.com )
