BOQ

File:Logo BOQ.png

Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Started: 1985

Admitted to IAGSDC: 26 May 1985 as Full Member

Status: Merged with Puddletown Squares in 2011

History: The Challenge level club of Seattle. Part of Puddletown Dancers. There has never been a formal explanation of what "BOQ" stands for. Although speculation is that "BOQ" stands for "Bitchy Old Queens", the more likely story (see Harlan Kerr's story, below) is that it stands instead for "Behave Or Quit", referring to the group's early days.

From the Program Book of the 4th IAGSDC Convention, held in Portland, OR in 1987:

'What does it stand for?' everyone always asks. When we began dancing Challenge we went through hours of discussion, chose and rejected three names (would you believe O-Mega Challenge Dancers?), and found ourselves nameless with the deadline for Denver's convention booklet looming, the discussion became desperate. Referring to the straight Challenge community, with whom some of our dancers have had considerable contact, someone said, 'Oh, they just think of us as that bunch of queers anyway'. Bunch of Queers.<B

It was an idea, though not perhaps a good one. How about 'Behave Or Quit' someone else said, whether in reference to a Challenge dancer's need to study, or to the interminable discussion about names is still unclear. Or 'Bent On Quality' suggested a more optimistic soul. Or 'Bitchy Old Queens'. By the time we returned from Denver we were solidly BOQ, whatever it stood for. Think of it as an all-position name. BOQ has graduated eighteen dancers from C1; eight are dancing C2, six are at C3, and two of our members have almost managed to reach C4, Not bad for a bunch of queers!

Classes: Monday Nights

Club Caller[s]: Mostly a tape club, Bob Jervis, Classes taught by JW Paulson

Levels: C1, C2

Dance Location[s]:

Fly-Ins Hosted: West Coast A&C

• 1990 - October 5-7 Something New
• 1995 - October 13-15 Run Wild
• 2005 - October 7-9 Shake & Rattle in Seattle
• 2013 - October 11-13 Fiddle Around Puddletown
• 2019 - November 1-3 Puddletown Grand Mix

Conventions Hosted:

Stories:

• Harlan Kerr in an email from Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 7:28 PM said: We've come a long way from the early days in Seattle when part of how BOQ got its names was from a comment at a straight dance that "that bunch of queers (BOQ) are learning challenge. But the real basis for BOQ was "behave or quit"--because Bob said if we were serious about learning challenge people need to work at it and "behave or quit".

Photos

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