Nina and Bill
Leisi
McNutt Award
Presentation Washington State Festival 2003
June 21, 2003 -- Bremerton, WA
Bill and Nina joined by fellow McNutt
Award winners who were present at the 2003 state festival: John and Lorraine
Rouse, Nina and Bill Leisi, Susan Healea. The first winners (Walt and Wilma
Schribner-2002) were unable to attend.
And here is the text Susan read when presenting the award:
This award is presented in honor of Bob and
Martha McNutt. McNutts were active members of the Washington State Federation.
He championed the idea of leadership training. This dream project became a
reality in 1968 and we have all enjoyed the Leadership Seminar since that time.
McNutts were recipients of the Parker Award in 1968 and were the first recipient
of the President’s Award in 1974. Bob was strict on our tradition of dancing –
“no booze, always in costume, don’t make money before friends”. He pressed hard
for styling in round dancing. He’d say “You don’t have to squeeze her to death,
or break all her fingers in a grip, or push your hand through her back – just be
gentle and elegant.”
The Bob McNutt Round Dance Cuer/Teacher Award recipient will be a person cited
for having done an outstanding job of teaching and promoting round dancing as a
wholesome recreation for young and old alike. It is not to be construed that the
recipient of this award is the best or the biggest of anything. The award is not
intended as a prize in any kind of competition, but merely as a symbol of
recognition for inspiring work done in the field of round dancing.
The recipient must be an active participant in the Square and Folk Dance
Federation of Washington, and subscribe to its principles and the principles of
folk dancing in general – that democracy and fair play are as important as
having fun. He/she has taught different rhythms and phases of round dancing to
all ages of dancers.
The holder must be the final judge as to his or her successor and must make the
actual presentation.
At this time I would like to recognize the previous award recipients. The first
recipients – in 2000 were Walt and Wilma Scheibner from Yakima. The second
recipients – in 2001 were Lorraine and John Rouse from Spanaway.
Those of you who were in Yakima last year will remember that Lorraine had to ask
for a “crying towel” several times during the presentation. At that time I did
not understand the need for that. Now I do. It is not so much what is happening
at this moment that causes the emotion, but rather the reflection over the past
year. The impact that this award has had on me has been overwhelming. Words
cannot describe how honored I am to have been chosen as the third recipient.
I would like to take a few moments and talk to this year’s recipient. Even
though you do not know that you are about to receive this award (or I hope that
this is a surprise), I know that you are here (yes, I checked!). Yes, you are
about to receive an award, but it is actually much more than that. You are
embarking on a year long adventure in love. You will receive an abundance of
hugs and congratulations today. The congratulations will continue for months to
come. The dancers in your home area may recognize you at a special event. The
outpouring of love from the dance community will be overwhelming. This award is
truly an award of love. It expresses the love that you have put into being a
round dance leader, and the love that the dancers are giving to you in return.
Just like me, you will not fully understand the impact of this award for some
time to come. But eventually you will understand why Lorraine needed the towel.
Then, you will be faced with a very difficult decision. You must choose your
successor. You will have the honor of reading nomination letters from all over
the state. These nominations will be filled with love and will describe the
wonderful round dance leaders that we have in the state of Washington. Although
it will be a difficult decision, you will know that your successor is extremely
deserving of the honor. Just as I know how deserving you are.
Ladies and Gentlemen – I’d like to tell you a little bit about this year’s
recipient. I mentioned earlier that this award is about love. Let me share with
you segments of the nomination letters that I received for this year’s
recipient. Descriptive words included:
Dedicated
Loyal
Dependable
Efficient
Professional
Enthusiastic
Supportive
Caring
Giving
Friend
Do you know who it is?? I’ll help a little more. Some other things stated in the
nomination letters were:
THEY have a great rapport with each other and the dancers. Their sense of humor
is infectious. They laugh and have fun, and so do the students in their classes.
They are totally committed to the activity and have a passion for round dancing.
They support all aspects of the activity, but are particularly supportive of the
newer dancers. They know their material well and explain things clearly. They
work together as a team. A fellow cuer from their area wrote that they are
hard-working and an asset to the round dance activity.
Now do you know who it is??? Let me give you more segments from the nominations.
HE watches students and is able to pick out just the places where difficulty is
occurring and knows how to cure the problem. He makes students feel at ease, and
encourages dancers to ask questions.
SHE has a talent for choosing rounds that get people out on the floor to dance.
She has a voice that is clear and distinct. Her timing is impeccable.
They are known for traveling many miles to cue dances. They built a new home a
few years ago, and included a room where they teach rounds. They have a sign in
the window of house that says: “square and round dancing, inquire within”.
They have been round dancing for 17 years. They have taught 22 round dance
classes, including beginning and intermediate levels. She dabbles in round dance
choreography. She has cued at 11 Washington State Festivals and at a variety of
special weekends and functions. They will be the round dance chair couple for
the 2006 Washington State Festival. She is the incoming Round Dance Coordinator
for the state of Washington. They are members of ROUNDALAB, Northwest Round
Dance Teachers Association and the Spokane Callers and Cuers Association. They
are the cuer couple for the Frolickers in Pullman and the Hi-Flyers and Krazy
8’s in Spokane.
Ladies and Gentlemen: The 2003 recipient of the Bob McNutt Round Dance Cuer/Teacher
Award, from Cheney Washington, please join me in a round of applause for Nina
and Bill Leisi.