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Brief:
"Couples
Dancing" through the 1960's was pretty much nill for the entire decade.
The California West Coast swing dancers formed "Dance Clubs" to try
and keep the street dances alive (Non-Ballroom Couples dances), with West Coast
being the main style in these clubs. People like Kenny Wetzel, Jack Carey, Herb
and Rosalie Rosen, Dean Collins, Al White and a few others etc.
Then the 1970's came along and "Disco Dancing"
became the craze. This was a good thing because it brought back "Couples
dancing together". These clubs in fear of "SWING DANCE" (All
forms of swing) dying out, tried various things to stay alive. This included
dancing West Coast Swing to "Disco Music," entering "Disco Dance
Contests" while dancing West Coast Swing to Disco Music trying to encourage
people into the dance. Plus it really fit quite well considering the music and
was alot of fun as well.
During the
early 1980's, there were a few states who had gotten Legislature to pass a bill
to proclaim their dance as the official state dance of their state. About 1986/7,
The "United States Swing Dance Council" (namely Robert and Connie
Bryant, Ray Walker and others) was born. It was during this period, that
they (along with various Dance Leaders in different Regions / States)
heatedly worked out the "eight basic patterns" for all the states
to adopt, which eventually they pretty much did by bringing in Skippy Blair
and Annie Hirsch which are two very well respected leaders in the dance community.
Taking the lead from the
others before, they started a Pain Staking campaign to make "Swing Dancing"
the Country's "National Dance" which would prove very difficult and
was suggested to first take on a smaller task ... To Make West Coast Swing the
official State dance of California. It was not an easy task and found they needed
help. Walt Harmon was assigned as the councils Legislative Liaison director
who was already an active swing dancer and already a "Legislative Lobbyists"
who had contacts with the state capitol.
Mr. Harmon started by enlisting Robert and Connie Bryant, Jack
Bridges, Ray Walker, and California Senator Quentin Kopp as an "Advisory
Group" to get the effort off the ground. Among other senators to help were
Senator Dills, Craven, Keen and Mello. Kopp assumed that task and started writing
letters to the senate seeking CO-Sponsorship. The Legislative wheels do not
turn easily however and it would take certain "Lubricant" to make
them turn, with popular senate support being just the right oil. Many associations
jumped on board to help oil the gears such as "Arthur Murray Int'l, California
Chamber of Commerce, The Rotary Club of San Francisco, Oakland Association of
Insurance agents, Inc, Coca Cola USA", and others.
However, a
strong resistance and dis-interest with-in the capitol seemed to prevail. Walt
widened the scope with So. California being the weakest link as most of the
Assemblymen were from So. California and that was where support was needed the
most. Individuals were recruited thru-out California (such as myself, Ed
Cirio, Phil Trau. Herb and Rosalie Rosen to name a few) to petition, write
letters to the Senators, make visits to City Hall, get others to write letters
to senators to pass the Bill etcetera. Just as the Bill was about to pass, the
Square Dance community stepped in and gave a strong resistance, wanting Square
Dancing as California's official state dance. ... To make a long story short
there was a compromise between the two that each could live with.
Finally the bill was passed and West
Coast Swing became the official State dance of California and Square dance as
it's Official Folk Dance.
For me it was alot of writing letters, Phone
calls to the senators and others, a few City Hall Visits, getting almost 9,000
names on a petition, Talking to senators secretaries (asking me to stop
... lol), and drumming up membership support for the council to fund the
effort, then finally the phone calls from the assemblymen saying they would
approve it.
There were others as well as I, these are the
names that helped pass this Bill that made West Coast Swing the "Official
State Dance of California".
The Council Officially Thanked:
Walt Harmon, Connie Bryant,
Jack Bridges, Mary Manzella, Phil Trau, Robert Bryant, Ed Cirio, Craig Hutchinson,
Dottie Lovato, Chico Maize, Louise DeCarlo, Skippy Blair, Irene Reiger, Mary
Collins, Rosalie Rosen, Annie Hirsch, Jack Carey, Darlene Alford, Jack Merritt,
Bill Joslin, Lowell Gosser, Janet diPino, Lynda Lord, Laurie Haile', Frank Villages,
Michelle Meyers (Kincaid), Cay Cannon, Lew D. Serbin, Ray Walker, Sonny Watson,
Sandy Trau, Lee and Linda Wakefeild, John Duffey, John Lee, Diane Durossette,
Margo Kura, Geannie Peterson, Mike Sullivan.
We were also
asked to sign the Flyer accompaning the Bill which most of us did at the Phoenix
Dance Convention of that same year.
... Sonny Watson |
