Square Dance Events with DC Lambda Squares!
Last Updated: March 7, 2010
We dance at National City Christian Church at 5 Thomas Circle. We want to see you there! You are always welcome! The floor in Scott Hall, where we dance, is carpeted. So you should wear some hard-soled shoes for really smooth dancing.
Zig Zaggers - DCLS Adjunct?
We're just saying.
Advanced Lite.
Joyce Kilmer Middle School
8100 Wolftrap Road
Vienna, Virginia 22182
8 - 10 p.m.. - $7.00
Next Zig Zaggers is not for a month as we make way for WASCA. And then Good Friday. Zig Zaggers meets next when Butch Adams calls on April 16.
Class Graduation
Cheers and congratulations for the two Joes who have now moved up into the ranks of Plus dancers and can take their places on the floors of Seesaw in the Woods; Pass the Ocean, Hon; and WASCA.
Joe Joe was a man who thought he was......hmmm
Community Dance - Death to Inequality
So many beautiful people in mourning clothes to bid unfond farewells to the inexplicable.
Veils of black netting were handed out at the door. Most everyone wore black. One gentleman even wore a morning coat.
Skip called so fast we almost became winded and Skip, who kept his black jacket on all night, must have outdone himself because he was seen wiping perspiration from his brow. We are greatly pleased that so many friends from Chesapeake Squares traveled down to join in the funereal activities.
[Luminaries courtesy of Ron the Designer's Inspired Lighting Concepts: Luminaries for All Occasions. www.InspiredLightingConcepts.com ]
Next Up: Poke A Nose Fly-In
Independence Squares' Fly-in "Seesaw in the Woods", March 12-14 is almost here. A Mike Jacobs Memorial tip will be Friday night from 7-7:30pm. Betsy Gotta, long time friend and colleague, will call. The Club share of the 50/50 raffle will be donated to the Mike Jacobs Memorial Fund.
In addition to the traditional pool tip, Saturday night will feature a
Roman Toga Dance Party - since the date is close to the Ides of March. ((DON'T JUST USE A SHEET for crying out loud. For easy ideas to make togas, check out: www.howtomakeatoga.info.)
Let your imagination go wild. Remember "accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!"
To register, go to www.iagsdc.org/indsquares. Can't beat the $60 + 9% tax per night at the Pocono Inn & Resort. Use the code: INSQ when you call 570-443-8471 or 800-251-2610.
Letter From Mike Jacob's Daughter
Kristy Jacobs has written the club a note which was read out at the community dance and which we shall quote here:
DC Lambda Squares,
Thank you so much for providing the wonderful refreshment for Dad's memorial. It was such a huge help and so kind of you all. I am so glad that so may of you were able to make it, even despite the terrible weather. I know if would have meant a great deal to Dad to have you all there. Thank you all for your help and support and for being a part of this special day.
Many thanks,
Kristy Jacobs
Survey Results - Get a Load of This
Jimbo tells us the survey results have provided an enormous amount of......opinions. Click here to see for yourself. Not all club members think alike.
Free LGBT Party
A message from Chaz.
Mark your calendars for the 2nd annual and largest LGBT professional networking and social event of the year! On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, CAGLCC, the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and Town Danceboutique have invited us to connect with dozens of other LGBT networking and professional groups to mix, mingle and have a great time. There is NO COVER. Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Just a few of the other groups invited to join in the fun include Burgundy Crescent, Federal GLOBE, GAYLAW, DC Out and Equal, Gertrude Stein Club, Team DC, DC Icebreakers, GATT, Accenture, Homo Hotel Happy Hour, Anywhere Goes, Dulles Triangles and the NOVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals Meet-Up. Last year over 1000 people attended this free event.
The 2nd Annual Mega Networking and Social Event is scheduled for March 10 at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th Street NW, DC (Metro Green Line to U Street, Vermont exit to 10th street, 2 blocks on the right) from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Grab a few friends and join us!
Dance Schedule to be Voted on at Annual Meeting
A message from President Happy.
The annual meeting for DC Lambda Squares is going to be on March 25 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church. Please mark it on your calendars and plan to attend. It is an important meeting, and in addition to electing board members, the club will be making decisions that affect every club member and visitor. Please come and join the discussion.
In much of 2009, the club tried out a new club night dance schedule: 1st Thursday - Plus 2nd Thursday - Plus and Advanced 3rd Thursday - Advanced 4th Thursday - Plus and Advanced 5th Thursday - Challenge
The board is proposing that the club adopt this schedule. The current schedule was adopted many years ago. In the intervening years, the demographics of the club has changed substantially. The proposed schedule rebalances the scheduled dance times more in line with the actual members in each dance program in the club. Please think carefully about this change, and come prepared to discuss it at the annual meeting.
Another item that the board would like advice about is how the club can better support the needs of gay square dancing for our Challenge program dancers. The board wants the club to be welcoming for Challenge dancers and to have them continue to dance with the club and attend club functions. Please consider how the club can support its Challenge dancers and support their dancing in a gay environment.
The board invites all gay square dancers, whether currently members or not, to come to the annual meeting. All of you have a stake in the continued success of the club, and your viewpoints are important in our discussions.
Club Members: It's Time To Renew
If you haven't renewed your club membership, it's time to do it. We need your support. If you need financial assistance, please contact or any board member about using the Warren Jaquith Fund. Your request will be kept confidential. Members can re-up online.
This Week
03/09/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
03/11/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Plus & Advanced, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Dayle. For more info, contact: .
03/12/10 to 03/14/10 - FLY-IN: Philadelphia Freedom, Lake Harmony, PA, Callers: Anne Uebelacker, Tim Marriner, and Barry Clasper.
Community Dances
- April 17, Caller: Ett McAtee
- June 19, Caller: Howard Richman
- August 21, Caller: John Marshall
- September 25, Caller: Dayle Hodge
- October 30, Caller: Bill Harrison
- December 11, Caller: Butch Adams
Club Night Format
| First Thursday: | Mainstream & Plus |
| Second Thursday: | Plus and Advanced |
| Third Thursday: | Mainstream & Plus |
| Fourth Thursday: | Plus and Advanced |
| Fifth Thursday: | Advanced and C1 |
Coming Soon...
03/16/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
03/18/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Mainstream & Plus, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Dayle. For more info, contact: .
03/23/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
03/25/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Annual Meeting (with Mainstream and Plus Dancing), 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Brian and Kent. For more info, contact: .
03/30/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
04/01/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Mainstream & Plus, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Dayle. For more info, contact: .
04/06/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
04/08/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Plus & Advanced, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Dayle. For more info, contact: .
04/13/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
04/15/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Mainstream & Plus, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Brian. For more info, contact: .
04/17/10 - Community Dance, 7 - 10p, Location: TBD; Caller: Ett McAtee. For more info, contact: .
04/20/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
04/22/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Plus & Advanced, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: Skip Cleland. For more info, contact: .
04/27/10 - Chesapeake Squares Club Night - Mainstream thru Advanced, 8 - 10p, Waxter Center. For more info, contact: .
04/29/10 - DC Lambda Squares Club Night - Advanced & Challenge, 7:30 - 9:30p, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Cir NW Washington DC, Caller: TBD. For more info, contact: .
04/30/10 to 05/02/10 - FLY-IN: Pass the Ocean, Hon!, Rehoboth Beach, DE, Callers: Sandie Bryant, Dayle Hodge, Michael Maltenfort, and Ken Ritucci.
Useful Contact Info
If you have news, dish, rumors, or comments, email your newsletter editors, .
If you have a question about DC Lambda Squares, , or snail mail your inquiry to DC Lambda Squares, P.O. Box 77782, Washington DC 20013-8782.
If you have questions about the web site, or you have found broken links, the site behaves in a weird way for you, contact , and he'll fix it.
Gay Square Dancing Links:
The URL to the DCLS website is: http://www.dclambdasquares.org
The URL to the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs website is: http://wwww.iagsdc.org/
The URL to the East Coast Dancers Calendar is: http://www.iagsdc.org/timessquares/NortheastCalendar.html
Square Dancing and then some:
Ettseteras
Challenge dancers: Ettseteras. The club dances every second and fourth Monday of the month, and all C1 dancers are welcome to attend. Gay-friendly club, $7/dancer, singles welcome, casual dress. Location: 9800 Cherry Hill Rd, College Park, MD. Contact for more information. Please note: no dancing if Prince George's county schools are closed, or close early, due to weather. If in doubt, call Ett at 443-745-1709.
Butch Adams
Butch Adams offers some great Plus dance-by-definition (DBD) square dancing. Plus DBD is all of the calls you know and love, but often from new or different positions. Butch offers workshop dances and classes. Here's his schedule:
Plus DBD Workshop
7:30 to 10 P.M.; 2nd, 4th and 5th Tuesdays of the month
Thoreau Middle School
2505 Cedar Lane
Vienna, VA 22180
Plus DBD Workshop/Class
7:30 to 9:30 P.M. every Wednesday evening
Lincolnia Senior Center
4710 North Chambliss St
Alexandria, VA 22312
For more information, contact .
Square Dance Animation
The TAMinations website will take you to a wonderful place with examples of all the square dance calls in all the land. You can watch the move happen at a fast pace, a slow place, or manually, at your own pace.
Noriko Takahashi has a great animated square dance site for Basic through Advanced. Check it out and enjoy: http://members.tripod.com/~noriks/ENGLISH/English-Index2.html. If your browser attempts to download a Japanese character set, just cancel the download operation.
Another animated site where you can order a CD. This site shows some examples from the CD. Work those skirts.... http://www.squaredancecd. com/sdance.htm (Uses frames).
And for a change of pace, check out Lavender Country & Folk Dancers at http://www.lcfd.org.
Board Members:
| President | |
| Vice-President | |
| Secretary | |
| Treasurer | |
| Membership | |
| At Large | |
| At Large | |
| Newsletter Editor | |
| Class Representative | |
| Web Guy |
Learn to Square Dance with DC Lambda Squares
Read more about our classes....
DC Lambda Squares welcomes singles, couples, and those on the rebound. We provide an energetic activity that encourages smiles, promotes friendship, and is a ticket to the hip, social, sexy world of square dancing. We promise that without any irony at all, and we do it in a smoke-free, alcohol-free space. Suddenly, Monday nights are fun again!
Remember, if you can walk, you can dance! Meanwhile, we'd love to come and put on a dance demo for your club or organization, and throughout the year, we host a number of open houses and fundraisers for the community. If you would like more information about any of this, please contact , our Membership Chairperson. Come back to this page for updates and details.
From time to time, we schedule dance open houses. At our open houses, you'll meet club members and learn about a dozen calls of Modern Western Square Dancing! Men, women, singles, and couples are welcome. You don't need a partner, and you don't need any previous dance experience. We'll teach you everything you need to know.
Admission is free at the open houses, and we'll provide refreshments in a smoke-free, alcohol-free environment. Dress is casual. You don't need to wear crinolines, unless you really want to. We recommend comfortable clothes.
We dance at National City Christian Church (NCCC) at 5 Thomas Circle, Washington, DC. Please for more information.
Every so often we're going to feature a club member. So if Tonja, Ace Reporter, asks you for an interview, be sure to say yes, because we all want to get to know you better. Read all of Tonja's club member interviews. Mein, who came here from the Philippines via Long Island, is now, since this past ACDC weekend, a seasoned Advance Level dancer. But here's the thing. Mein has been square dancing since the spring of 2006 when he began with an Accelerated Learning Program. He completed the Plus lessons in 2007. And began Advanced in the fall of 2007. He's almost through the Advanced class. Almost. So... since at ACDC he danced every tip, as lead and follow, it would appear he's fast onto becoming a dancing machine. Well, maybe he already is. Mein dances Latin dances Samba, Rhumba, ChaCha; he teaches Salsa, is in a Salsa Rueda group (Rueda is a called dance pattern lying somewhere between round and square dancing); dances counry and western, line dancing, east and west coast swing. Oh, and he could polka if he felt like it. Mein had been vaguely aware that there was such a thing as gay square dancing. But it wasn't until the 2005 ASGRA rodeo that he was personally introduced to it. In the demo tip. And the invitational tip. He had to wait until spring to begin classes. And then danced irregularly at club night awaiting the next set of Plus classes. After the rodeo and before the Mainstream classes began, Mein just showed up one evening to see what the Lambda Squares looked like in their home. Knowing no one, he was immediately made to feel welcome by the friendly Lambdas who, but of course, invited Mein to dance anyway, and pulled this natural through a few tips. Mein has a fondness for the five- and six-couple formations that Jim Wass used when he taught. Thinks Harper's Ferry Hoedown to be the best thing going outside of the weekly dance nights. That is, until he met ACDC. And is quietly thrilled to have come so far as to be able to help newer dancers (and even some older ones) make their way through the calls. Amazing Mein; how cute thou art. Visit Mein's website, www.SonMas.net, for salsa information. With an admitted fondness for toes, Nick is presently the DC Lambda Squares club treasurer (and a fine thing it is, too). Nick's beginning involvement with the club stemmed from a great sadness. As the caretaker of a loved one dying from HIV, he sought some kind of respite among people who would be unawares of the daily problems and issues he faced. He wanted a place or activity that would be separate from the other life of constant cares, a small space of freedom and relief. He discovered DC Lambda Squares at a Gay Pride event and found the balance he had been seeking in a safe, wholesome atmosphere where for a brief while, he could slip away from the nightmare. Taking lessons up through Plus from Doug Barnett, DC Lambda Squares long-time instructor, Nick considers himself now to be "stuck" at Plus. This is inaccurate as he will jump into an Advanced Square (he completed Gary Felton's Advanced class) where he injects, always, lightness and laughter, an infectiousness that even travels to adjoining squares. It is this spirit of joy, of fellowship and camaraderie that Nick cherishes about the club. Lambda members really do care about one another. He has seen them laugh together and cry together; he has witnessed warmth and support in times of sorrow, and shared pleasure in happier times. Nick's first convention was in 1990 (either Seattle or Vancouver). He was awestruck. From the initial excitement of the Trail Inn, to the leather tip, the moonshine tip, to the dressing up, the costumes, the constant color and theatre of it all, he was, and remains, hooked. A thousand, twelve hundred gay men and women dancing together….where else can you find that? We don't know where else. But we are getting a pedicure. Katherine has come a long ways from Nebraska, but maybe the Midwest and corn fanned a spark for square dancing.... Katherine is another reluctant convert to the joys of square dancing. Two short years ago she accompanied her grandparents to a square dance class in Missouri. She nixed the notion of her own participation. No, no. She’d just sit and watch. Thanks, but no thanks. But then she was sorry as she saw how much fun it was. She knew immediately that she wanted to join in. Coming to the DC area, Katherine tried for a whole year to find a place to square dance. It wasn’t very promising. The straight clubs she found had two glaring negatives. One was the average age of the members (her grandparents’ age); and two was that "have-to-be-coupled-up" factor that bedevils singles, especially single women, in straight clubs. Noodling around on the internet, Katherine nearly missed a tiny link to gay square dancing. She went back and clicked on it and TA DA! DC Lambda Squares. She signed up instantly. Katherine hasn’t been square dancing long enough to have racked up a huge number of square dance moments. However, she does mention the time a woman joined her square wearing a baby in a sling. How was this woman going to be able to...? Katherine surprised herself as she found during the tip that she didn’t even notice the baby. Hey, start 'em young! Her first encounter with DCLS gave Katherine the slightest moment of pause. Alone and knowing not a soul in the group, she entered the Baptist church basement and found a group of older men standing around... who turned and looked at her. (She did stand out, after all.) And made her wonder. Um, was she in the right place? Had she made a terrible, terrible mistake? That feeling of uncertainty was quickly transformed by the warmth and welcoming atmosphere that Lambda Dancers shower on newcomers. And now she’s a terrific booster for the club. Katherine dances Plus, having learned it all here with DC Lambda Squares. Originally from far off Cumberland, Maryland, Ed has been square dancing for an indeterminate number of years. One of two things: either it's a secret number, or he's quite forgotten (it's been THAT long). Ed did not come willingly to square dancing; he was more or less forced into it. Totally uninterested, even actively disinclined towards the activity, he couldn't be bothered. Square dancing? Puhleeze. Besides, Ed was really busy. But he had three friends who were eager to square dance. More than eager. And thinking it was necessary to show up with a partner, Ed (the driver) was coerced into making the fourth. Only if he absolutely HAD to, he said. Then they arrived at CUMC (early location for DC Lambda Squares) and discovered that no, you don't need your own personal partner. Apparently the reality of square dancing differed from Ed's preconception of it; he's been dancing ever since, learning from Doug (the original article), Warren, and then Ett. His first impression that long ago night? A whole room full of gay people and the lights were on. After the first lesson was over, Ed and his gang of four topped off the evening with a visit to Mr. Henry's. This was a huge success. They had such a good time that Mr. Henry's became a tradition carried through to the completion of Mainstream classes. One of Ed's brightest square dance memories occurred at the Baltimore convention. The Edo 8s, a Tokyo club, introduced the Miss Honky Tonk Queen contest with a dance number Ed insists has yet to be equaled. It involved fireworks. (Well anyway, sparklers.) Among other things, Ed appreciates that being part of the DC Lambda Squares means participating in a gay activity that doesn't require going to bars. Let's hear it for Mr. Henry's. Everyone, absolutely everyone, who comes to the DC Lambda Squares makes mention of how friendly and open and warm everyone was to them from their first visit. Cindy is one of the people they are talking about. Cindy makes a new person feel that she couldn't be happier than to see you there. She immediately puts you at ease. She wants to dance with you. YOU. Cindy knew nothing about square dancing until a friend who was a DC Lambda Squares member introduced her to the club. Cindy had been looking around for things to do, things to get her out into the community, ways to meet people, get exercise. She came to an open house and, shazaam! There it all was. <<<<<<<---------- Also there! Olivia, Cindy is her special angel! Cindy dances full Advanced level, having learned Mainstream and Plus DC Lambda Squares, and Advanced with Baltimore's Chesapeake Squares. During her ten years of square dancing, one of Cindy's favorite experiences was seeing Happy in his Wonder Woman costume at the IAGSDC Wish Upon Thar's masquerade ball in Anaheim. And right up there with that event: the convention's Honky Tonk Queen contest where people in drag compete to win a title in a lame beauty contest, the rules of which continually change to accommodate unexpected trends. (The escort had morphed from one person to an entourage which at one point included a whole chorus of Rockettes.) Some past contestants: Cow Patti. Leona Davenport. Sharon Husbands. Ima Cornholder. Tammy Whynot. Are we having enough fun? A tough day at work and Cindy looks forward to club night where she can count on getting happy and relaxed. Along with the friendly, smiling faces Cindy encountered when she joined DCLS, there has been another, and unexpected, boon. Before DCLS, she had few male friends. Now she has more friends of both sexes than she ever dreamed would come out of square dancing. See? Join 16. Go home with friends!Club Member Corner
Meet Mein
Meet Nick
Meet Katherine
Meet Ed
Meet Cindy ------->>>>>>>
