Many schools hire me to lead multi-week programs during school hours, 1-4 classes at a time depending on age and available space. A typical contract is for 4 - 11 weeks for each class. Most schools close the program with an assembly to which the parents are encouraged to come – it makes for a spectacular show for the parents and provides a great sense of accomplishment for the kids. (Schools often hire me for one-shot fundraisers or parent/child dances, and you should look into those pages for information on those kinds of dances.)               " Steve Minkin's Square Dance Program has much to offer in the school setting.  It's learning history in a kinesthetic and memorable way. It's directed social interaction involving cooperation and respect. The music frees and inspires the spirit and the body. It's learning in an auditory and kinesthetic mode. It's basically learning by doing, and almost everyone enjoys that kind of learning. " Peggy Maddock, Alexander Valley School   " Steve Minkin's Square Dance classes have helped enrich the educational experience of our students at White Hill. Students are taught an important art form, as well as social skills, focus, rhythm, teamwork, and spatial awareness. Mr. Minkin has a unique understanding of how to get the most out of those under his supervision. His passion and love for this art form comes through in each session he teaches and our students are thankful to have the opportunity to work with Mr. Minkin. " Chad Stuart, Whitehill Middle School, Fairfax   " I love going with my students to learn square dancing from Steve Minkin. The students also love it. The students are required to pay attention to multiple-step directions. He teaches more complex steps as the students get older, so that it never gets boring, and there is always something new to learn. The dances are appropriate for the age groups. Steve starts the music right away and keeps the students engaged the entire time. I have also been to adult birthday parties where Steve was the entertainment. We had so much fun! " Carol Brown, Healdsburg Elementary School, FMS Campus I have over twenty years of experience calling in schools. I combine a strong personal presence with a lot of patience, and have great success in teaching dancing, and a zest for dancing, to children of all ages. Groups vary widely, of course, but here are some typical dances I do with various age levels: KINDERGARTEN - Hokey Pokey - The Chicken Dance - Steve's Hoedown (a simple, spontaneous call-and-response circle dance of my own design – it gets the kids listening closely, and is also good, semi-raucous fun) - A simplified Virginia Reel (I teach the most basic concepts of the dance: the formation of lines of facing couples, and the moves up-to-the-middle-and-back, right and left arms swings, two-hand swings, and sashays. We get creative with the sashays! With this background in kindergarten, getting first graders through the entire dance the following year is a piece of cake.) - Mexican Hat Dance - YMCA - Bunny Hop - Children's Polka (a great, simple, one-wall line dance for little kids, choreographed by my friend the late Jack Murtha of Yuba City) - The Limbo (how low can you go? One of the things I love about this one is that the kids who win are often kids who have won nothing else all year long) - Freeze dance And, depending on the groups, we may start the Macarena and/or Popcorn (my next easiest line dances) FIRST GRADE all of the above, plus - The Virginia Reel (the whole dance, adding the cast off, the bridge figure, and the classic Strip-The-Willow figure from Scottish Country Dancing. I tell the kids that this was the favorite dance of our first president, who was from Virginia) - Patticake Polka (a traditional Bohemian mixer dance, changing partners. It also comes in handy for pairing up dancers – I tell the kids that the boy or girl you wind up with at the end of the dance will be your partner for the next square dance!) - Macarena - Popcorn/ Boot Scootin' Boogie (two easy line dances) SECOND GRADE all of the above plus - Jiffy Mixer (a livelier and jazzier circle mixer) - Solomon Levi (a simple, elegant, fun, traditional square dance) THIRD GRADE AND ABOVE all of the above plus - The Tennesse Wig-Walk (an elegant circle mixer) Additional line dances, including: - Elvira (Electric Slide) - Pata Pata - Amos Moses - Down At The Twist And Shout - Old Time Rock&Roll (Chocolate City Hustle) Additional square dance movements. Modern Square Dancing does not have preset routines, but rather uses the calls in all kinds of combinations. I can and do call these movements to a wide variety of types of music and songs. From Solomon Levi (listed above), the students will have learned: - Square formation and positional awareness - Circle left and right - Swing your partner - Couples promenade - Separate We will then learn some or all of these movements: - Right and Left Grand - Grand Square - Boys Promenade - Weave the Ring (the maypole dance figure) - Couples Promenade 1/2 - Pass Thru - California Twirl - Rollaway with a Half-sashay - Ladies In, Men Sashay - 2 and 4 Ladies Chain At Whitehill Middle School in Fairfax, where I have a chance to work with sixth graders for eight sessions each, they have learned all of the above plus these spectacular show-stoppers for the assembly: - The Teacup Chain - The Rainbow Stroll - Forward Six and Back - Siamese Squares - Rip'n'Snort These are some of the schools with whom I have had long-term relations, and the grades I currently call for them: - White Hill Middle School (6th grade) - Healdsburg Elementary School (K-2) - Rincon Valley Middle School