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Modern
American square dancing has been airing on dozens of public-access TV
stations for years now. Two new shows are produced each month and shared
with viewers in over 250 communities. Most stations give the show,
entitled "Friendship Set to Music," (FSTM), a "series" time slot so it
airs at the same time each day or each week. Some stations air the show
daily; some air it several times a week; some air it once a week--its
their choice.
"Friendship Set to Music" is an hour-long, square-and-round-dance show
created on a storyboard, then filmed non-stop, and finally mailed or
delivered by square dancers--all volunteers. Volunteer square dancers do
all the behind-the-scenes work for this very low-budget effort to
promote dancing. No one involved with the show is paid and costs are
very minimal.
Because the show is done by square dancers who are "certified,
community, television producers" for the Lake Minnetonka Communications
Commission (LMCC) TV studio in Spring Park, Minnesota, the use of the
studio for the production of the show is free. The biggest asset to the
show is operations manager Jim Lundberg, who has encouraged and advised
the group since the idea was suggested by square-dancer Dee Scott,
director and producer of the show.
Dick Rueter, a member of the American Callers Association and the
MSDCA, is the featured caller; various cuers, who are members of the
Minnesota Round Dance Council and Roundalab, share the fun of round
dancing. Volunteer guest callers include Brian Freed, Larry Johansen,
Chuck Bowes, Larry Fruetel, Ernie Auringer, Dean Fishel, Myron Hollantz,
Mike Driscoll, Tom Allen, Roger McNeil, Richard Miller, Dean Libby, Dan
Sahlstrom, CJ Amweg, Ben Gieske, Jim Lizakowski, Royce Nelson, Mark
Helftner, Wayne Kubicek, Abe Maier, Royce Nelson, Bob Maiden, Tom
Jacobs, Al Block, and Larry Pfennig; volunteer guest cuers include Ken
LaBau, Bernadette McNeil, Ed Rust, Mike and Edie Kirsch, Robin Fryman,
Daryl Beberness, Ed Rust, Dan Sahlstrom, and Leora Murphy. The
bluegrass band "Timbre Junction" provided "live" music on several
shows.
Viewers
wishing to contact the show may call 952-472-0006 or send an e-mail
through the website. Thousands of phone calls have come in from viewers
wanting to learn more about square and round dancing. Questions and
comments range from "We love the show. Keep it coming." to "Please run
the show two hours in a row." to "How can I host a square dance for my
friends?" to "Where can we learn?" Many viewers are referred to a caller
or club in their area who can give specific answers about times and
places. Folks seeking to learn are sent a list of the upcoming dances
and/or given complimentary free passes to visit clubs and dances to
learn more about this great hobby.
The basic production costs for DVDs are insignificant when compared to
the cost per viewer. Currently, the cable stations have a grand total of
over a million subscribers. If just 25,000 of that million watch the
show, the cost is less than a penny per viewer!
Start-up funds for this show were donated by the Central East Region and
Westonka Whirlers. By the end of the year, eight more clubs plus the NW,
the SE Region, the SW Region, the CW Region, the NE Region and the
Federation donated money to the show's costs. Two very successful silent
auctions raised enough additional money for the tapings to continue.
Grants from various organizations also help.
In 2006, the show was invited to perform all twelve days of the
Minnesota State Fair. Three shows a day were performed on the Heritage
Stage in Heritage Square. The then-regular hosts on the show, Ardus and
Bob, with Dick and Ray hosted the 36 shows. Over 600 square and round
dancers participated in this adventure. Most of the state's callers and
cuers were guests on the shows. Hundreds of dancers wore the special
blue t-shirts that were created especially for the fair with the list of
all the dancers on the back.
In 2008,
2009, and 2010, FSTM performed at the Minneapolis Mosaic on Hennepin
Avenue in June.
DVDs
of the individual shows are available from Dee. Each show spotlights a
different theme or square-dance club or region in Minnesota, dancing to
eight tunes plus three to four round-dance numbers. From fifty to a
hundred square and round dancers participate each Saturday morning. If
you wish to dance on the show, check the schedule and show up at the
studio. If you need directions, call Dee at 952-472-0006.
Readying
the studio's lights, cameras, and microphones, putting up the set and
club banners, and entering graphics into the character generator for
each show requires at least four square dancers who volunteer at the
studio for about three hours each on Friday morning before the
Saturday-morning shoot. During the hour-long, non-stop taping of each
show, square dancers operate the cameras, Ken does the floor directing,
a dancer generates graphics on the screen as the show tapes, Dee
operates the switcher, and Jim or Tyler operates the sound board.
Troubleshooting the whole studio is operations manager Jim Lundberg.
Decision-making for "Friendship Set to Music" is done by a committee of
square dancers. The invitation to help create the show went out to the
local club, Westonka Whirlers, and to many other dancers in the CE
Region. Working with the square dancers in Minnesota, they filmed 25
shows each year: 2004, 2005, and 2006, 2007. By the end of 2008, 124
shows were on the shelf.
Some clubs have tried producing a local square-dance show right before
their lessons begin and have been disappointed with the lack of response
from viewers. This disappointment is predictable because the show is
airing on cable TV, and viewers often find the show only when flipping
channels. Now in our seventh year, our feedback says we have a gigantic
audience that watches regularly. Most feedback today comes via e-mail
and hits on the website.
"Friendship Set To Music" has many first-time viewers who are seeing the
show for the first time, and it may be the 165th show! Thus, it is
important that the show air at least weekly in the same time slot,
giving viewers the chance to find it one week and then watch it again
the next week. Since most of the stations keep the DVDs, they seldom
play the same show week after week. "Prime-time" slots between 6 and 10
p.m. yield the most phone calls but are also the most difficult slots to
get.
Questions and Answers:
How can dancers get on the show? Call Dee and get directions
to the studio.
Can dancers from anywhere be on the show? Yes. In August, 2006,
Caller Al Block brought a busload of dancers from Missouri to the studio
and taped two shows. Their bus trip was a dance party! They left
Missouri and danced with a club in Iowa that night; the next night they
danced in Fargo, North Dakota. Friday night the Minnesota square dancers
hosted a "Minnesota Meets Missouri" dance at the Harmonies Dance Place
in Bloomington, Minnesota. Saturday morning Al and his Missouri clubs
taped two shows at the LMCC Studio and then spent the rest of the day at
the Mall of America!
What was your main purpose when you started producing this show?
To educate the viewers about square and round dancing, i.e., to let
people know that their neighbors and friends and relatives are dancing
all over the world and that they can join by simply making a phone call
or visiting the website. Square dancing is hip! Or it's hip to be
dancing in a square!
Is there a viewer-response phone number? Yes, a phone number and
the website are frequently flashed on the screen so viewers can call
with questions or comments. Lots of other graphics give details about
square and round dancing and encourage the viewers to join the fun.
How
about the fifty states?
The website
www.friendshipsettomusic.com has links to all 50 states!
How do we get these shows on the air in our area? You need
to contact your local, public-access, cable TV station (not usually the
cable company) and ask if they will air the show if you bring DVDs to
them or if the DVDs are mailed to them. If they say “yes,” they will
air the show, you need to contact Dee for DVDs. Or, you need to get a
crew together and start making your own shows for airing in your area.
The purpose of cable TV is to serve the local subscribers--play what
they request or what they create. Most stations eagerly accept good,
clean, entertaining programming. Many have enthusiastic station managers
(like our Jim Lundberg) who will be more than willing to help your club
make your own shows for the local viewers.
What is the content of the show? For the first year, we did
an educational format combined with lots of square and round dancing. In
the hour-long format, there were three or four round dances, six or
seven singing calls, and three segments when the hosts interviewed the
square dancers on the show about attire at a dance, when, where and how
often a person can dance, how long it takes to learn to dance, the
purpose of angels and queens, memorable experiences such as conventions
or special dances, and details about the club or region being
spotlighted. All shows except one use mainstream calls. One show is a
"plus" show; three have a live band on the show. As we added new ideas
to the show, we spotlighted the "red hats" and did a purple-and- red
show with square dancers who belong to the "red hats." Currently we're
doing theme shows: patriotic music, train songs, Hawaiian, barn dance,
boots, rock and roll, polka, gospel, western hats, Halloween, Christmas,
and a "Happy Everything" show that covers all the holidays in a year.
See the list elsewhere on this website.
What is the current format? More dancing, less talking; more
guest callers and cuers; more youth on the shows. Almost all shows are
timeless: they can air any day, any time. Three shows are extra special
because the music is "live" by Timbre Junction. We have four shows that
feature the youth; the theme: "Square dancing is for the whole family!"
How can any of the shows be used to promote square and round dancing?
First and foremost: get them on the public-access cable station
that you watch. You want your area to know that square dancing is alive
and that you hope the viewers will join the fun.
If you have more questions about "Friendship Set to Music" or want VHS
tapes or DVDs or would like help starting your own show, call Dee at
952-472-0006 or contact her via the email link on the left.
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