Rib Ticklers - ABC Hoedowns

Harvest Moon Dance 2011

2011-03-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

This will be our third or fourth year doing the Harvest Moon dance at Ebeneezer United Church in Christ in Stratford, WI. Each year it seems to get better. The chili is always great, the silent auction items are things you would actually want, and the dancing is great, too! We'll be doing line dancing, square dancing, ballroom dancing, and we'll be taking requests for music from our extensive song library.

Now includes Line Dancing!!

2011-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

We've added Line Dancing to our format! Actually, if you think about it, what we really have are big ol' parties featuring a bunch of dancing. The line dancing is just like the other stuff we do - you don't have to know what you're doing - just show up and we'll teach you.

Learn all the most popular basics - Stray Cat Strut, Florida Waltz, Electric Slide, Ten-Step, and more.

Hope to see you there!

New News

2010-04-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's not news if it's not NEW. It's OLDS. Which leads me to feel guilty about not having more recent posts in here. Rib Ticklers have been dancing up a merry storm in Rib Falls, WI and we have a lot of new friends to show for it. But forget all that! Looking forward there are a lot of opporunities for you to come dance with us. Look at the new dates for 2010 posted to the right, and come back for more updates on special dances, like the Summer Picnic at Good Shephard Lutheran Church, which is a fundraiser for the GSLC Youthgroup so they can go to Summer Camp up in the Boundary Waters Area. Also, we have a May dance at Ebeneezer church in Stratford, and other things on the cooker. More details soon!!

A Celebration of LIFE! (What a party!)

2009-08-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, my goodness, did we have a great time! On Saturday, August 15th, Theresa and I ran the music for an event called the "Celebration of Life" party, which was held out at the Jack and Judy Buchler farm in Gleason , Wisconsin. In spite of the economic and physical hardships suffered by some who were to attend, or perhaps because of it, they decided to throw a party and invite everyone they knew to come to their farm for one day and CELEBRATE LIFE.

PHOTOS: Not all the photos are posted in this article. See the rest of them here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Rib.Ticklers.ABC/CelebrateLifeAug152009#

I can't do it justice, but here is the scene as I remember it:
An expansive rolling valley, accessed via a dead-end road and a half-mile gravel driveway. Bucolic and idyllic, but the opposite of rustic. This is the Buchler farmstead, beautifully maintained, with a glorious home and 'barn' perched on the side of a wooded hill, overlooking a picture-perfect piece of Wisconsin. Only the balloons tied to the mailbox and an invisible electricity in the air tell visitors that today is meant to be a special day.

As you travel the drive, you notice the area set aside for the horses. Cars are parked here and there and a golf cart is busy ferrying attendees to the house from the parking lot. Approaching the house, you see the yard games set up to the right, tents and tables up near the house, and the beautifully decorated 'barn' on the left. The garage is open, and the food has already started to arrive.

I could go on and on about the setting, but the bottom line was this: We had an awesome day and a huge amount of fun providing the music and leading the dancing for this event. During the early part of the day, we played two hours of reception music, with a focus on artists specifically requested by our hosts. The mood was light, the music upbeat and uplifting. From our vantage point, we were able to see all the different activities, and we played music to match. At five o'clock, all 150 guests gathered around the house for a moment of celebration, a few short speeches, a song of joy, and a great cheer for the banner of life that was raised in celebration. More food was served (there was truly no end to the food, and every morsel was scrumptious) and then it was time for the horse-drawn wagon rides, the water balloon toss (balloon fights was more like it) the golf lessons, the badminton, and more food. Did I mention there was a lot of food?

We had a tough time keeping up with all the different activities, but we managed somehow. We had two different computers going, playing reggae, Caribbean and beach party music for the balloon toss, interrupting it with balloon splash sound effects. Whenever the wagons would approach, we tossed in clippity-clop sound effects to let people know they should line up for the next wagon ride, and we played old-westerns and trail ride music and various horse and old west sound effects while the wagon was in earshot. With a shortened version of 'Happy Trails to You' we sent each wagon ride off, then went back to the dance and party music.

Finally, around 8:00, when darkness started to fall, and we began to see how fabulously the whole area had been lighted for an evening party, one of us moved up to the 'barn' to set up the dance hall while the other played music to the crowd. Originally the dance was scheduled for 7:30, but people didn't really shuffle over to the 'barn' until about 8:45. Apparently they were having too much fun enjoying the unbelievably beautiful weather, and we didn't care a hoot. As long as everyone was having fun, we just kept the music going. I keep saying 'barn' because this building was a 'barn' in the same way that the White House is a 'house'. Not that it was a massive structure by any means, but that it no longer resembled anything you would put cows into. I don't know what it looked like before it was renovated, but what I saw was a magnificent outbuilding with a thirty-foot porch lined with lights and filled with patio furniture (a truly wonderful space to sit around with friends) a very functional first level to store - well, barn-like things, the lawn mower, tools, whatever, and an upstairs loft area that had been converted to a first-class dance hall, complete with wood stove (which we didn't need). I have serious barn-envy.

When people did mosey in to dance, we did our usual ABC thing, teaching people how to do some basic Square Dance moves, tossed in a few singing calls, line dances, polkas and waltzes, and it was an enormously successful end to our part of the day. We had at least 60 people packed in, and there was so much laughter, clapping and revelry that it was sometimes hard to hear.

As I look back on that day and night, I feel honored to have been able to participate. I have never been to any event, anywhere that was better planned or better executed. It was a joy to see that many people, some from as far away as south of Chicago and further, all getting together to remember all that is good in their lives. I want to thank the Buchlers sincerely for including us, and for giving me pause to look at all the wonderful things we have and to CELEBRATE LIFE!!!

Graduation Class of Spring 2009

2009-07-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these photos from the Graduation Dance! This spring, three clubs in the Central Area joined forces to get one more group of students through the Mainstream level before the convention. Much was learned from this combined effort, and I believe it's a model that can work for anyone. If you're interested in our advice as to how to run a multi-club set of lessons, give us a shout! rib.ticklers@yahoo.com.

Click the Cake to View the Album!

Enjoy!

Enk-Anderson Wedding, July 2009

2009-07-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

It was a wonderful day in Riverside Park in Wausau, WI. The sun was shining, people were smiling, and all was well with the world. Our very good friends, John Enk and Bonnie Anderson were (finally) getting married, and we had the pleasure of being able to provide the music and entertainment for them.

Our day started at 12:00 noon, where we set up our equipment and played a variety of up-beat music based on selections by the bride and groom and their wedding party. It was music for the set-up crew, who were there doing decorations and organizing - well, stuff. You know how it is with weddings. There's lots of stuff to set up. Actually, because there were a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities, we set up equipment in two locations, and played different music in each. At 1:00 the official pre-wedding ceremony started, and we changed to a different set of music, designed to give the guests an environment where they could talk easily and still hear great music in the background. The selections were targeted to specific guests, making sure each of the most important ones heard a 'favorite' or two.

The ceremony itself went beautifully. It was held outdoors, and fortunately, we had brought along a wireless microphone, because the pastor didn't have one with her. We were able to get her 'wired' so that everyone could hear the ceremony, and we also were able to use our system to amplify the readers and the vocalist. All in all, it's a good thing I bring all those extra microphones!

After the ceremony, we played more music both indoors and out for the reception. Many of the selections were show tunes from John and Bonnie's favorite musicals and there was frequent impromptu line dancing and chorus dancing as the music carried people away.

At 5:00, we cooled things off for dinner, and played very quiet selections from a wide variety of jazz, popular, and classical artists. It was actually very challenging for us, because the hall at Riverside Park is acoustically obstinate, and we had to constantly adjust the sound level to make sure the music could be heard, but wouldn't make it impossible for the 150 or so guests to talk at dinner. At 6:00 we had the official cake-cutting, and we surprised John and Bonnie with a tune from Annie Get Your Gun, which they knew and lip synched. It was hilarious to watch these two loving people get brassy and contrary, singing to "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better". After that, the music picked up a bit, getting people ready for the dancing later in the evening.

The dance started at 7 (well, 7:30, really - we were flexible). Much of the crowd was, let's say, 'older', because John and Bonnie are not exactly in their twenties. We chose dance music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, which is music they could identify and enjoy. And of course, John and Bonnie are square dancers, so we also mixed in some square dance music for them. Theresa and I dedicating one song in particular to them, Mockingbird, a duet we wrote especially for them.

Line dance, waltz, polka, fox trot, square dance, jitterbug, jive, rhomba, rock, slow - we covered the whole gamut as we partied through the night. One of my best memories is our dedication songs set where we chose one song in particular for John, Bonnie, and each of their children.

All in all, it was one of my favorites. I like putting on Weddings and Anniversary parties, but it's especially wonderful when you can do it for close friends. Thank you John and Bonnie for a wonderful opportunity, and a very good time.

What is ABC Square Dancing Anyway?

2009-06-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

No Lessons
ABC Square Dancing is all about showing up, dancing and having fun. There are people at virtually every dance who have never danced before in their lives - not even a polka. At Rib Ticklers ABC Hoedowns, you don't need to know how to dance. We'll teach you as you go, and you won't believe how much fun it is to laugh your way through it with everyone else.

Anyone Can Dance
Well - almost. Kids need to be at least 7 to dance, and they need to be there to dance, not to play. If they know left from right, they can dance, but it takes a special youngster to really enjoy it before the age of nine or so.

No Funny Costumes
Traditional Square Dancing is filled with rich pageantry, complete with glorious full-skirted dresses and crinolines for the gals, and matching colorful outfits for the men. We love it when people show up in this magnificent traditional square dance apparel. But you don’t gotta!

Feel free to drag in wearing whatever you want. Blue jeans are fine, and so are t-shirts. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, ‘cause you’re going to do a lot of walking.

No Partner Needed
Don’t have a partner? No problem. Show up and we’ll match you up with another dancer. We have both single men and single women here who love to dance.

Easy to Learn
Square dance ABC-Style is about having a lot of fun using easy-to-learn basic steps of Square Dancing. If you come to enough dances, you may eventually learn most of the steps needed to go to other dances, but you’d have to take some instruction before you could go dancing anywhere other than an ABC club. So far, we’re the only ABC club in the state.