Connie Tabbert
Editor
Heather Campbell had a lot of fun dancing on Parliament Hill.
The Beachburg woman, who is a member of The Swinging Swallows Square Dance Club Folks in the Ottawa Valley (aka The Swinging Swallows), attended Festival 2014, a Canadian Square and Round Dance Convention last week. One of the scheduled events was square dancing on Parliament Hill.
She recalled the morning of July 17.
“The tourists visiting Ottawa’s Parliament Hill to see the Changing of the Guard on Thursday, July 17th were treated to quite a surprise,” she said. “The morning began as usual with the marching pipers and drummers rendering patriotic music such as The Maple Leaf Forever as they ceremoniously paraded. That was followed by the pomp and ceremony of the military drills that accompanies the changing of the ceremonial guard who are dressed in black, red and white-accented uniforms, including the tall, black bear-skin hats.”
She continued, “Then the mood and choice of music dramatically changed. From the steps of the Peace Tower where they had been watching the ceremony, hundreds of square dancers descended on the very lawn that the guards had just left. Soon, a sea of red and white crinolines, billowing under circular red and white skirts, dotted the lawn. Most of the men wore red or white shirts with a contrasting tie. Catchy, well-known tunes such as The Year that Clayton Delaney Died, YMCA and If I were a Rich Man blared from an amplifier as dancers twirled to the square dance caller’s instructions. Festival 2014 was off to a fabulous start!”
Ms. Campbell said the weather was perfect for the one-hour dance on the Hill.
“I enjoyed dancing the whole time,” she said. “It’s certainly a highlight of the summer.”
Prior to the dance, Ms. Campbell said those participating in the dance paraded from the Ottawa Congress Centre to the Hill. It was at least a mile-long hike.
“It was a traffic-stopping event as we walked from the Congress Centre, down Colonel By Drive, along Wellington Street, past the Chateau Laurier, over the Rideau Canal, past the War Memorial and finally arrived at Parliament Hill,” she said. “Each club had two members carrying the club’s banner.”
While this was a Canadian convention, there were clubs from various American states, Japan and Australia. Each of the clubs carried a banner with their members walking behind, she said. There were about 20 Swinging Swallows walking behind their banner, she said. While she has no idea how many dancers participated, she did know there were about 1,100 participants at the convention. However, those who were not able to walk without assistance did not go.
That may seem strange, but Ms. Campbell said while some dancers require walkers or canes to get around, once they start dancing, they can do it on their own. She said throughout the convention, she danced for three hours each morning, each afternoon and again for two hours each evening, noticing little pain in her troublesome knee or aching feet until after each session ended.
“Then I would limp to my hotel room, take a pain pill, recuperate with a shower, have something to eat and go back for another two or three hours of dancing,” she recalled.
Telling a fellow member this, she was told the enjoyment of the dancing increases your feel-good hormones and dulls any pain.
The Swinging Swallows is a modern square dance club. Explaining, Ms. Campbell said the calls are different and in no certain order. She said calls like “duck for the oyster, dive for the clam” are not part of modern square dancing. The new calls are like chain down the line, see-saw your partner, ferris wheel and box the gnat. The only two traditional calls used in modern are “do-si-do” and “allemande left.”
“It’s wonderful exercise,” she said. “It’s challenging but fun.”
Ms. Campbell travels with Ezma Weedmark to Pembroke each Thursday evening for a two-hour class in the Wesley United Church Fellowship Hall. The summer break is on now. While there is a $75 fee for 15 weeks of dancing commencing in September, Ms. Campbell noted on Sept. 11 and 18, the classes are free. She encourages anyone interested in dancing to come out and try it.
Ms. Campbell said she and husband Frank, now deceased, square danced when they were in their teens and continued right through until their children came along.
“I love square dancing of any kind,” she said.
Not only is dancing great for keeping in shape, modern square dancing keeps your mind active as well because the caller can mix up the calls. This could cause havoc in the square if someone is not paying attention, she added.
She remembers reading an ad about the square dancing and decided to join.
“I was looking for an outlet where I don’t sit,” Ms. Campbell said. “I went and found it quite intriguing. I did not realize there was modern square dancing.”
There is no age limit and currently members are between 25 years old to those in their 80s, she said. It’s also not necessary to bring a partner. As you get better at modern square dancing, the women can dance the male part, she said.
“I’m not at that level where I can play a man’s part,” Ms. Campbell said.
She recently graduated from the Basic level and when classes resume in September, she will be learning the calls and movements in the Mainstream square dancing. There are four levels and then the challenge level, she said.
The Swinging Swallows will be performing for about two hours at the Pembroke Marina on Monday, Aug. 25 starting at 7 p.m.
For more information, check out The Swinging Swallows website, www.getupanddance.ca
