We've never done this before -- will we be able to do the dances? Absolutely! Square dancing is ideal for parties and groups of beginners. It comes from a tradition of community dances for people who didn't have a lot of time to practice dancing. The basics of square dancing are very simple and involve no fancy footwork. How much time do you need? A typical dance is 2-3 hours, although it's not unusual for a dance to last less than an hour or go for four or more hours. I'm glad to help out as an emcee with any birthday announcements, speeches, presentations and such, DJ for your dinner, etc. How many people and how much planning do I need? Parties of all different sizes and budgets work. I've called for one hard-core square of 8 on a back deck, water and sodas only; and for many years I've called an annual stylishly-catered party on a parquet floor overlooking a vineyard for dozens of guests - square dancing is a user-friendly activity and almost any kind of event that features it will work! What will the caller need? I need a table (a 6 footer is good) and access to electrical power. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? A weekend dance costs $500. Some non-profits can receive a 20% discount. You have me for up to five hours, so I can also DJ or help emcee your event. (No discounts for shorter dances - I can't book anything else in that time frame.) For Monday through Thursday dances, please call me and we may be able to work out something out at less of a cost than a weekend dance. What is your typical square dance for beginners like? It varies from dance to dance, of course, depending on the group's age, energy level, experience, ability, how much of the program is scheduled to be dancing, and many other factors. I've called for pre-schools, for assisted -living senior centers and the whole gamut in between, but a typical dance for adults with no experience would look like this: 1 – Warm-up line dance, Cupid Shuffle is a current favorite, see the video on the home page. (For groups with kids, I might start with a Hokey Pokey or Chicken Dance,) 2 – A Bohemian Mixer, a change-partners dance. I usually tell folks that if they're only going to do one dance, do this one. We set up circle with the men going one way and the women another, and they dance a short and simple polka figure with each other before moving on to the next partner in the circle. It's a great hands-on ice-breaker, and everybody gets to dance with a dozen or more partners by the time the practice and the dance is done. 3 – Virginia Reel: the classic traditional American community dance. According to his diaries, this was George Washington's favorite dance! The climax is the rousing "Strip The Willow" figure that comes into the dance from Scottish country dancing. A crowd pleaser for centuries! 4 – I invite those who would like a break to do so. Anybody who wants to keep dancing, remain on the floor and I'll teach and lead a line dance. I often use Boot Scootin' Boogie here, or Elvira or the Electric Slide (which are almost the same dance.) 5 – After the line dance, I'll announce that we're going to try our first square dance, and we learn and do a classic 19th Century quadrille called "Solomon Levi", a great old dance that builds to a big surprise finish. 6 – Then we'll begin modern square dancing, building on what was done in Solomon Levi, adding the classic moves Right and Left Grand (the hands-on version of the maypole dance figure) and the elegant and beautiful Grand Square. And another line dance, and more squares, maybe another circle mixer, and so forth. But again, it is your party. Some groups can't get enough dancing, other groups dance only a little because they have a lot of other stuff to do or because they prefer to sit and socialize. I'm there to help your party work, however it goes, and I will talk to you during the party to be sure we're on the same page.