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Florida Callers Association
President’s Message
This month we are looking forward to a great 54th State Square and Round Dance Convention, May 23rd through May 25th in Lakeland. If you haven’t signed up you can still attend even if it’s only for one or two days. Walkins are always welcome. So try to attend.
This month we’ll continue our discussion on sound, a subject that all callers should be familiar with.
SPEAKER PLACEMENT IN THE HALL
• Speakers should never be placed over 40 feet apart.
• Speakers should be placed so that the entire floor is covered with sound.
• In large halls, whenever possible, direct the sound across the shortest dimension.
• Do not try to fill the back of a hall with sound by placing speakers half of the way or two thirds of the way down and aimed at the back of the hall. You will have dead spots, due to hearing the same sound at different times.
• In long narrow halls try placing a speaker in the middle of the front wall facing another speaker placed in the middle of the rear wall. If the ceiling is high enough aim the beam of the speakers at the heads of the dancers at the halfway point. If the ceiling is low aim the beam of the speakers at each other. NOTE: Speakers should be connected in series, to insure that both speakers are driven equally.
• Speaker height and angle. Speakers should be placed high enough, so that the dancers at the rear of the hall can hear comfortably and not deafening to the dancers in the front of the hall. In other words elevate the speaker high enough so that the intense part of the beam of sound passes over the heads of the dancers in front.
• The speaker beam should be angled or aimed at the top of the heads, of the last dancers at the rear of the hall. NOTE: You cannot drive sound through the dancers, but you can direct sound down to them.
Next month we’ll cover impedance, hookup, and cabling of speakers. In closing, I want to remind all members that our next FCA meeting will be at 9:00am, Sunday, May 25, at the Lakeland Convention Center, in the “SIKES F” General Hall. Coffee and doughnuts will be available in the Caller’s Hospitality Room. We hope we’ll see many of you at the Convention and thank you for your support.
Wes and Joy Morris, President
Round Dance Council of
Florida President’s Message
Spring Weekend of Rounds
The dance is over and our brains and feet are tired. But we had a great time. We are so appreciative of all 18 couples in attendance. There was a wonderful mix of Dancers and Teachers this year with 4 couples traveling all the way from the Panhandle with Sandy and David Sturgis one of the newer members of our Council. Jim and Fran Soos from Moultrie, Ga. also new to the Council traveled a ways to join us and cue this weekend. Anne and Earl Helm, another new Council couple, also cued this weekend, before they headed back to Indiana for the summer. WOW the “Newbies” are doing great. Both Jim and Fran Soos and David and Sandy Sturgis will be Cueing at the State Convention for the first time. Lets make a point of dancing to them and showing our support. There were also several dancers that attended from the central part of the state.
Don and Linda Hichman our Featured Clinicians did a wonderful job. We were even entertained with a few of Dons favorite toys. It is fantastic when you can see how your dancing can be improved by watching a “Top Spinning”. The dancers were shown how to align themselves properly to aide in the execution of turns. Just as a top spins on a single point a couple can align their bodies to create a common pivotal point and spin more effectively. They also used a laser level to emphize the proper head position to keep your balance over your feet. We were all tasked to practice five figures to improve our Foxtrot dancing. The Left Turning figures were Open Telemark, Open Reverse Turn and Feather Finish. The Natural or Right Turning Figures were Half Natural Turn from Semi closed and Open Impetus. The dances that were taught were Burning Memories phase IV+2 Foxtrot, Hoy Hoy Hoy phase IV+1 Jive, Swingin’ and Swayin’ phase IV+1 Single Swing all written by Don & Linda. And last but not least was a phase III+2 Waltz by Gert-Jan & Susie Rotscheid called A Time For Love III.
Our State Convention is just around the corner bring new friends and have a good time with old friends. The Round Dance Council Fall Weekend of Rounds phase 3 thru 4+ October 18 & 19, 2008 will feature Richard Lamberty. Get your reservations in early and come prepared to learn.
Lisa Wall, President
Florida Federation of
Square Dancers
President’s Message
Imagine for a minute you have invited all of your friends to a party at your house. The party is to last two hours. After one hour they start to leave one by one, two by two. By the end of the party there are only a few friends remaining. What would you think? How would you feel?
Many years ago when we started square dancing, the dance lasted for three hours. Yes, we were younger then, but there were retired dancers in our club. About nine o’clock the tables would be set up and we had a pot luck dinner. After about thirty minutes the dance started back up. And everyone stayed until the dance ended. After the dance we headed home or to someone’s house for some refreshments and joke telling. The house would be bulging with people.
Fast forward 30 years and the dance lasts for only two hours and more than half the dancers start leaving after one hour! This is really insulting to the caller. He has prepared his agenda for the evening and he must think he failed to make it interesting or entertaining enough. What is so important that we cannot stay until the end of the party? People leave sporting events and church early to beat the crowd (that is NOT a problem with most square dances!). The dancer is getting a bad reputation for being impolite and rude to the caller. Let’s change that image and stay until the end of the dance.
May is State Convention time. Make your plans now. Without dancers at the convention there is no need for a State Convention. Dancers get your club caller to come and callers get your clubs to go with you.
P.S. The last tip is usually the best of the evening.
Randy and Carol Poole, President
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