Elizabeth graduated from square dance beginner's class in 1976 under the guidance of Norm & Mary Graham and the Travelling Squares Square Dance Club in Nanaimo. She stayed with the Travelling Squares for about 10 years until the necessity to move locations for work stopped her from carrying on.
She took time out to raise a family and to pursue other interests..... then, after the unfortunate passing of her husband in 2008, she returned to square dancing (23 yrs later!!) to fill a void.
Since she expressed an interest in "trying" to call, her father (a pro after 34 yrs of calling) decided to delay his upcoming retirement from Square Dance calling for 1 year, and teach her how to do it. This started her apprenticeship under the fantastic tutelage of her father and mentor, Mike Groenendyk. Added to the lessons on learning how to call, she also studied and learned how to cue Round Dances under the able direction of her mother, Lena Groenendyk, who had been cueing Round Dances just as long as her father had been calling.
She shared duties with them for the Circle Eights Club in Qualicum Beach for one year before taking over as caller-cuer the following year when they both retired from calling and cueing.
Elizabeth became a member of the Upper Vancouver Island Caller Teachers Association and also the Victoria and District Caller Teacher Association to ensure she was able to call anywhere on the Island as a Club Caller in those areas.
She called for Circle Eights for two seasons 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, until the club folded for lack of active dancing members. During the same 2 seasons, she was also hired on as caller-cuer for the Frontier Twirlers in Victoria, remaining active in both clubs from 2010 through the 2012 seasons.
A year off for oral surgery and recuperation put her out of calling for the following season, but as soon as she was able, she picked up her microphone and got right back to practicing, taking in a week of training under Darryl Clendenin at the Circle Eight Ranch in Cle-Elum Washington (USA) as a boost to get her going again.
The 2013-2014 season had her filling in as guest caller for anyone who was unavailable to call a dance, as well as sharing some calling duties with Garry Dodds for the Frontier Twirlers for the 2014-2015 season. Given her work schedule, this was sometimes a daunting task!
She has been actively involved in promoting square dancing and following through with promotional fundraiser events, as well as a demo dance for Canada Day along the Gorge waterway.
The Promenaders were pleased to welcome her as the club caller starting September 2015! The 2015-2016 season Beginner Dancer Class, saw 6 new dancers join the Club. It was a great start!!
During the 2017-2018 Dance year, we saw the introduction of a half hour of Plus 'Teach", which had those wishing to learn the advanced moves from the Plus Level on the floor each week to add another move to their rapidly growing list of moves learned. By the end of the year, the group had made their way through all the moves in the "Plus curriculum' and were dancing at the Plus level.
The 2017-2018 Season saw a noticeable decline in new dancers throughout the region, with some classes being cancelled due to insufficient numbers. The campaign posters continued to be put out however, in the hopes that another class could be started up after the Christmas Break. What a joy to see another 7 new dancers join the Club and the dancing community in April of 2018!
The hard work continued, but unfortunately there was not enough interest within the club membership for the executive to carry on with new faces. It was therefore decided by a vote at the AGM, that the Promenaders would turn the leadership of the Club over to the Caller as of July 2018, thus becoming a "Caller-Run" club. Many good wishes came from all across the Island. The Club continued to add new members by way of the Beginner Group, with another 8 dancers joining by end of classes in May 2018.
A new dancer class was begun in January of 2019 with hopes of catching those who missed the September start up dates. Out of the eighteen dancers who began in the class, 12 carried on to graduation and were also welcomed into the dance community.
Throughout 2019, Elizabeth continued to do a fabulous job of keeping the Club alive, motivated and very active. There was much in the way of promotional posters, advertising, public demonstrations, fundraisers, and special occasion events, all geared for audience participation, which is a great way to bring awareness to the square dance world.
Continued success as 2019 unfolded .... and an eye to the future!
Classes were scheduled for September 2019 - the advertising posters went out, and a fantastic group showed up for the start of classes.
All went very smoothly and everything was on track for a wonderful graduating class in April 2020, when just a couple weeks shy of the graduation week, the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic hit, putting everyone into isolation and shutting all dance halls.
All dancers and students alike were put on "hold", until we receive the go-ahead from the Provincial Health Authority on restarting our beloved dancing. For now, we all remain behind closed doors and face-masks!
It is expected that the Club members, along with the Students who were unable to complete the classes, will all need a "refresh" in order to carry on once the doors reopen. We all await that challenge !! We have been told it could be some time before we are able to gather with our friends once again.
----------------------------------------------- 2022 We have finally been given the clearance to continue in the dance halls, and it is definitely time to get out there and get our legs moving again, not to mention time to refresh our memories with all the 'forgotten' moves! ------------------------------------------------ Classes have been scheduled in some areas, although it goes without saying, that there are fewer dancers now. Many Clubs had few members willing to return, citing many different reasons.... health issues plaqued many, with more dancers simply 'aging out' and physically unable to continue. A number of Clubs folded and closed their doors permanently.
Elizabeth had to make a heart-wrenching decision as a 'Caller-Run Club' on the feasibility of remaining an active club, but ultimately decided that the Promenaders, with its plummeting membership, would close the doors.
The handful of dancers who were still able and willing to come out have banded together and will continue to flourish under a combined Club membership. --------------------------------------------------- Elizabeth seized an opportunity to move from the Lower Vancouver Island area in order to care for her aging mother, and has continued to practice with her calling and cueing skills, is still active in the VDCTA, UVICTA, and the square dancing community.
As of September 2022 ... Who knows ..?? We watch and wait for future developments...
----------------------------------------------- Fast-Forward to the 2023-2024 Dance Season
After approaching the local administrator for the Parks & Recreation Programming, it was decided to try adding Beginner Square Dancing to the list of available Adult programs.
The first session showed a slight interest, with a couple of participants coming out to give it a try, but as luck would have it, without the required participants, it proved difficult to teach.
but... the word was out in the community! Another session was started...
Again, with limited participation, and with the help of a few "willing and seasoned dancers", the classes have thus far seen progress.
Elizabeth has managed to spark interest in this group of hopeful dancers, who range in age from 7 to 74 ! Quite the triumph !