By Gloria Mertens
A very special couple deserves to be thanked for the patience and support they extended towards my husband and me on our journey to health and wellness, and deserves a plug for their passion and dedication to square dancing.
I retired from teaching a year ago having no master plan for my new-found freedom and time, although I maintained a commitment to lifelong learning. It was with some trepidation — mixed with excitement — that I convinced my husband to register for six weeks of square dance lessons, an activity about which we both knew nothing.
At times it was trying, as he accompanied me begrudgingly, claiming it was my “thing” and not his. After our lessons ended and his attitude didn’t seem to ameliorate, I retorted with exasperation that I would free him of any obligation he felt to drive me, but to my surprise he responded that he liked square dancing and wanted to continue. Since then I have heard few words of discontentment, and we have now put many kilometres on the odometer to attend dances throughout B.C., Alberta, and Washington in order to gain more expertise.
It was thanks to Sandy and Merv Meyer’s teaching style that we persevered and were motivated to travel every week from our home in Ashcroft to Kamloops. Sandy and Merv call and cue at Desert Gardens Senior Centre and at their home studio for the Thompson Valley Stars, the square dance club we joined last October. Not too long ago, Merv even called for a club in Ashcroft until it went defunct.
For more than a dozen years together, the couple have spearheaded keeping square dancing alive in the Kamloops area by offering lessons to interested new dancers like us, or to those coming back into the fold after a period of absence. They always greet members with a smile and “yellow rock”, a warm welcoming hug that many square dancers eventually appropriate. They are able to connect personally with every club member and keep fastidious records, including surveys that help them determine the most effective ways to promote square dancing.
Sandy and Merv have been recognized for their outstanding service to the square dance community, and we are so fortunate that we are members of their club.
We knew nothing about square dancing when we first started, and only realized its benefits as we grew to embrace it. Square dancing compels participants to think, to move, to socialize. Both couples and singles can participate, and there is no mandated dress code. Sandy and Merv’s music selections are modern and upbeat. If you are looking for an experience that rejuvenates — where you make new friends, feel great, and have a lot of fun — I strongly recommend that you give square dancing a go.
Another set of new dancer lessons will be starting up on Jan. 9, 2020. Call (250) 376-5636, or email Sandy and Merv Meyer at meyerdance@telus.net to obtain more information or to register.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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