Square Dance Calling

The author of the acclaimed Contra Dance Calling turns his attention to squares! Internationally known square and contra leader Tony Parkes “pays it forward” and reveals the secrets learned over half a century of teaching and calling.

This is the first book-length treatment of traditional calling in many years. Not just a rehash of prior works, it includes many thoughts on the activity that have never appeared in print before. Every aspect of the caller’s work is dealt with clearly and thoroughly, including:

Music and dance structure
Timing and phrasing
Voice technique
Calling “breaks“
Using patter
Planning a program
Teaching and walkthroughs
Working with live or recorded music
Calling for many types of group
Ad-libbing or “hashing” calls
Adapting others’ material
Devising new dances

In addition, the book includes:

A bird’s eye view of square dance history
An in-depth discussion of the basic movements
Call charts for over 50 figures and breaks
A section on creating new singing squares
A glossary of over 600 dance terms
Suggested tunes for patter and singing calls
Recommended books and recordings, with capsule reviews

Author Biography

Tony Parkes is one of the most experienced dance callers in North America. Since 1964 he has taught and called contras and traditional squares in 36 states, Canada, and Europe; led numerous callers’ training workshops; produced many recordings of dance music with and without calls; and published a standard text on contra dance calling. Based in the Boston area, he calls throughout New England for both casual and experienced dancers, and is a frequent headliner at large dance events across the nation and the world.