A Short History of English Country Dance in Victoria …
In the beginning, there was a Morris dancer with a bad knee who found herself laid up for 6 months: restless, a bit bored, and itching to do something.
A Morris dancer who’d also learned English Country dance as a child in school in England, and who had, just then, got wind of an event on the other side of the border. In those days, early in 2000, CASCADIA the much loved Seattle English Country Dance workshop weekend was still in its infancy. Scott Higgs was calling that year; it was spring, the perfect time to kick over one’s traces and head across the water to see what it was all about. So off she went, armed with a quilting project and a plan to sit out and watch from the sidelines. As it turned out, she couldn’t help but dance all weekend, bad knee and all—as we do when the music starts and we’re called to form a long line and take “hands four.”
And so, Rosemary Lach returned home determined to launch a similar event—despite the reality that English Country Dance was virtually non-existent in Victoria. Nonetheless, Rosemary promptly enlisted the help of John Carver (the “Squire” of the ISLAND THYME MORRIS group), and between them “Hands Across the Water” was conceived and launched in September of 2000.
At the same time, with support and encouragement from the core Seattle dance organizers, Rosemary became a member of the COUNTRY DANCE & SONG SOCIETY (an important resource headquartered in Massachusetts). And soon enough, summer found her on the other side of the continent attending PINEWOODS. These immersive experiences allowed her to return armed with resources, ideas, and a good grounding in all things English Country Dance. That fall—by grapevine, jungle drum, and support from the other side of the border—dancers gathered from Victoria, Vancouver, and Seattle. The first weekend of what was to become Hands Across the Water was born.
Paul and Victoria Bestock—movers and shakers behind the ECD scene in Seattle— encouraged Rosemary to bring Laura Mé Smith to Victoria to lead the dance, and they rounded up enough Seattle dancers to come north and help fill up the hall. On that September day, there were enough dancers to cover the expenses, and enough musicians assembled to lift everyone’s feet off the ground (including, we think, Dave Gartrell, Keith Malcolm, and Gregory Brown—none of whom were familiar with English Country Dance music). The wildly successful weekend included a Friday night corn roast social and a full day of dancing on Saturday. Since then, Hands Across the Water has been held annually every September—the autumn counterpart to Cascadia for those of us who love to follow dance events in the Pacific Northwest. The concept of “hands across the water” endures to this day, where all of our out-of-town dancers must sail across the Salish Sea—be it for a weekend of workshops, or for the “Odd Ball” (held on odd years in Victoria, alternating on even years with Vancouver).
Needless to say, that first weekend generated plenty of local interest and excitement, enough to prompt the formation of an English Country Dance group. By January 2001 there were enough local dancers keen to start a regular dance series. Still new to the business, Rosemary braced herself to get up the gumption and assemble a repertoire, enough for at least 6 weeks of dance. At that time, we danced at St. Saviour’s hall in Vic West; Rosemary would call up dancers to see if they’d come to dance and musicians to see if they’d come to play. (She also remembers that her program included Fandango and Barham Down, because she knew the dances well, only to find out later that Barham Down was rated 5/5 for difficulty.)
Meanwhile, Rosemary and Dan Page, friends through the music and folk dance scene in Victoria, talked about the possibility of having the English Country Dance group use the hall that Dan had built in the mid-1990s behind his old farmhouse in Saanich.1 The Morris dancers had been using the hall since it was built. At some point along the way, Dan had joined the weekly gathering of musicians, as did Ann Schau, and once that musical rapport was established, the time was right for Dan to welcome an additional use of his hall for newly minted Dancehall Players and the Victoria English Country Dancers.
1 Dan Page and his first wife, Marion Dent, purchased an 1890s farmhouse on 5 acres in 1957. After Marion passed away in 1992, the family moved the house down the hill. Dan’s second wife, Yvonne Thompson, a dancer, inspired Dan to build a dance hall on the back of the house (completed only after she died in 1994)—skillfully built with wood from an old school house. Dan Page and his partner Syd Varley welcomed dancers and musicians in all the years following. Dan passed away in October 2017, and Dan’s grand-daughter Meaghan continues to welcome a small group of Sunday dancers and musicians at Dan’s Hall.
AND ON IT WENT, JUST SO…
Weekly dances were modeled on the “Tea Dance,” starting in a circle of perhaps 12 people who would introduce themselves before the dancing started. The circle formation of groups of four, back-to-back allowed the teaching of easy dances—often starting with Newcastle Bridge (Don Bell). In this way beginning dancers would be identified. People simply arrived—then as now, by word of mouth. As more people showed up, Rosemary would have to stand on a chair to call—which prompted Dan to build a small caller’s podium. In the early days, there was no stage and the concept of a piranha pit was developed to create an imaginary barrier to protect the musicians from dancing feet.
By 2010, Rosemary had moved to Prince George for a time. Weekly dances went on, supported by a growing core of volunteers, Dan’s willingness to provide a home for us, and a growth spurt in the ability of local callers to share responsibility for the dance season. Dan’s quilt came together as a thank-you-tribute to Dan Page, to his music and his hospitality: everyone who used the hall (Newfoundland dancers, Morris dancers, English dancers) contributed a square (and anecdote to go with it).
20 YEARS OF HANDS ACROSS THE WATER
The 2nd “annual” Hands Across the Water was held in September 2001. Judy Rivken was brought in to lead the dances, and a number of people from the Jane Austen Society of North America came to dance (their annual gathering was being held in Seattle that year). By then, the Friday corn roast was expanded to include a dance that was open to a variety callers and musicians. And a Sunday brunch was added—hosted until recent years by Pat Mason, and as of 2015, by Ann Schau.
The intention behind Hands Across the Water was not only to expand the ability and repertoire of individual dancers, but also to build musician skills and teach callers. Over the years, some weekends included callers’ workshops, others included musicians’ workshops.
In 2005, there was a very well-received musicians’ workshop led by Laurie Anders which focused on the relationship between the music, the musicians, and the dancers.
AND THEN THERE WERE BALLS…
By 2002, there was already an express desire to “have a ball.” By then, the volunteer-run nature of VECDS was well established, and a reliable core group of volunteers made this kind of undertaking feasible. Our first ball came about in March 2003—The Grand March Ball—where Bruce Hamilton led the dances and the Odd Hack Band played. Jane Thom and others put together an elaborate Afternoon Tea (for the first and last time): a lot of work, and an impressive volunteer effort that allowed Rosemary to stand aside for the entire day.
The following year, 2004—The Mad March Ball—saw Lydee Scudder here to call and Odd Hack played once again. This was the first year a performance dance was prepared, The Lobster Quadrille (with wildly imaginative costumes).
At this time, sit-down lunches were initiated (and continue) allowing people to stay on-site to socialize informally—so that by the time they were dancing later that evening, friendships were growing. By 2005 it was decided to scale back and hold a ball every other year, with alternate years hosted by the Vancouver English Country Dance group. A dance leaders’ workshop was part of the 2005 ball program.
JUST SO EVENTS
There have been many special events over the years, just because: Strawberry Teas out on the green expanse of Pat Mason’s lawn, dance-outs at Mayne Island, 12th Night Dinner-Dances in the dark of January.2
2 2023 Postscript: As we know, the pandemic put a stop to dancing face-to-face. It didn’t take long for Rosemary (and helpers) to organize Zoom dances and Balls-That-Would-Have-Been— allowing participants to tune in from living rooms across the country. This novel undertaking required that Rosemary adapt any number of standard ECD dances for solo dancing. In so doing, she also introduced many of us to music from other ensembles (having been spoiled all these years by having our own house band). The Dancehall Players, in the meanwhile, stayed busy collaborating remotely, writing new tunes and working towards new albums.
AND WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL…
Eric and I were invited to ECD at Dan’s in the Fall of 2002 by friends, the Sketchleys. We were both reluctant but went, thinking it would be a one off. Rosemary was patient, the group so welcoming, the music and atmosphere so good, that after first evening I knew it was for me. Not Eric, no way was he going back! Needless to say…here we are all these years later much enriched by VECDS and grateful for it. – Suzanne Bullen
My very first Ball in 2002: I didn’t realize the extent to which people “dressed” for this event. Mike and I turned up — he in jeans, me in a T-shirt and cotton skirt. Bruce Hamilton—dapper in tux and bow tie, was the caller. He called—among other things— “The Bishop” which, at the time, I thought was an incredibly difficult dance. Everyone was up on the floor, I was standing alone at the end of the hall without a partner, and Bruce came bounding down the hall, grabbed my hand and we danced, while he called from the floor. And by the way, I danced that “difficult” dance perfectly. And I was smitten by Bruce! – Jen Howe
ECD came to Sooke in 2002 to dance at a party in the home of my friends, Don and Janette Chrysler. I remember that Sheila led a folk dance and was pulling up party goers from their seats to join in. I was only too happy to be included and have belonged to ECD ever since. – Elaine Ellinger
New Year’s Eve, 2003, after our arduous quest to learn where and when ECD happened in Victoria, we arrive a little late at the Page sign on Roy Road, walk up the dark driveway past the silent sheds and farmhouse while geese called from the flooded field below, ‘round the corner to that grapevine-canopied walkway festooned with coloured lights, see inside the bright-windowed door the bobbing heads of the dancers, hear the final lively chords as we climb the stairs, open the door to the hall’s country warmth of smiling dancers applauding the musicians, and as Lyn and I grin at one another I say, “We’ve died and gone to heaven!”
Among too many other memories to recount:
The Dancehall Players performing…
… by lamplight in the corner of the Fireside on Twelfth Night…
… crowded onto the bed of Dan’s Model A truck playing for the crowd on Carnsew Street…
… in the summertime shade for longways sets on the lawn at Pat’s, Trish’s, Gower’s, and Wisnia’s. – Jim Wisnia
I will never forget my very first taste of English Country Dance. It was 2006. Brian Crumblehume was teaching a weekly dance class on Mayne Island that spring, focussing mainly on Ballroom and Swing. We tangoed one week and jitterbugged the next. Then in one of the very last sessions of the season, he asked us if we would like to learn an English dance. Always game for something new, I said “sure!” The dance was the three couple set, Braes of Dornoch—the slow and stately version. Brian walked us through the steps, turned on the music (recorded by the amazing band, Bare Necessities) and off we went. Despite the inevitable confusions and collisions, I felt absolutely transported. The music, the flowing figures, the intimacy of dancing with six other people, all put me in an altered state. I was hooked! Just a couple of months later Richard and I signed up for our first Hands Across the Water in Victoria. The rest, as they say, is history. – Lael Whitehead
I first heard about the group from Ann and Jim Gower, probably in the summer of 2008. I initially met the Gowers through astronomy connections—Ann was just retiring as I started at UVic as a grad student. That was in the fall of 2003 (though I met Ann also as a prospective grad in about February 2003 when I came out to visit UVic before deciding to come out west). Over the next few years, Ann and Jim welcomed me into their lives in a number of ways, also including the Bent Mast music jam. As I was starting the final year of my PhD, they thought that I might really enjoy trying ECD—at the time, Ann was still fiddling with the musicians, and Jim was dancing. And they were right! I loved everything about it— the dancing, the music, and of course the people! There were so many fun adventures in that first year—I remember going over to Mayne Island for their ball and sharing a room with Sherry at Richard and Lael’s, the Victoria Ball (with a Gilbert & Sullivan themed performance, plus earlier theatre expedition courtesy of David Gallop, and an amazing ball gown, first lent then given to me by Jen Howe), and a summer dance party at Pat Mason’s just as my dad had arrived to help me move. I’m not sure how I managed to fit all of that in while I was working on defending my PhD and applying for jobs, but obviously it was too much fun to miss out on. I was sad to be moving from Victoria at the end of that summer, but I kept up ECD when I moved, and tried to time my visits back to Victoria to overlap with Thursday dance. I first went to Cambridge/Boston for 3 years (with thanks to Rosemary for putting me in touch with Helene Cornelius when I arrived there), and then one year in Hamilton, before coming back to Victoria in the fall of 2013. And I’m ever so thankful to be back in Victoria again with some of my favourite people. – Helen Kirk
In summer 2009 my friend Kate took Seymour and me to contra in Vancouver. My first dance partner was Nelson. He spun me around and around and around and it was really fun. But…I got so dizzy I couldn’t dance the rest of the evening. While I was sitting out, somebody recommended ECD as a more sedate alternative, and told me how lucky we were to have ECD available every week in Victoria. Seymour found the VECDS website and got directions to Dan’s Hall. The first time was a bit intimidating because it was so obviously a private home; we weren’t sure quite what would happen once we reached the end of the walkway. Oddly enough, while I remember walking towards the door, I don’t actually remember anything that happened after we reached the door, so it must have been all right. Anyway, we kept coming back — and we kept on coming back because we had finally found a kind of dancing that Seymour liked. My other vivid early memory is panic the first time I realized that being a one was different from being a two! – Jenny Fraser
We were first invited to dance at the Mayne Island Ball in 2011 by my oldest friend Joanne Williamson, a Vancouver dancer who, unbeknownst to me, had been dancing both English and Contra for many years. At that time we had a family cottage on Mayne and Joanne thought it would be “fun”—as a way of thanking us for hosting her—for us to come along for the day of workshops and the evening of dance. I flatly refused, reminding her that I was hopeless when it came to remembering more than three steps to any sequence. Joanne, in her inimitable way, simply said: “Claudia, if you can walk you can do English Country Dance.” This, of course, was not true but it got us out one door and into another. Inevitably, I couldn’t keep more than two or three steps in my head at a time (Jen will remember the terror of trying to help me through “Mary K” before we bailed at the end of the line: no good deed goes unpunished). Nonetheless, by the end of the evening I was smitten. On our way home that evening, Jennifer (who we knew as a friend on Mayne) encouraged us to come to Dan’s Hall—and off we went (first ending in field on the wrong side of Roy Road, before finding the long driveway in the dark, and the steps up to the hall and through another door. David was a good sport from beginning to end, and here we are. – Claudia Haagen
Prepared for the 20th Anniversary of Hands across the Water, 2019 (with a footnote here and there).