Square Dance Computer Programs
Maryland State Folk Dance:Square DanceWhat happened in MarylandEarly in 1994, a bill,sponsored by State Senator Leo Green, was introduced in to the Maryland Assembly declaring square dance the state folk dance of Maryland.The bill described square dancing as representing the American melting pot by blending the Morris and Maypole dances of England, the ballroom dancesof France, the Church dances of Spain, and the folk dances of countless other countries. The bill also invoked the symbols of family values, wholesomeness,and benefits to the handicapped and elderly, and used these to justify square dancing as representative of the state of Maryland.The only individual to testify against the bill at the hearings in Annapolis was Stan Fowler. Stan manages the dance program at the Glen Echo Parkin Glen Echo, Maryland, which includes contras & squares, Cajun, zydeco, big band, and swing. Stan testified as a concerned citizen and dancerof the state of Maryland, and not as a representative of the National Park Service, which runs the park.Stan's testimony pointed out the importance of state symbols. Choosing the same state folk dance as nearly two dozen other states defeats the purposeof a state symbol to distinguish that state from others. There is nothing about club square dancing that represents Maryland. You can go to a mainstreammodern Western square dance club in Maryland and then to one in Minnesota or Arizona and find little or no difference in their dancing.
Stan also offeredthe exclusionary nature of club square dancing as another reason that the bill was inappropriate for the state of Maryland. He quoted an article inthe Washington Post from February 6, 1987, in which a historian for a local modern Western square dance association said, 'We kind of look down ournose at square dancing over at Glen Echo. It's totally open to the public, and they don't meet our criteria for being a member of the Washington AreaSquare Dance Cooperative Association.'
Most important, Stan Fowler's testimony brought up the issue of cultural diversity. 'Frankly, I do not see the need for Maryland to select a statedance. It would be hard to select a truly representative one because of the rich variety of dances done in Maryland and because of the diversity ofMaryland's population.' A vote was taken immediately after the hearing at which Stan Fowler testified. The measure was defeated unanimously.
Square Dance Computer Programs 2017
The club square dancers, however,would not give up so easily. Within days, a letter was sent to Mr. Howard Rawlings, the chairman of the committee which held the March 29 hearing.Richard Peterson, of the Washington Area Square Dance Cooperative Association, implored the committee to reconsider its vote, and included a referenceto the national square dance convention: 'We had intended to bid for the national square dance convention again.this June.
In 1984, we had the nationalin Baltimore and attracted over 25,000 square dancers. With the negative vote we received from the House Appropriations Committee, this makes our bidrather useless. The conventions have been going to other states that have passed the legislation.'
On April 9, the committee voted again on the billand it passed.On May 27, Governor William Donald Schaeffer signed a bill designating square dance (as defined by modern Western square dancers) the state folk danceof Maryland. This was despite petitions, phone calls, and letters of opposition from dancers who participate in the dances sponsored by the FolkloreSociety of Greater Washington, the Baltimore Folk Music Society, the Mid- Maryland Folk Arts Council, and the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society.It appears that the politicians sold out to the economic benefit of a national square dance convention being held in Maryland. One can only wonderwhat is the value of a state symbol. For Maryland, it seems to be a convention that has yet to be actually scheduled in Maryland. Even if one is scheduledfor Maryland, it will be a convention that is not likely to be scheduled more than once every twenty years. Club square dancers in every state arelikely to use the same ploy on their legislatures.Exerpt fromThe State Folk Dance Conspiracy: Fabricating a National Folk Danceby Julie ManginOriginally published in the Old-Time Herald, v.4(7) p.9-12, Spring 1995 Maryland LawThe law designating square dancing as the official Maryland state folk dance is found in the Maryland Statutes, Title 13, Section 13-314.STATE GOVERNMENTTITLE 13.
EMBLEMS; COMMEMORATIVE DAYS; MANUAL.SUBTITLE 3. ADDITIONAL EMBLEMS; DESIGNATIONS.SECTION 13-314.§13-314. Square dancing is the State folk dance.1994, ch.
Article TypeAuthorPublication DateLinksDescriptionBarry Johnson (callerbear@gmail.com)2019-04-21This 35-page document is a handout by Barry Johnson at an SqView session at CALLERLAB in Richmond, VA in 2019. It takes you through the basics of installing and using the SqView music management program under Windows. The topics include:.
Download and Installation. Backup. Options. Music Organization. Playing Music.
Square Dance Computer Programs List
Displaying Lyrics, Cuesheets, and Choreography. Typical Errors. Advanced Topics. Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionAudacity TeamAudacity is a free multi-track audio editing program that runs on several platforms including Windows, Linux, and MAC OS.
It permits recording from a variety of sources and producing a variety of sound file formats. It has features for pitch and tempo shifting, noise elimination (such as clicks and pops), cropping or extending recordings, adjusting bass/treble balances, and much more.CALLERLAB recently ran an education session on Audacity and you can The Audacity website contains full documentation under the HELP selection on the masthead. Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionVic Ceder (vic@ceder.net)The Square Rotation Program (SQROT) is used at a dance to assign dancers to squares. The objective is to ensure a thorough mixing of dancers such that each dancer dances with as many different people as possible. The program handles single dancers and can also manage special situations such as: students who should dance as much as possible and preferably mixed in with experienced dancers; dancers who need regular sitouts; dancers acting as angels; and couples who do not wish to be split up. Other features include support for dancers scanning in using barcodes, and access to square assignments using cellphones.
Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionVic Ceder (vic@ceder.net)CSDS (Ceder Square Dance System) is a comprehensive program that incorporates under one roof all the facilities needed by square dance callers. The program allows the user to:. Write square dance choreography. Store and retrieve square dance sequences or modules.
Store and retrieve getouts (resolves) and getins. Manipulate lists of square dance calls. Generate bitmap pictures of formations. Display sequences for calling from a laptop. Organize and play music files. Display cue sheets and lyrics for singing calls.
Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionBill Ackerman (wba@alum.mit.edu)Before computers, callers worked out choreography by moving “checkers”. A set of checkers had 8 pieces that represented the dancers, usually representing the gender and relationships of the dancers with shape and color coding. The caller then physically pushed the checkers through the motions of the calls to keep track of how the sequence worked. This process was time consuming and error prone. SD is a computer program that performs the same function which greatly speeds up the process of writing and dramatically reduces errors.
The program is available free of charge from the website. It has both Windows and Linux versions. Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionReinhold Roedig (support@callarama.com)Callarama is a “checker mover” program to help callers work out choreography by showing animated figures moving in response to calls entered by the caller.
Callarama has defined the standard for animated Square Dance Choreography since its introduction in 2004. The New Callarama 2 has been totally redesigned on the basis of Microsoft.Net Framework, supported by all Windows operating systems since XP.Callarama can also run on a Mac if a Windows emulator, as for instance Parallels Desktop, is installed.Callarama covers the Basic, Mainstream, Plus and Advance dance programs.
The already extensive repertoire of 35,000+ animations is constantly expanded through free upgrades for all users.Calls can be entered by selecting from a Call List, by clicking on Call Labels, by typing Shortcuts and by Voice. Speech Recognition is included and currently pre-configured for English and German (a user on a German language computer, calling in English with a German accent).Calls are recorded in a Routine list that can be played forward and backward, similar to a movie player.
Beats are indicated at each step. Routines can be edited, printed and saved for future use.The Speed Dial is calibrated very accurately in BPM.
It possible to synchronize calling or the replay of a routine with music played on another device. Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionCALLERLAB Choreographic Applications Committee (dwelch@eastlink.ca)The Choreographic Applications Committee has created this resource site to assist those who are teaching square dancers. Its intent is to collect in one place all the information about each call that teachers might need to teach students successfully.The site is organized into sections according to the CALLERLAB programs.
It is still a work in progress. Basic Part 1 and Basic Part 2 are ready for use. Mainstream and eventually Plus are planned.For each call there are seven sections of information:.
the call definition. standard applications.
call analysis information. modules. teaching tips. extended applications.
other. Article TypeOwnerLinksDescriptionVic & Debbie Ceder (debbie@ceder.net)Ceder.net is a comprehensive collection of resources related to square dancing. It includes a number of sections:. A database of callers and cuers.
A database of square dance clubs. An extensive database of choreography examples. A database containing upcoming events(for the above 4 databases individuals can input and update their own entries to keep them current). A large repository of documents and articles related to square dancing.
A huge database of square dance music (for historical reference, not for purchase). Links and lists of other square dance resources.