What A Week!

It certainly has been a busy week at Capital Carousels!! Last weekend, our annual Capital Caper Weekend took place where we welcomed back our longtime instructors, Steve and Irene Bradt! We also had many Capital Carousels members, along with visitors from the Montreal area as well as some from Southwestern Ontario. Thanks to everyone who came. We hope you enjoyed your weekend! Things started off on Friday afternoon with a phase 3 quickstep called, Puttin’ On The Ritz where we had plenty of practice on our quarter turn and progressive chasse and also the strolling vine. On Friday evening, we learned a very nice phase 4 tango called After Midnight Tango where we had a lot of emphasis on technique. After a good night’s sleep, we got into foxtrot mode on Saturday morning with a phase 5 dance, Mommy’s Shoes where many of us were exposed to the continuous hover cross. After a nourishing lunch where we had a nice variety of sandwiches, cheeses, veggies and fruit along with some squares and cookies for dessert. Also a nice opportunity to catch up with some people we haven’t seen in awhile. On Saturday afternoon, we finished off the teaches with one which Steve and Irene wrote, a phase 4 cha called That’s What I Like About You. We finished off our weekend with a night dance where we got to enjoy dancing to Steve’s cueing. We also had a chance to view the Bradts doing the dance demos and then we got to dance them all twice. A busy weekend for sure! Capital Caper wouldn’t be possible without the tireless work of Pat Black on the basic structure of the teaches and dance program and syllabus, Gavin Currie for his work with registration and Ian and Ann Webb for their work on planning refreshments and the Saturday lunch. Also thanks to Brian and Ann Gibbs for their work on Friday’s refreshments, Arlo Speer for equipment setup and takedown and all of those who helped out with setup and takedown at Saturday’s lunch-including some of our visitors. Now, we go back to our club and review the dances for our future dancing pleasure. Thanks again to all who attended!
Not to be finished this week, Capital Carousels had a special milestone on Wednesday! Not only was it our Annual Ghostly Gala, but it was also our 5th Anniversary Dance. As you can see by the picture posted here with this blog, we continue to have some very creative people coming in costume! With the help of the song, Purple People Eater, dancers paraded around the dance floor showing off their costumes. I was judge this year and although the decision was tough, the prize winners were as follows: 2nd Runner Up-Joe and Gail Larabie (flower and weed), 1st Runner Up-Ziggy and Jenny Segstro (patient and nurse) and Winner, Pat Black and Charlie Stuart (hotdog and coke). After a frenzy at the 50/50 table, Robert Read won the prize. Congratulations to all! As always Pat and Jill Ivay did a fabulous job on decorations and Ian and Ann Webb did a superb job on refreshments along with two cakes-one for Halloween and one for our Anniversary. Be on the lookout for pictures which I will post in the gallery here when I get them. It was a smaller crowd then we would have thought, but the weather was not on our side with rain and wind. We thank all of those who came out and “braved the elements”!
Thursday was a quiet day as we had no dancing due to other events at the church, so it gave us all a chance to recoup! Starting this week, the Caper reviews will begin. On Wednesday, Pat and John will start the foxtrot review of Mommy’s Shoes. On Thursday, Ziggy and Jenny will be back with us in teaching mode beginning the review of the cha, That’s What I Like About You! Lots of good dancing ahead! See you on the dance floor!

Ghostly Gala 2016

Capital Carousels Ghostly Gala Etc.

Yes, it is that time of year again and believe it or not, Capital Carousels 4th Anniversary! Time sure has flown by! This dance is certainly one of the highlights of Capital Carousels dance season and it just seems to get better every year! Lots of people in costume with lots of shocked looks and laughter as well. Despite whatever we are wearing though, we all seem to be able to dance. It must be in our blood!! Get it! Hee Hee! We have a lot of fun and a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere with all dancing and no teaching sessions. We get a chance to give our brains a bit of a rest….for a few days anyway. Pat has included a few halloween themed dances for the program and a few creeping doors and blood curdling screams may be heard as well. It is Halloween after all! As we have in the past we will dance throughout the entire evening and have our Halloween treats at the end of the night. There will be prizes for best costume and also a share the wealth. Imagine, you could end up as best dressed and the wealthiest person in town by the time the Gala is over! Always a fun time and nice break from our regular routine. Please come and help us celebrate our club’s Anniversary. You’ll have a howling good time!
In years past, our Thursday dance has not taken place due to other church activities, but this year we will be dancing on Oct 27-day after the Ghostly Gala, but we will not be dancing the following Thursday-Nov 3. Please take note, Thursday dancers!
Where the Ghostly Gala is, Capital Caper cannot be far behind. It will begin this Friday afternoon with the first of 4 teaches from the ever popular Steve and Irene Bradt! Lots of variety in rhythms this year and a nice chance to catch up and visit with our out-of-town guests! Looking forward to a great weekend with lots of great new learning opportunities, fun dancing and time with our dance friends! Life is good!
The dancing will be continuing on Sunday afternoon with the rebirth of EOSARDA’s Fall Fest! Bob Summers (Basic and Mainstream) and Andy Himberg-Larsen (Plus and A1) will be on squares and your cuer, Donna Stewart will be on rounds in between Andy’s square dance tips in the Plus-A1 Hall. A very special presentation will close out our very busy week of dance at Fall Fest when our own Gavin Currie will be receiving the Trillium Award for many years of dedicated service in square and round dancing! Looking forward to seeing many of our gang there as we cheer Gavin on!
Rest while you can gang and pace yourselves. This week we will be dancing at a feverish pace. I’ll be seeing you on the dance floor!

What’s Happening

Now that the website is working more in our favour, it’s time to get back to our communication blog here on the information superhighway! October is just a day away and we’ve already had a full teach in each of our clubs and working on the 2nd one. Monday’s have been off to a good start with a nice phase 5 waltz which has been helping us brush up on some figures. We have been learning this season with Curt and Tammy Worlock’s Instructional Videos and everyone seems to be enjoying that form of learning as well as the dance programs! Our Wednesday and Thursday clubs have been learning some dances that were taught at Summer Caper by Wayne and Barbara Blackford and are “jiving” their way along on the 2nd teach at both clubs, “Cat Daddy”. With all of the club’s do diligence, unfortunately we were unable to sustain a new set of beginner lessons. Special thanks to Doug and Susan Connors as instructors, as well as Pat Black and other members of the Capital Carousels Executive for their work to publicize round dancing to area groups and in an online presence. Perhaps we will find the magic potion to recruit dancers in the future.
Speaking of magic potions…..Capital Carousels Ghostly Gala will be held on Wednesday, October 26! What creative costumes will be in store for us this year?? You have a little less than a month to think up a costume for our Gala. This will be our 4th Anniversary Ghostly Gala. We’ve had some very inventive costumes in the past and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year. Remember, this event is not a part of our scheduled session. Cost is $16/couple and $8/person. It is an all dancing and no teach night. Share The Wealth, Best Costume Prizes, Ghoulish delights and some delicious potions to go along with it at the end of the evening. Don’t miss out!
Following the Ghostly Gala will be Capital Carousels own, Capital Caper Weekend featuring Steve and Irene Bradt! This will take place on Oct 28+29 and will feature 4 teaches-an introduction to West Coast Swing teach on Friday afternoon, Friday evening will be a phase 4 foxtrot, Saturday morning will be a phase 5 rumba and Saturday afternoon will be a phase 4 mambo! Saturday evening will be a dance to top off the whole weekend with Steve cueing the entire evening! We look forward to adding a new rhythm to our portfolio at Capital Carousels and another mambo will also be a great addition. We all know that rumbas and foxtrots are such mainstays in our activity! We are glad for more of those as well. Lunch is included as well and has been a big hit addition to our Capital Caper Weekends. Please register soon. You can download a registration form from our website here and provide payment at the club or by mail. Couldn’t be easier! Looking forward to a fabulous Caper! See you there!
The dancing is not over yet however. On Sunday, Oct 30 from 2-4:30PM, you can attend EOSARDA’s Fall Fest being held at St. Matthew High School in Orleans. There will be 2 square dance halls-Basic/Mainstream and Plus/A1/Rounds. The Rounds in the Plus and A1 Hall will be phase 2-4 and your cuer, Donna Stewart will be cueing that afternoon. Also….a little bird has told us that Gavin and Pat Currie are in for some kind of surprise that afternoon….! I know you will not want to miss out on that!
I know the last full week of October will be a full one with lots of dancing! It’ll be great seeing our friends, learning lots and enjoying each other’s company. There will be more ahead through the end of the year including our “In From The Cold” Christmas Dance which this year will be held on Friday, December 9! This will allow more of our members to attend and enjoy the holidays. This year will include a potluck dinner before the evening dance! Bring your favourite Christmas dish and we will enjoy our Christmas meal with our dancing family followed by a night of dancing. Also please remember that ALL proceeds collected at the door that evening will be donated to Parkdale’s “In From The Cold” Program which serves meals to around 200 people in need. Such a worthy cause to support a church that has supported us for many years. More details to come on this so stay tuned….Till next time, signing off!