Page 63 - RSCDS Toronto Golden Jubilee Book

Connections
room for the more advanced class. It was a wonderful class and by the time the November workshop came along, I persuaded a friend, Teresa Kowalczyk, to join me in the beginner class. To
my surprise she agreed to give it a try even though she was adamant she could not dance. By December she was hooked and we set out to pre- pare for the monthly dance, feeling
we must practice all the dances to not look foolish. I had a dinner party that would be followed by a walk through of all the December monthly dances. Unfortunately, there were only 7 in the set. I invited our tenant, Miyuki Ikuse, to join in the fun and quickly taught her the basic steps.
In January, 2001, Moira started the Teachers' Candidate classes and Teresa, Miyuki and I started attending the Sunday practice classes, where I started referring to us as "the three stooges".
A lot has happened since then: both Moira and Teresa have their Teachers’ Certificates and are teaching both youth classes and adult social group classes. Moira's husband, Stefan, has become one of the most enthusiastic dancers around. Miyuki continues to dance and is one of the most beautiful dancers around. Teresa met a charming dancer, Rob Lockhart, and they wed in 2006.
Dancing has become a important part of all our lives but my fondest memo- ries are of that first year when we were Moira and the Three Stooges. And yes, Ann Campbell has written a dance about us, called Moira and the Three Stooges!
. . . Theresa Malek
Interesting Times
The most interesting times I have had, and the most interesting people I have met are when I am Scottish Country Dancing.
I started dancing when I was nine
years old, and my parents took me to the Toronto Monthly Dances so I could meet the people and see how much
fun they were having. Everyone I talked to was very interesting and heartily encouraged me to get into dancing.
I continued to take children’s classes until I was about sixteen when I joined an adult group.
When I walked in the social group door for the first time, I was greeted by some of the very same people I had
On exam day, the 16 designated dancer-stooges tried to act like it was just another happy Sunday afternoon as David directed the warmup and taught pas de basque. He then lined
us up against the wall, demonstrated "set advancing" and counted aloud
for the group to dance towards him
for eight bars. He immediately singled me out with some kind phrase like, "I don't think you've got that set advanc- ing quite right." He demonstrated it again and went through it with me. He had us all repeat another eight bars
– meanwhile everyone tried hard not to crack up because, of course, every- one in the room, except the examiners, knew I was his mother.
Someone asked me afterward whether I had flubbed my pas de basque on purpose. Well, no.... Every so often my feet just tangle on that step.
I just tried a pas de basque advancing and it may be time to ask for another private lesson.
. . . Barbara McNutt Eagles
Jo Robertson
I’m sure that someone will have told you about John Christie’s Scarborough group and its various social events. Sandy and I remember going on at least two car rallies, which were fol- lowed by dinner, and an evening of dancing. They were great fun and we were always made to feel very wel- come at their events.
Our children, Sheena and Alasdair, remember fondly an evening of out- door skating at the Cedar Arena, now known as Cedarena, under fairy lights. The skating rink is in a sheltered valley and was described as a "magical place." The skating party went to Margaret and John Christie’s for refreshments after- wards. A wonderful evening!
Several of the Calvin dancers used to go to Tally Ho near Huntsville for a win- ter weekend. There was skiing nearby and some of us used to snowshoe. We always danced in the recreation hall on the Saturday night. On one memorable weekend, it was 40 below zero the whole time, and the men spent most
of their spare time starting their cars. Some of the Calvin dancers continue
to enjoy a dinner and theatre outing to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Alicia & Daniel Tarasick
met when I was a beginner at nine! Of course, I did not remember the people who seemed to know me well. I was encouraged to go back to the Monthly dances and when I did, again, I had the same problem – many knew me but I didn’t know them. Nevertheless, they all made me feel welcome and very comfortable. I always thought it was interesting to have so many friends for so many years and not even know it.
It was a good opportunity to be able to contribute something to the Fiftieth Anniversary Book and to the lives of many reading it.
. . . Daniel Tarasick The Examiners
Missed the Joke
In 1999, my son, David Booz, took his examination for the full RSCDS teaching certificate following months of Sunday
Barbara McNutt
afternoon tutorials with Jean Noble. Each Sunday we would show up
as willing stooges: His loyal mother, his sister Alison Booz, and his sweetie (Suzanne). The whole process
was quite pleasant, with Bobby Brown providing the music for a great group of people.
Alison, with her preliminary certificate, was ineligible to stooge for the exams, but Barbara and I were happy to sup- port everyone. The question was: did David want us to be stooges during his exam."Sure, why not?" he said.
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