Mark's Notebook
Best Square and Round Dance Web Sites
Sunday 10 April 2005, 12:39 pm
Keywords: Square Dancing , Round Dancing
Here are two different evaluations of the best square and round dance web sites based on the quality of the sites. One is a list of the top-ranked sites according to Altavista and Google, popular search engines. Then my own list of the most useful sites, based on the ability to find cue sheets, challenge information, beginner class information, calendars of local events, and lists of local clubs.
Top sites according to Altavista and Google
These are the top square and round dance web sites according to Altavista and Google, with my comments. Alaska-Yukon Square and Round Dancing- Altavista ranked #1.
- Last updated 8 April, 2005.
- Has dance event calendars for April 2005 through February 2006/
- Lists eight clubs in Anchorage, four clubs elsewhere in Alaska, and one club in Whitehorse, Yukon.
- Lists two beginner classes that started in January 2005.
- This is one of my personal favorite square dancing web sites.
- Altavista ranked #2.
- Last updated 4-3-2005.
- Covers the areas of Dallas, Ft. Worth, and surrounding areas.
- Shows nine square dance classes including a 3-week "blitz."
- Lists a total of five clogging clubs, six round dance clubs, and more than 50 square dance clubs.
- Has a schedule of dances April through June 2005, including three beginner-level dances.
- Overall, a very useful page.
- Problems: has lots of un-necessary animated graphics, requires a wide window/screen.
- Altavista ranked #3.
- Last updated recently, but no note exactly when. "Copyright 2000-2004." The only news item regards a meeting in June 2005.
- Covers the entire state of Tennessee, broken up into seven different areas (Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Oak Ridge, Johnson City, and Fayetteville), which correspond to six different local associations.
- I would estimate that the total number of clubs in the state exceeds 100 (but I was unwilling to count them all). Each club has phone contact information, but few if any have email or web addresses.
- The site contains lots of association-level information like insurance and bylaws that are not of interest to a general audience.
- Overall, a very useful site.
- Altavista ranked #4.
- Probably last updated October 2004.
- Has calendars for October 2004 through September 2005.
- This site represents a commerical interest, not a dance club.
- There is lots of round dancing, and there is a link to a beginner class which does not yet have an advertised start date.
- Altavista ranked #5.
- Last updated Thu, 27 Jan 2005.
- Covers the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence Seaway area (USA and Canada - Montreal and Ottawa).
- Has a list of 20 clubs, of which four are round dance clubs, and nine of the others (more than half) are now running beginner square dance classes.
- Has a calendar of events from January through September 2005.
- Overall, a useful site for anyone in the area looking for a beginner class or a round dance class.
- Problem: has some unnecessary animated graphics.
- Altavista ranked #6. Google ranked #5.
- Supposedly last updated in 2003, but it is much more current than that. The next event on the calendar takes place April 30, 2005.
- Has links to 20 different clubs in the Phoenix and Prescott areas.
- Overall, a useful site for anyone in the area looking for a beginner class.
- Includes a sparse events calendar that starts in April 2005 and goes out through 2007.
- Altavista ranked #7.
- Last updated 09-April-2005.
- Overall, one of the three most comprehensive square dance web sites on the net (the other two being Dosado.com and Mixed-Up.com).
- This is a database-driven site to which anyone can contribute information about their club, event, caller, or choreography.
- This is one of my personal favorite web sites.
- Google ranked #1.
- Last updated 2004?
- This site has everything you might want to know about the national convention, which takes place June 22, 23, 24, 25, 2005.
- Overall, a well-planned site that you will find useful if you plan to go to the national convention.
- Google ranked #2.
- Last updated 11122004.
- This site has almost nothing important you might want to know about the state convention, which takes place April 15, 16 & 17, 2005 (next weekend).
- Problems: the site has one annoying aminated graphic in a prominent location. It has no useful information about the levels or programs that will be called at convention, which halls they will be in, and which hours those halls will be open. The information about callers and cuers is way out of date.
- Google ranked #3.
- Last updated when??
- Has minimal information about the festival, but has a link to the official festival web site. Unfortunately, the link does not work.
- The convention takes place June 9 - 11, 2005.
- Google ranked #6.
- Last updated 2004-11-27.
- Has lots of information about the convention, which takes place May 14-16, 2005.
- Has separate pages in Swedish, German, and English.
Top sites according to Mark
This page of links shows my top picks, not in any particular order: http://www.mixed-up.com/search/links.html This list includes six sites catering to round dancers, three sites catering to challenge dances, and four sites catering to dancers in general. Here are some quick comments: General sites:- The EAASDC site is notable for its broad scope: it indirectly includes links to every association and club in Europe.
- Dosado.com was the first large square dancing web site and it is still one of the best. It gets its information from contributions that quickly go stale when the clubs don't update their information. Their system of state representatives to keep tabs is ineffective. However, this is the best place to start when you're looking for a square dance club.
- Callerlab is the best resource for both callers and students. Its resources are mostly caller-related, but the lists of programs are useful for anyone learning a new level up to C3A.
- Texas and Oklahoma Advanced and Challenge Page is most noteworthy for its extensive events calendar, which covers far more than just their local region.
- Vic and Debbie's Resource Net is a general site that has lots of challenge level information, including the online form of the popular "Ceder Chest" books.
- Lynette's Challenge Dancing Home Page has lots of technical articles about challenge calls and concepts.
- The Roundalab site is most noteworthy for the cue sheets for classic dances, and for the rounds of the quarter going back several years.
- The URDC site is most noteworthy for the list of cuers and higher-level round dance clubs throughout the world.
- The best sites for cue sheets are Roger Ward's Round Dance Internet Directory and Martin Prufer's Round Dance Server.
- Susie Rotscheid's site has many cue sheets, plus interesting articles.
- The Round Dancing Instruction Manual has descriptions of most basic round dance figures in most rhythms.
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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008