Rehoboth Contra Dance - 25th Anniversary
March 9, 2007

Notes on the dance | Cranstones 25th Anniversary Song | Slide show

Notes on the dance

On March 9, 2007, the Rehoboth contra dance celebrated its 25th anniversary with a record attendance of close to 200 people! To those regular dancers who were not able to attend due to other commitments, and to those who now live far away--we thought of you all, and we know that you were with us in spirit!

The enjoyment and success of the evening were propelled by the celebratory nature of the occasion and the efforts of many people. We owe the following thanks:

To Lisa Greenleaf, who called engaging dances and kept things sailing along despite the throng of dancers

To Nat Hewitt, Liza Constable, and Glen Loper of Rumblestrip, and to Alan Bradbury, who played with energy and enthusiasm all night long

To the Cranstones, for their entertaining musical salute to the Rehoboth dance

To three of the dance's founders--John Alden, Carol Entin, and Dan Lanier, all members of Geese in the Bog--who performed a medley, including Dan's "Goff Hall"

To the volunteers who helped decorate, especially Bob Elliott, who performed feats of derring-do on a tall ladder to create the floating balloon garlands that arced across the hall

And to the many dancers who brought food to share

Before the break, Suzy Williams read a message from Kerry Elkin, the fourth member of Geese in the Bog, who could not attend, and Suzanne Elliott, in introducing the other Geese members, gave some of the history of the dance.

After the break, Linda Leslie announced that she had written a dance, "Rehoboth's Shining Star," in honor of the dance's organizer, Shawn Kendrick. The dance is fluid and graceful, and the way that the movements are designed reflects the essence of the Rehoboth dance--its camaraderie and sense of joy!

Many dancers entered comments in the 25th anniversary memory book and wore name tags with the T-shirt logo on them--both made possible through the inspiration and efforts of Lucia Watson. The 25th anniversary T-shirts sold out at the dance, with many dancers wearing them that night.

The officers and board members of the Rehoboth Country Dance Society--Shawn Kendrick, Lucia Watson, Bob Elliott, Suzanne Elliott, Jeff Ratsch, Bruce Hooke, and Charlie Seelig--want to thank everyone for their part in making the 25th anniversary dance such a memorable occasion!

March 9, 2007 -- The Cranstones Salute Rehoboth's 25th Anniversary Dance

Lyrics by Camilla Streeter

It has come to our attention--it's a perfect time to mention
Something wonderful is hap'ning here
So we've dusted off some lyrics, won't you raise your voice with spirit
To celebrate the 25th year!

CHORUS

Jubilation and cheers, it's been 25 years
Of FUN on the Goff Hall floor
And since we love the way it feels, we'll be kicking up our heels
And dancing for 25 more.

When we started in the 80's all the gentlemen and ladies
Used to dance to Geese in the Bog
Kerry's fiddle made it happen, Dan and Carol, they were snappin'
We had Johnny from Old Cape Cod.
Yes, we came in V formation, from all throughout the nation
Through the snow and rain and fog
With our voices and our dogs we would honk and dance and clog
And contra to Geese in the Bog

CHORUS

You can travel to Topeka, you can catch a cab to Cambridge
You can hitchhike to North Sioux Falls
But you'll never get a finer set of callers and musicians
Than Shawn Kendrick books for Goff Hall
And here's a chocolate chip salute to our charming Charlie Seelig
We call him the Cookie Man
And may we always greet those cookies with profound appreciation
And say THANK YOU whenever we can

CHORUS

Oh, the dancers of Rehoboth are fond of their traditions
You'll be sure to crack a smi-le when
All the males of the species are engaged in allemanding
You will hear them holler MEN! MEN! MEN!
So we hope you bought a T-shirt 'cause they're really very pretty
All your friends will know you were here
For this fine commemoration of the contra dancing nation
Rehoboth's Twenty-fifth year

CHORUS

Slide show

25th anniversary dance slide show. This slide show contains 51 photographs from the 25th anniversary dance on March 9, 2007.

Return to the Rehoboth Contra Dance web site.


http://www.contradancelinks.com/rehoboth_25.html
Text by Shawn Kendrick
Last updated on November 27, 2010