Tucson Square Dance (1950 article)
Magazine article (1950) describing Arizona square dances and caller George Waudby. The first PDF is a facsimile of the magazine article; it is followed by an easier-to-read version of the text. (Also included is a 2009 obituary for Marion Waudby, who worked tireless with George to establish square dancing in the Tucson area.)
Two excerpts follow:
1) "For the past few years a happy phenomenon has been sweeping the nation - the revival of the square dance as an American pastime. Considered, during the first flush of its remarkable renaissance, to be no more than a temporary fad, this old-time form of group dancing seems to have settled down to a permanent place in the modern scene.
"This stunning revival had its origin right here in the Southwest where, as a matter of fact, it had never entirely gone out of fashion. When dude ranching in Arizona mushroomed into a sizeable industry during the war years, the ranch operators, looking around for diversified and typically western entertainment for their guests, discovered that in most of the smaller communities the townsfolk gathered together on Saturday nights not to rumba and samba in the fashion of the big cities - but to square dance. ... "
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2) "From the moment he sings out "sets on the floor" until the last note of music, the caller is boss of the show. He tells the dancers what to do: "Left hand back and a how-are-you; meet your honey and pass her by; take the next gal on the fly." His voice follows the rhythm of the tune, sometimes singing out his calls, sometimes intoning - almost speaking the words. Frequently, as with the auctioneer, his chant is difficult to follow. This presents no problem for the experienced square dancer, who needs to catch only an occasional word to form the correct figure. But a beginner needs a caller who explains the steps clearly and guides the dancers carefully from figure to figure.
"One of the best known callers in the Tucson area is George A. Waudby ... "
Subjects: Transitional/Western 1940s
Tags: Arizona, George Waudby, magazine, Tucson
Item Relations
| This Item | is related to | Item: Bachelor Mill square dance |
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| Item: Arizona Style of Modern Square Dancing | is related to | This Item |
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Two excerpts follow:
1) "For the past few years a happy phenomenon has been sweeping the nation - the revival of the square dance as an American pastime. Considered, during the first flush of its remarkable renaissance, to be no more than a temporary fad, this old-time form of group dancing seems to have settled down to a permanent place in the modern scene.
"This stunning revival had its origin right here in the Southwest where, as a matter of fact, it had never entirely gone out of fashion. When dude ranching in Arizona mushroomed into a sizeable industry during the war years, the ranch operators, looking around for diversified and typically western entertainment for their guests, discovered that in most of the smaller communities the townsfolk gathered together on Saturday nights not to rumba and samba in the fashion of the big cities - but to square dance. ... "
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2) "From the moment he sings out "sets on the floor" until the last note of music, the caller is boss of the show. He tells the dancers what to do: "Left hand back and a how-are-you; meet your honey and pass her by; take the next gal on the fly." His voice follows the rhythm of the tune, sometimes singing out his calls, sometimes intoning - almost speaking the words. Frequently, as with the auctioneer, his chant is difficult to follow. This presents no problem for the experienced square dancer, who needs to catch only an occasional word to form the correct figure. But a beginner needs a caller who explains the steps clearly and guides the dancers carefully from figure to figure.
"One of the best known callers in the Tucson area is George A. Waudby ... "