Meet the Caller and Cuer

Stampede Whirlaways
Square Dance Club


Williams Lake, BC Canada

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Nick and Mary Anne Turner      Contact at  250-392-2432    or     nmturner@telus.net

 
Nick  learned to square dance in 1970.  He started calling for the Chilcotin Circul-8-tors in 1976 and he became the Williams Lake Stampede Whirlaways club caller in 1978. Mary Anne joined the Whirlaways as a new dancer in 1988. She taught herself to cue rounds in 1992 and became the club Cuer.  She and Nick were married in 1993.


2018 marked Nick's 40th year of calling for the Stampede Whirlaways  and Mary Anne's 26th year  of cueing for them. 

Mary Anne cues and teaches Round Dancing  through Phase lll+ and she and Nick dance up to Phase lV+.  Mary Anne has cued the Kamloops Mayfest dance, several local Jamborees, at three Canadian Nationals and  at the B.C. Festivals and is well known for her annual Round Dance Social at the Williams Lake Jamboree. In 2006, she organized  and hosted a weekend  conference for Cuers - attended and enjoyed by Cuers from around the province.

Nick prefers to call Mainstream or SSD and both he and Mary Anne have a considerable repertoire of Easy Mixers, Couple Dances, Circle Dances and other material that they use with Square Dancing when asked to call for church groups, and schools.

Nick taught himself to call Contra and in 2000, he and Mary Anne attended the San Diego Contra weekend. The next year they started the Cariboo Contra Club in Lac La Hache.  They organized and hosted a Cariboo Contra Weekend and continued to do so for  ten years.  Mary Anne also  calls Contra now and helped with the calling for the  Lac La Hache club.  She was also a staff caller for the Cariboo Contra Weekend.

Nick has called Contra and squares at three Canadian Nationals,  at the BC Festivals  and at the Callerlab Convention held in Vancouver.  In 2004 he was Contra Program Chair for the  Canadian National in Calgary.

Mary Anne and Nick have conducted dance sessions for Fine Arts days,  Professional Development Days, and Teachers’ Conventions.  They designed and wrote the dance programme for schools entitled “Moving and Grooving” as well as recording the CDs for the programme This programme is enjoying considerable success.

For 20 years, Mary Anne and Nick were the publishers of  a dance Newsletter for Region 5 called The Cariboo Connection.  Mary Anne is the webmaster for Region 5, the Stampede Whirlaways and the Moving and Grooving program.

Nick has served as Secretary and President of the Region 5 Caller, Cuer,  and Dancer Association and Vice President and President of the B.C. Square and Round Dance Federation.  For 3 years Nick and Mary Anne operated the BCS&RDF InfoLine.  Mary Anne has served as Secretary and President for the Region 5 Callers', Cuers' and Dancers' Association.

In 2008, Nick and Mary Anne were privileged to receive the Award of Excellence from the Canadian Square and Round Dance Society and in 2009 they received the BC Square and Round Dance Federation Sillery Award for their service to the square and round dance world.

Nick retired from teaching school in 1998  and Mary Anne retired in 2003.  They  still enjoy being able to  call, cue and teach dancing.                                                   

Webmaster - nmturner@telus.net