As almost everyone reading these notes knows, our beloved Dr. John Ramsay passed away during the early morning of Wednesday, May 8, 2024. We will all miss this wonderful, astonishing dancer, who chose to grace the world with “amity, joy, civility” through his love of English Country Dance.
John was born in 1930 in the southern United States. He attended Berea College in Kentucky, where he joined the Berea College Country Dancers. John danced wherever he lived, and he led innumerable groups to draw others into the joy of dancing—at Celo Community in North Carolina while he was farming and teaching public school; at Iowa State University while he was getting his Ph.D. in genetics; at the John C. Campbell Folk School at Brasstown in North Carolina, where he was Director; then back at Berea where he became the Director of Recreation Extension. In the process, John took dancers all over the world, including to Denmark, Japan, Korea, Guatemala, Czechoslovakia, China, and on and on.
John’s impact on dance in St. Louis has been profound. Beginning in 1995, John and his wife B Meyer introduced hundreds of homeschoolers to English Country Dancing. They also trained about fifty dancers via a CDSS Young Leaders Workshop in 2008. Moreover, they founded Dance Discovery, an historical dance performance troupe to mark the bicentennial of the 1804 Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition. Dance Discovery is still much in demand and still in operation—twenty years on.
John also wrote and self-published a number of books—fiction and nonfiction—about people, dogs, etc. His deftly veiled autobiography Life of a Don: Life Stages from a Male Perspective is frank and spicy. It also, with characteristic honesty, looks at the whole span of life, including its end.
From all the ECD dancers in St. Louis, dear Dr. John Ramsay: Rest in Peace
R. Taylor
St. Louis English Country Dancers
May 10, 2024
Our Upcoming Dances
StLECD Holiday English Country Dance
$10
at First Congregational Church on WydownAll the way upstairs (handicap accessible, elevator, chair lift).
We'll do a special selection of English Country Dances, including our own "Good King Wenceslaus", which we'll also sing in celebration of Christmas, and we'll dance Ludwig's Hora to celebrate Hanukkah and Beethoven's Birthday.
Please join us!
Proof of COVID vaccinations is required.
StLECD English Country Dance
$10
at First Congregational Church on WydownAll the way upstairs (handicap accessible, elevator, chair lift).
Please join us!
Proof of COVID vaccinations is required.
StLECD English Country Dance
$10
at First Congregational Church on WydownAll the way upstairs (handicap accessible, elevator, chair lift).
Please join us!
Proof of COVID vaccinations is required.
For events after Mar 9, 2025, or to import/attach/merge the calendar with your own, visit:
When and Where do we usually dance?
StLECD currently dances on the 2nd Friday of every month.
Location:
First Congregational Church
All the way upstairs
6501 Wydown Blvd
Clayton, MO 63105
(click for Google map)
Or Click here for an old fashioned printable map with detailed text directions.There is ample parking available in the church lot.
Beginners are warmly welcomed. All dances will be taught and called. No partner or costume required (comfortable clothes and shoes recommended).
7:00 pm: Workshop - come learn the steps you'll need before the evening's dance.
7:30 pm: Dancing to live music.
We'll dance until 9:30 pm, with a short break in the middle (snacks generously contributed by the dancers). The dancing concludes with a waltz.
$10 - please join us!
Proof of COVID vaccinations is required.
Other English Dances Nearby
Childgrove English Country
$10
at The Monday Club in Webster GrovesProof of Vaccination required.
Caller: Sarah Kaiser
Band: Ragged Robin: Billy Boyer, keyboard, Martha Edwards, violin
More info:https://childgrove.org/
Wentzville Community Dance
$5
at Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 1860 Lake St Louis Blvd, Lake St Louis, MO 63367, USAJoin us for a variety of traditional dances, mostly English country with some contra.
No experience and no partner necessary.
Children 10 and up are welcome with adult supervision.
More Information:https://johnnotgrass.com/dance
Childgrove English Country
$10
at The Monday Club in Webster GrovesProof of Vaccination required.
Caller: Peter W
Band: Ragged Robin: Billy Boyer, keyboard, Martha Edwards, violin
More info:https://childgrove.org/
Childgrove English Country
$10
at The Monday Club in Webster GrovesProof of Vaccination required.
Caller: Mady Newfeld (from Chicago)
Band: Ragged Robin: Billy Boyer, keyboard, Martha Edwards, violin
More info:https://childgrove.org/
For events after Mar 9, 2025, or to import/attach/merge the calendar with your own, visit:
The Wentzville Google Calendar The Childgrove Google Calendar
What Is English Country Dancing?
English country dancing typically involves lines of men facing lines of women; the dancers walk patterns with their partners and with other couples in the set. Our chief dance leader is Peter Wollenberg; all dances are taught from scratch each evening. You can attend with or without a partner.
Beginners are welcome at
all events! Each regular dance evening starts at 7:00 with
a beginners' workshop so that newcomers can learn the
fundamentals of English country dancing.
The St. Louis English
Country Dancers (Local 1651) are members of the Country
Dance and Song Society, CDSS.
what is the cost for dancing?
The cost of a regular dance is $10.00 per person, with a student rate of $5.00. (Fancy-dress events are higher -- watch this space.)
Who Are The Musicians?
Live music for every dance evening is provided by the Original Speckled Band.
Members of the band are:
What Should I Wear?
Wear comfortable clothes and soft-soled flat-heeled shoes.
You can come with or without a partner.
We have a Facebook page
(You do not need a Facebook account to see it).
Many thanks to Russell for maintaining it!
And we have T-shirts!
Check out the design here
and a picture of Russell wearing one is here.
To order a shirt, e-mail Paul (pstamler@pobox.com).
Whom Can I Contact?
Please call Paul Stamler at (314) 288-9106 for more information, send an email to Paul pstamler@pobox.com.
Web site is maintained by Dan tech@DanKlarmann.com
Cecil Sharp
How About Some Additional Dance Links?
Focal Point Arts Center Dance Discovery Highland Mist Scottish Country Dancers Childgrove English Country Dancers Arkansas Country Dance Society Central Illinois English Country Dancers [Urbana, IL] Chicagoland English Country Dancers [St. Charles, IL] Lexington [KY] English Country Dancers Lawrence [KS] ECD Madison [WI] English Country Dancers Scissortail Traditional Dance Society [Oklahoma City, OK] Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS) English Country Dance around the USA (directory)
How Do I Get Onto The E-Mailing List?
Send an e-mail to Paul Stamler (pstamler@pobox.com) or click here: pstamler@pobox.com.