The Club looks forward to many more occasions for graduation ceremonies as the most senior club in MetroHalifax continues in it's third decade of dancing.

METRO area dancers are invited to consider joining a group travelling by van or bus to the Federation FESTIVAL '05in Yarmouth on 5 & 6 August, 2005. Transport & advance accomodations may be arranged by contacting:

           Kerry Fletcher, 435-0245, kdf@ns.sympatico.ca
           Pauline Arsenault, 434-3648, paulinearsenault@hotmail.com

Prior registration for the FESTIVAL is encouraged by sending a cheque or money order ($20/dancer)made payable to: "Festival '05":
           Festival '05
           26 Nauss Avenue
           Bridgewater, NS B4V 1V7
Please include each First name, Last name, Address, Dance level(s), Club.

Admiral Dancers started their new season on Sept. 18, and although they had a few missing members, theyhad a great time of fellowship and dance. A couple ( William and Pennie Taylor ) from Gilmer, Texas, had contacted us months before, and they weregiven a Nova Scotia welcome, and quoted "We want to thank both of you and especially your club membersfor making us feel so welcome. We had a great time and really enjoyed visiting with everyone."And here is a picture to prove so.

What is your club doing that's kind of special and fun this year? The space is herewaiting to be filled with your club's exciting activities. Kindly submit your stories.

           Gentlemen let's look around the room. You can see the single lady sitting there. She is enjoying the music and the fellowship of the other dancers, but if she could dance a tip or two over the evening,it would make a good night an even better one.

           There are about ten to twelve tips in the evening. If we were to just give up one tip with ourpartner and get this single lady on the floor, I am positive that our partner would not complain aboutthat one tip during the night. Then we all would have a great night and not just a good night.

           Think about it. If you were sick or out of town, what would your partner do at the dance? Let'stry to spread the joy of this activity around. It takes so little and imparts so much. On behalf of theseladies, I thank you for your participation in this endeavor for the enjoyment of Square and RoundDancing for all.

An award of excellence in recognition of 20 years or more of outstanding contribution at the local, and/orregional, and/or provincial level.

The 2004 Mayflower awards were presented at the ANSSRDT dance on October 2nd to Alex Ritchie, inrecognition of his outstanding contribution to the dance movement in Nova Scotia, and to his dancing partner,Bernice Thurber for her loyal support in his dance activity.

With the help of his partner, Alex created and leadsthe round dance club Rag Rounds, and is currently theleader for Dancing Shadows. In addition they operatethe Golden Squares and Rounds, a dance club forseniors, two mornings a week. They also conduct twolevels of round dance classes on Sunday evenings. Alex 's contributions to the Federation began asChairman and was responsible for the creation of theFederation's logo, the Calendar of Events, andBetween Tips. Recently his creation and maintenanceof the Federation's Web Page has been outstanding. Equally impressive has been his administrative workwith DANS (Dance Nova Scotia), ANSSRDT(Association of Nova Scotia Square and RoundDance Teachers), and MCCA (Maritime Callers andCuers Association). In August of 1999 Alex washonoured with the "DANS AWARD", Dance NovaScotia's highest award.

The Awards Committee organized the presentationand the SRDFNS immediate past-presidents, Ron & Dot Connell, made the presentations. Dancers, callers,and cuers extended personal congratulations to the well-deserved 2004 Mayflower Award winners.

           The Association of Nova Scotia Square & Round Dance Teachers (ANSSRDT) awarded to Pat Alguirea lifetime Honourary Membership. Pat is now retired from calling. During the year 2000 Pat was honouredby Dance Nova Scotia with the John Essex Award for Excellence in Teaching Dance.

           At the Federation's Web Site there is a list of Nova Scotia Dancers who have traded their dance shoesfor wings in heaven. The list is not complete. If you fondly remember a fellow dancer that should be listed. Please send the necessary information to our web master, Alex Ritchie.           The following pages are dedicated to two noteworthy Nova Scotia callers who passed away in the lasttwo years.

           Warren and Dorothy Marshall began square dance lessons in September 1967 with Reagh Nixon whocalled for the Fundy Frolickers in Digby. Later they moved to Kings County and danced with the NixonPromenaders in West Paradise. When they realized there were several clubs nearer Kingston, they decided tojoin the Belles 'n' Beaux with caller Don Haley. They also danced with caller Lloyd Eisner with the WagonWheel Squares. Often visiting other clubs, they sometimes danced four nights per week!
           Warren taught square dance to the grades 4, 5 and 6 in the West Nictaux School for approximatelythree years in the early 1970s. He was principal of the two "feeder schools" in the Nictaux area, and there wasno Physical Education equipment for the pupils.
           Warren attended the DANS Callers' School held at Acadia University each June from 1987 through1989. In October of 1987 he began teaching square dance to schoolchildren in Lawrencetown, grades 3through 6. With five classes to teach, and a shortage of time, his bag lunch was essential. Then the gymteacher in Kingston school asked him to teach some of his grades 3 and 4 to dance. Both schools danced untilFebruary 1988, and each held a special assembly to show what they had learned. Warren was asked to bring asquare from Lawrencetown school to Wolfville to dance at a Teachers' Association for Physical Educationconference. The teachers enjoyed them!
           Each summer from 1990 through 1994 he did an evening of square dancing with the students in theShad Valley Acadia Program in Wolfville. They were a different age group than we were used to workingwith, but just as enjoyable.
           Warren often talked about the most enjoyable time he had calling to a youth group. It was onNovember 10, 1988 when the 57th International Allied Youth Conference was held at the Old Orchard Inn. Their usual caller couldn't attend. Warren set up his equipment in the Heritage Barn, and the first group ofsixty arrived at 9:45 a.m. and danced until 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. the second group of about sixty came in. Whenit was time for the last group to go in to dinner, one square didn't want to stop dancing. They kept asking formore! They covered about all of the basics in those two hours! Warren told them he wished he could findsome new dancers around here who were as enthusiastic as they were!
           Warren and Dorothy really enjoyed the dancing at University Sainte-Anne fair grounds during theAcadian Festival each summer as well as in Norman and Alma Comeau's barn in Meteghan Centre! It wasgood to have a place to dance during the summer months. Warren enjoyed it, and was so sad to see it come toan end.

           Lorne was born in Toronto. Audry came from Brookfield, Nova Scotia. They met while theywere both serving in the Air Force during the Second World War. After the war they lived inMontreal, learned to square dance and there Lorne began calling for the Greenfield Park dancerssouth of Montreal.
           They came to Dartmouth in 1963 and Lorne soon became involved calling for the GralorneSquares who were started by Graham Geddes and danced traditional style squares from 1958 to1963. He also called for the Maurianna Whirlers who were started by Maurice Hennigar and dancedfrom 1954 to 1964.
           At Christmas time of 1963 some of the dancers from the Gralorne Squares and the MauriannaWhirlers met in Fred and Obee Benjamin's basement to begin learning the new moves of modernsquare dancing. That group became the Tartan Twirlers who danced in Dartmouth for 21 yearsfrom January of 1964 to January of 1985 reaching a membership roster of at least 100 dancers intheir heyday. In 1967 the Tylers, Benjamins, Knowltons, Robin Campbell and Audrey Brundagetraveled across Canada on the Centennial Square Dance Train.
           In the 1970's a small group of dancers attended a weekly workshop on experimental calls inthe Tyler's basement at the top of Rodney Terrace in Dartmouth (quite a treacherous spot on icynights). At that time Callerlab was in its formative stages. Callerlab held its first official meeting in1974. In 1975 it accepted 68 moves in 3 groups as the Basic, Extended Basic and MainstreamPrograms. In 1976 a trial Plus list was made of 16 additional calls and 6 experimentals. ByFebruary of 1978 the first Advanced list had been approved. By 1979 Plus had been stabilized intoa Plus One List of 14 moves and a Plus Two List of 12 moves. (Eventually these were combined,18 are still on our Plus list, and 6 on our Advanced list.) Lorne and Audry were active in thatprocess of establishing our programs as they work-shopped the moves, passed along their opinionsand attended at least one of the Callerlab meetings.
           Modern Square Dancing was flourishing. As Plus became established, more dancers wantedto participate so the workshop group soon outgrew the space in the basement. They moved to St.Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hall and became the Eager Eights. From 1979 to 1988 up to eightsquares whooped it up on Friday nights dancing Plus and continuing to experiment with new movesas they came along. Since several members were serving on the board and committees of the 3rdCanadian National, the breaks during the season of 1981-1982 were full of convention relateddiscussions. It was a stimulating time of great enthusiasm for the activity and hugely successfuldances.
           Lorne and Audry were founding members of MCCA. Lorne called at the first 20 MaritimeConventions (1970-1989) and they chaired the 1971 and 1975 Conventions. They were also incharge of the Square Dance Programme for the 3rd Canadian National Convention in Halifax in1982.
           After retirement they moved to Shubenacadie in 1986 and enjoyed several years pursuingtheir favorite hobbies of bird watching, golfing and gardening. In the last few years Lorne's healthdeteriorated due to a stroke and Alzheimer's disease. That necessitated a move to Truro andeventually placement in a nursing home. A heart attack ended his life at age 82 on September 8,2004.
           On September 9th we were still dancing at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hall andremembered those many happy nights there with Lorne by dancing again to one of his best singingcalls -- "Kindly Keep It Country". That brings more old favorite tunes to mind so let us "Stop andSmell the Roses" as we remember "That Old Gang of Mine" with "Fond Affection".
                      Copied with permission from ANSSRDT NEWSLETTER, September 2004