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FEBRUARY, 1998
Competition in square and round dancing. It is the lack thereof that we like to promote to the general public as an appealing aspect about our recreation. Yet, for hundreds of square and round dancing teens and pre-teens in the Pacific Northwest of North America, it is competition that drives their enthusiasm and engages them intensely in the recreation. They thrive on it! Their competitive spirit is directed specifically at the annual Pacific Northwest Teen Square Dance Festival, held at rotating venues around the region. This is a profile of one of the youth square dance clubs, the Delta Sundancers, and their caller-teacher couple, Bob and Trudi Dallman of Delta, B.C.
For the Delta Sundancers, "club night" is Wednesdays at the North Delta Recreation Centre. At least five squares meet weekly and most of the children are between 11 and 13 years of age. Fall dance nights are just-for-fun and getting to know the new dancers.
Now this club isn't so strong just by chance. It's been nurtured since startup in 1983 by Bob and Trudi and their philosophy plays an important part. They say that they serve a need to give the children something good to do and they enjoy working with the kids. Bob says that his concentration goes beyond just the square dancing to the social needs of the child. Sometimes children need a hand and they'll be there for them. He says that it's important to know your kids--they're not just dancers. Also, they see that the club does other things beyond square dancing because it strengthens the bond. For instance, the whole club, parents and all, goes out to a restaurant together every once in a while.
The first highlight in the dance year that everyone in the Delta Sundancers looks forward to is the Big Christmas Party in early December. Attendance there reaches about 30 squares after members of other youth clubs from B.C. and the states of Washington and Oregon join them for a full turkey dinner, lots of square and round dancing and even a swim at a nearby wave pool. Bob and Trudi work hard on this event along with their volunteers. Much planning is necessary and billets are arranged for the out-of-town visitors. The turkeys are donated by food stores and even the potatoes are complimentary of a local potato farmer. The recreation centre hall is so festively adorned, featuring an enormous number of coloured Christmas lights, that it's decorated a full week in advance.
Come January, it's down to business. The excitement builds! It's preparation and practice time for the Teen Festival just ahead in the Spring. This is so important to the Delta Sundancers that holding a separate weekly practice night on Fridays is perfectly ok--they'll be there! About 60 kids are intent on being at that Festival!
Practice is taken very seriously. For the first part of the Friday evening the pre-teens practice their squares. The caller selects the dancers for each square and those squares each have a more experienced dancer as a coach. You'll see four squares on the dance floor each practicing independently with their respective coaches. Following that, everyone concentrates on the exhibition routines that Trudi Dallman has carefully choreographed.
The Dallmans are a long-time square dance family and grown daughters Lori and Danielle, who both began square dancing as pre-teens, return to help coach. Lori helps with the squares and Danielle coaches rounds, many times teaching 8 different dances which the couples have to completely memorize--there'll be no cueing for them in competition.
The Festival is known to foster a unique styling in its competitors. For instance, in a promenade, the girls are taught to continually flare the outside of their dress with their right hand while the boys keep their left hand neatly positioned in the small of their back. Posture is made a very important factor. Those good dance practises and good styling tips will carry through for these teens into their adult dance years. It's a lifelong benefit.
Costuming is a big factor in preparation for the Festival. The whole club will be clothed in matching outfits! It's done every year! Usually, Trudi engineers the basic design and the kids are consulted about the colour selection. Based upon that, the parents take to costume-making, particularly the girls' dresses and the boys' shirts. Also, they'll need crinolines and pettipants for the girls and shoes for everyone. An area square dance shop, Dance Craft, helps considerably by discounting much of that merchandise.
Then comes the dress rehearsal! Yes, the routines must be tested in a rehearsal and this takes place on the Wednesday before the Festival. It's huge, attracting about 400 people from the community including the Mayor, Member of Parliament and other dignitaries. The cable tv station comes. The hall is decorated like a carnival, the dancers show their routines before the many watchful eyes and "internal trophies" are awarded the dancers in categories such as "best sportsmanship." Bob and Trudi say that the rehearsal takes the "ice" off the actual Festival. In a more comfortable manner, the kids learn what it will be like to compete before an audience and judges. The public's attendance at the rehearsal also serves to promote to the community what the children are doing.
The upcoming Festival will be a considerable distance away for the Delta Sundancers, so transportation planning must be good such that everyone can attend. A 47 passenger coach will be hired and many parents will take their private cars. Several units in a motel room have been reserved and the plan is to place four children to a room with an adult chaperone. They'll leave Delta, B.C., Canada about 6 a.m. on Friday, the day the Festival starts, to return on the Sunday. It will be grueling but worth it!
The 49th Annual Pacific Northwest Teen Square Dance Festival will take place April 25-26, 1998, in Springfield, near Eugene, in Oregon State. It will draw over 500 teen and pre-teen square and round dancers. They'll come from British Columbia and the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Also representing British Columbia will be the long-established Wesburn Wranglers Teen and Pre-teen Square Dance Club from the city of Burnaby under caller-teachers Steve and Lynette Edlund of Coquitlam.
The Teen Festival opens on the Friday night with a pre-Festival square dance featuring all-teen callers. On that night the kids are flying high with excitement and anticipation and very generous with their hugs and handshakes when greeting dance friends they haven't seen since the last Festival.
Saturday activity starts very early with a big grand march of all the dancers and the opening ceremony. Then the competition begins in several halls in the categories of square dancing, round dancing, exhibition dancing, calling and cueing. The Delta Sundancers will enter as many categories as possible. On Saturday evening one big dance floor swarms with still-energetic youth for a Windup Dance where they let off steam prior to the presentation of the awards which closes the event.
Funding the Teen Festival is accomplished through registration fees to competitors and through the offer of Teen Festival badges for a two dollar donation. Each teen club is expected to "sell" at least 100 badges. Monetary donations are always welcomed to supplement the rising costs of facility rentals, trophies and ribbons. Cheques for such non-tax deductible donations can be made out to: "Pacific Northwest Teen Square Dance Festival" or simply "P.N.T.S.D.F." and mailed to Alison and Scott Hampton, Canadian Vice-Chairpersons, Pacific N.W. Teen Sq. Dance Festival, 13548 67th Avenue, Surrey, B.C., V3W 2B8.
A big reunion of past Teen Festival competitors is planned for the 50th Anniversary event at Maple Ridge, B.C., in the Spring of 1999. Anyone who was a competitor or knows a competitor is encouraged to contact this address: 50th Annual P.N.T.S.D.F. Reunion, 2529 Shaughnessy Street, P.O. Box 41130, Port Coquitlam, B.C., V3C 5Z9.
See a section about the Teen Festival on the B.C. Square and Round Dance Federation's Internet Web Site, "The Dance Connection," at www.squaredance.bc.ca.
To dedicated people like Bob and Trudi Dallman and their family goes a big vote of thanks for working with our youth--the very future of square dancing. To all the B.C. competitors in the upcoming Festival: do your best, compete in good spirit, and remember that, in the end, square dancing is just plain fun!