About Symmetry ECD

Born in Cyber Space  –  Residing and Dancing on Cloud Nine

When we come down to Earth, Symmetry becomes a truly Global Dance Organization.  Our Board Members are from the UK,  USA, and Canada.  Symmetry Callers are from the UK and USA. Our volunteers are from all around the world.  Symmetry’s “house band”, Vicki and Jonny, are from the UK. 

In memory of our friend and supporter, Bob Green

Bob Green (March 4, 1950 – November 11, 2024) was one of Symmetry ECD’s founders and a vibrant presence at our online dances throughout the pandemic and beyond, dancing with Martha in their living room and regaling us with puns and funny stories during chat time.

Gerald Pottern and Sharon Spangler, with Martha Edwards and Bob Green, December 2022

He got to meet and dance with some of his Symmetry friends in person. In December 2022, he and Martha came east to visit family and attend Contra Dancers’ Holiday. One the way, they stopped by the home of Symmetry friends Gerald Pottern and Sharon Spangler in North Carolina to share a Christmas dinner and some impromptu dancing.

Caller Bob Green and musician Martha Edwards from St. Louis recently visited some Symmetry friends in the UK. Here they are at a dance in St. Albans. From left to right: Greg Hartwell, Martha Edwards, Mary Hartwell, Bob Green, and Thomas Bending. Bob taught the dances, Martha and Thomas played fiddle and keyboards, and Greg and Mary (and about 50 other attendees) danced! Photo credit: Robin James

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another special visit to Symmetry friends was in 2023. On their way back from a trip to Greece, Bob and Martha stayed with Symmetry caller Thomas Bending in London, UK. They enjoyed a dance with the local group at St. Albans, Thomas playing and Bob calling. Here are Bob and Martha with Symmetry friends Thomas Bending, Greg and Mary Hartwell, in a photo taken by Robin James.
For those who did not know Bob or want to know more about him, his interview on “5 Things Inside the Dancing Mind…” (a pandemic-era Zoom program hosted by Darlene Hamilton) sheds light on his philosophy of dance and community and so much more. The aftertalk, shared with Martha, shows what a wonderful team they were in dance and in life. There are family stories, dance adventures, and of course lots of puns. The link to the aftertalk can be requested from Historical Tea and Dance Society.
Recalling what a punster Bob was, we can’t forget his cookbook project during the pandemic — COVID Dishes: A Pundemic Cooking Experience. It is still available.
On November 17th, Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer played a lovely tribute to Bob at our Sunday dance. We enjoyed Bob’s dance Colorado and All Colorado to the beautiful, soaring tune Waltz for Sara by Kristin Graham. Afterwards, we shared with each other some of the many ways Bob brought joy and community into our lives.
Bob, we miss you, but we are so glad we were privileged to know you, in person and on zoom. Thanks for everything. Love to you and Martha and the family,
Your friends at Symmetry ECD

The early history of Symmetry English Country Dancing

In March of 2020, when the pandemic shut down their meeting place, some members of the Charlottesville ECD group decided to start meeting on zoom. Using a few simple dances from 21 Easy English Country Dances published by CDSS, a teacher called dances while attendees danced around their living rooms, kitchens, or wherever they had space. Teaching and calling ECD on Zoom was new to everybody. It was a hard slog at first. They spent more time learning how to use Zoom than dancing. But people persisted and spread the word. Soon dancers were joining from Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Missouri, and more.
The group was encouraged to invite people from other groups, now that geography was no longer a limitation. A notice was posted on the CDSS website. Sharon Spangler and Gerald Pottern of Raleigh, NC, saw the notice and joined. They were charmed by the group’s quirks, from doing Duke of Kent’s Waltz and Alice every week to ending with a “teddy bear waltz.” Sharon was asked to call a dance and she began calling weekly on Sundays starting in June 2020.
With a regular caller, the group could expand. Symmetry’s founder drew on her expertise with organizing and working on Zoom to put the group on a solid foundation. With the group’s input, she and Sharon worked out their vision of good calling on Zoom: two walk-throughs and calling throughout. Sharon’s husband Gerald provided useful demonstrations of the moves while Sharon focused on giving clear calling and instructions.
It was time for a new name. The name Charlottesville ECD no longer seemed to fit this group of dancers, most of whom had never met outside Zoom. It was truly a virtual dance community and needed a name not tied to any one locality. Symmetry seemed a good choice.
At the February 16th (2021) dance, The Symmetry Waltz by Dave Marcus became Symmetry’s theme song.
We honor the musicians who provide the recordings our callers use by including this information in our archived dance lists.
We are also honored and fortunate to have U.K. musicians Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer offer their excellent live music for Symmetry callers, as often as their schedule allows!
As of March 2023, Symmetry became a not-for-profit corporation directed by a group of dancers and callers from across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. who are committed to keeping online English country dancing available even post-pandemic, since we feel there is still a need and interest in this. We welcome those interested in online calling to contact us, and those who share our continuing interest in online dance options to support our continuation.

SYMMETRY BOARD

Luanne Stiles (NC, USA): Preseident
Mady Newfield (IL,USA): Vice President
Louise Adler (CO,USA): Treasurer
Susan Burt (IL, USA): Secretary
Robin James (UK): Member at large
Louise Perron (QC,Canada): Member at large
Eileen Hug (NV,USA): Member at large
Gloria Jacobs (OR, USA): Member at large
Jonathan Balk (FL, USA): Member at large

 

VOLUNTEERS

Robin: UK
Louise: QC, Canada
Martha: St. Louis, MO
Gerald: NC, Sunday Host
Sharon: NC
Kris: Central Illinois
Mady: Chicago area, webmistress
Symmetry English Country Dancing (Symmetry ECD) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation registered in Virginia.
Address on file: 7288 Hanover Green Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 (please do not use this for contributions)
Phone:  630-251-0811