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I began square dancing in
1980, started calling in 1981 and went full-time six years
later. I regularly lead over 350 dances each year.
I work very well with brand
new beginners, providing lots of dancing with a minimum
of teaching. Square dancing is ideal for non-dancers,
and comes from a tradition of dances for people who didn't
have a lot of time to practice dancing. My program for
beginners includes traditional and modern squares, the
Virginia Reel, circle mixers, line dances, novelty dances
and more, all done to a wide variety of music. I also
have a large and wide-ranging collection of personally
selected music on hand, so I can function as a DJ
for you during the non-dancing portions of the event,
if you choose.
Working with children
is another my specialties, and I have an extensive program
of calling in schools.
I also do many parent-child
dances and lots of dances for camps.
My home program consists of five weekly club
nights, three in Sebastopol, one in Santa Rosa and
one in Novato. These clubs periodically host classes.
I have called hoedowns all over California and festivals
in Maui, Napa, Lodi, Lakeport, Guerneville and elsewhere,
served for years as the Chairman of Advanced Quarterly
Selection Committee of Callerlab,
and am a member of Callerlab and the Northern
California Square Dance Callers Association. I call
through C-1, cue Phase II rounds, and lead line dances
every week. |
How did
a boy from New York City become a Square Dance Caller?
Very unexpectedly! Growing up in Brooklyn and The Bronx,
the only thing I knew about square dancing was that it
wasn't to be done! But my wife is from rural Michigan
and has been square dancing all her life. She asked me
to go just once, and said if I didn't like it she wouldn't
ask again. I was hooked in the first ten minutes. I've
always loved music and dancing, but when I saw how unique
and multi-dimensional square dancing was I fell in love
with it. A few months later, in beginners class, when
I learned the move All 8 Circulate, I realized that the
elegant choreography of the modern square dance was similar
to chess, a life-long passion of mine, and at that point
I decided to be a caller and threw myself into the activity. |
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