A good turn out for the party.

.…for the Pleasenton Games adjudication set.

We danced Saturday at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

We had a group of 15 dancers, ranging in age from 10 to mind-your-own-business, and in experience from a few months to we’ve-stopped-counting.

We arrived in Ashland on or before Friday; some of us took the opportunity to get there early and see a few plays.  The Festival provided housing for Friday and Saturday night.  We met Saturday morning for walk-throughs on the stage, and then were free to enjoy Ashland until evening.  Sound check was at 5:15, cast call at 6:15 and the performance from 7:15-7:55, letting us finish in time to make an 8:30 play.

The weather was warm, getting up close to 100 in the middle of the afternoon. but threatening thundershowers cooled things off nicely at performance time.  Fortunately the showers themselves held off until just after we danced.  We had a couple of minor glitches, but that is normal and expected, and overall the performance went very well.  Everyone was very enthusiastic and complementary.

After we danced about half the group used our comp tickets to see Equivocation, the only play available for comps that evening.  It was the only choice available, but it was an excellent choice.  It is a play I would love to see again, if done as well as it was done in Ashland.  It is a brilliant play.

Some of us then partied into the wee hours, and dragged ourselves home Sunday.  Others had the good sense to get to bed a bit earlier, and then dragged themselves home Sunday.

It was a wonderful weekend, and a number of us are plotting return trips in future years, even if we don’t get to dance.

EB, Lynne, and Carol practicing the ladies step dance “Yellow-Haired Laddie” for our Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival performance.

Demonstration team members getting ready for practice Saturday July 11, 2009.

At the AGM Friday July 10, 2009, Peggy Hamilton and John Hamilton were reelected to the board. We also discussed this year’s ball and plans for next year’s. After the meeting we danced.

We had another practice for the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival demonstration today at YLI. There will not be class on Friday July 3rd, and no practice for Ashland on Saturday July 4th.

At the board meeting this evening (June 13, 2009) it was decided to hold the AGM on Friday July 10, 2009 at 7:00 o’clock PM. Official announcements and ballets will be mailed out next week.

…on Saturday June 13th for the last monthly party until fall. Bring some food, an act or two to perform between the dances and your dancing shoes. It all happens of course at the YLI 27th and N streets in Sacramento.

We had forty-four people registered for the workshop and ball May 16. Dispite the twenty degree higher than normal for the season temperature everyone danced and had a good time. Carol La Russa and John Hamilton did the Grand Marshall duties. We raffled off another hiking staff, and an afghan crocheted for the branch by Karen Hamilton who also helped in the kitchen.

We can now start practicing dances for the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon. We will be dancing there on Saturday August 1st.