John Charman and Wendy VanderMeulen
Thank you for visiting our website
We are avid square dancers and we both are square dance Callers, too. We teach AND call. This website will tell you all about what we do that has to do with square dancing. So, put on your dancing shoes and get ready to tap your toes!
(Click on the picture.. )
Have you ever heard "The Square Dance Song"? Check it out right here: Click here.
2024 is here and the square dance season is gearing up for another wonderful dance season. Check John's and my calendars to see where we are this year and keep an eye on it as events come and go... You'll see we're busy. Love it! 😊
Someone asked me not long ago: "Do you get tired doing everything you do?" I said "No, becuase I enjoy everything I do!" I have to admit that sometimes I think I should give something up, but what? That's a decision that is too hard to make, so I won't make it right now. I'll just keep on.....
Hope to see you on the dance floor somewhere before too long.
Cheers,
Wendy
Modern Square Dancing: NOT your same old song-and-dance routine!
When you hear the term “Modern Square Dancing”, what do you picture? Most people block out the word “Modern” and picture what we refer to as “Traditional” or “Old Tyme” square dancing: cowboy boots, hay bales, and country music (mostly fiddles and banjos). Well, that is NOT what MSD is all about.
In Modern – or Contemporary – Square Dancing, yes, some of the calls are
the same, but only a few. In MSD, we like to have all the dancers dancing at
the same time. We do not use set dances, as in the old style (remember
“Birdie in a Cage” or “Dip and Dive”?); rather, dancers are taught steps and
it is up to the Caller to put the steps together in whatever sequence he/she wants. A good Caller will make sure the steps run together very smoothly. But nothing is memorized, so dancers don’t know what’s coming up next. Keeps you on your toes!
Also in MSD, we use a much bigger variety of music. There is MUCH more to Modern Square Dancing than fiddles and banjos! My music library even includes selections from the "Top 40" hits: The Nights (Avicii), Dynamite (Taio Cruz), Edge of Glory (Lady Gaga) among many more. We can dance to just about anything, as long as it has a good, steady beat, including: current hits, alternative music, hip hop, Classic Rock, gospel, jazz, Classical – and, yes, we do still use country music, old or new! And we don’t just use it for background music. A friend that has known for years that I am a Caller was surprised to hear that I sing at dances! That’s another difference between Old Tyme and Modern. Yes, we sing! Some recent purchases to update my repertoire include Circles (Post Malone), Beggin' (Maneskin), Open Arms (Journey), Cry for You (September). 😊
You really do need to see it in order to understand what it’s about. And don’t just assume you won't enjoy it. Until you try it, you really won’t know and chances are, you WILL enjoy it!
