An open letter from one of our club members ...
Why I Square Dance
People - First of all, people from every imaginable occupation, people from all over the world get together for one common interest - square dancing. For 3 hours a week, from September to April, we get together and dance and have a great time. I do not always want to go, especially after working all week, but we always leave refreshed. When you dance every tip - it is great exercise - both body and brain.
Our little club alone - we have a cartographer, 6 engineers, 3 teachers, teacher's assistants, secretary, vet, vegetable farmer, professional singer, dry-waller, electrician, past test pilot, bank manager, school principal, senior director of finance, translator of university books to braille, nurses, school counselor, professor, figure skater teacher, surveyor, human resources officer, bus driver, chartered accountant, professional artist, owner of safety supply company, elevator technician, vending machine operator, project manager, technician for department of transport, former Canadian Armed Forces member, former South African Forces member, and graphic artist for a newspaper.
For Hobbies, square dancers play guitar, mandolin, keyboards, accordions, golf, curl, swim, kick box, ride motorbikes, garden, volunteer, tai chi, barrel racing, boarded horses, very involved volunteering with rodeo, make wine, biking, board and show dogs, and have lake cottages. About up to 10 of us jam once a week - a great, wonderful time. Many of us have trailers/5th wheels. Round the house carpenters, and social dancers.
2 of our dancers won a house - a very beautiful home - of which we have all been fortunate to have had many wonderful parties.
Come from: South Africa, Kenya, England, Southern Alberta, Toronto, Lacombe, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Yellowknife, Vancouver, Bangkok, Montreal, Wainwright, Calgary, Red Deer, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Southern Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Cold Lake, Whitehorse, Fort St. John, Vietnam, Drayton Valley, Montenegro. Many come from farming backgrounds.
Square Dancers travel: at least half our club has been through Europe - bus, train, boats, and rental cars. Two went to China, and two lived in Bangkok for 3 years. We ourselves to Europe 3 times, including 2 months driving with another square dance couple. We went to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos for 2 months. Many have gone to Australia, many have been on cruises ALL over - Hawaii, all through United States, and 4 will soon be in Iceland. 16 of us went all the way to Newfoundland for a convention - we all went our own separate ways, meeting up with different people along way, and ALL of us met a couple of times. Many have been through Alaska. Some have been to New York and some have been to Costa Rica. Now, a whole lot go down South (snowbirds) every winter. 4 have been to Bermuda, some to Jamaica, 2 spent 3 months in Dubai with their son, one has been through Japan and one went to Kenya this year.
I know I am not mentioning all the places we come from, or where we travel, or all our hobbies and all our occupations.
FRIENDSHIPS: We have been so so fortunate for the friendships we now have - we have our friends and we have our Square Dance Friends. We now also have 2 more good friends - this time not just square dancers but a square dance caller and his lovely wife.
Square Dancing has brought ALL these people together - for one common interest.
People - First of all, people from every imaginable occupation, people from all over the world get together for one common interest - square dancing. For 3 hours a week, from September to April, we get together and dance and have a great time. I do not always want to go, especially after working all week, but we always leave refreshed. When you dance every tip - it is great exercise - both body and brain.
Our little club alone - we have a cartographer, 6 engineers, 3 teachers, teacher's assistants, secretary, vet, vegetable farmer, professional singer, dry-waller, electrician, past test pilot, bank manager, school principal, senior director of finance, translator of university books to braille, nurses, school counselor, professor, figure skater teacher, surveyor, human resources officer, bus driver, chartered accountant, professional artist, owner of safety supply company, elevator technician, vending machine operator, project manager, technician for department of transport, former Canadian Armed Forces member, former South African Forces member, and graphic artist for a newspaper.
For Hobbies, square dancers play guitar, mandolin, keyboards, accordions, golf, curl, swim, kick box, ride motorbikes, garden, volunteer, tai chi, barrel racing, boarded horses, very involved volunteering with rodeo, make wine, biking, board and show dogs, and have lake cottages. About up to 10 of us jam once a week - a great, wonderful time. Many of us have trailers/5th wheels. Round the house carpenters, and social dancers.
2 of our dancers won a house - a very beautiful home - of which we have all been fortunate to have had many wonderful parties.
Come from: South Africa, Kenya, England, Southern Alberta, Toronto, Lacombe, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Yellowknife, Vancouver, Bangkok, Montreal, Wainwright, Calgary, Red Deer, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Southern Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Cold Lake, Whitehorse, Fort St. John, Vietnam, Drayton Valley, Montenegro. Many come from farming backgrounds.
Square Dancers travel: at least half our club has been through Europe - bus, train, boats, and rental cars. Two went to China, and two lived in Bangkok for 3 years. We ourselves to Europe 3 times, including 2 months driving with another square dance couple. We went to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos for 2 months. Many have gone to Australia, many have been on cruises ALL over - Hawaii, all through United States, and 4 will soon be in Iceland. 16 of us went all the way to Newfoundland for a convention - we all went our own separate ways, meeting up with different people along way, and ALL of us met a couple of times. Many have been through Alaska. Some have been to New York and some have been to Costa Rica. Now, a whole lot go down South (snowbirds) every winter. 4 have been to Bermuda, some to Jamaica, 2 spent 3 months in Dubai with their son, one has been through Japan and one went to Kenya this year.
I know I am not mentioning all the places we come from, or where we travel, or all our hobbies and all our occupations.
FRIENDSHIPS: We have been so so fortunate for the friendships we now have - we have our friends and we have our Square Dance Friends. We now also have 2 more good friends - this time not just square dancers but a square dance caller and his lovely wife.
Square Dancing has brought ALL these people together - for one common interest.
