The Callers' Choice dances are on 1st Saturdays from 8:00-11:00 p.m. at the Monday Club, 37 S. Maple Avenue, Webster Groves, MO. Free basics workshop at 7:30pm. Admission $7, Under 30 $5.
The calling is open - anyone can request a spot. Write to Martha at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and your request will be forwarded to the Planner du Jour.
Upcoming dates:
- Feb 4, 2012 - Music from Roger Netherton and Friends
- Mar 3, 2012
- Apr 7, 2012
- May 5, 2012
- Jun 2, 2012
- Jul 7, 2012
- Aug 4, 2012
- Sep1, 2012 - No Callers Choice Dance - come to High Tea & Sarsaparilla instead
- Oct 6, 2012
- Nov 3, 2012
- Dec 1, 2012
What's a Callers' Choice Dance?
Smuggler's Cargo plays the Caller's Choice Dance
on December 4, 2010.
At a Callers' Choice Dance, you get the best of what has been practiced at the Calling Parties, or, occasionally, a special treat from our regular callers or guest callers from other dance groups.
You get to dance to live music - often from Reel Women also known as the English Country Dance band Tu'Penny Players. In November of 2009, Perpetual eMotion from Maine, on their first, get-to-know-us Midwestern tour, played the music for us, treating us to their techno-contra. Smugglers' Cargo made their Monday Club debut at the Callers Choice dance in December of 2009, and Playing with Fire brought the house down in July of 2011. The Folk School sent over an ensemble for one of our dances, and the Night Crawlers played one, too.
The dances will be the ones called at the Calling Parties:
- Contra Dances
- Square Dance
- English Country Dances (ECD)
- Dances in Unusual Formations
Most of the dances are contra dances, but there may be a few (~2-4) other dances, all of them from the "set dance" tradition (dancing in groups or sets, rather than in couples or by yourself). We attempt to make the dances easy to dance by anyone who is familiar with either the English or American tradition. We also welcome people who have never danced either, but who are willing to give it a shot — it is our tradition to be helpful and friendly to newcomers.
Callers
- Billy Boyer‡
- Larry Boyer‡
- Martha Edwards†
- Chrystal Gallaci Jones‡
- Bob Green‡
- Kimberly Hall‡
- Jim Hemphill‡
- Karen Jackson‡
- David Keller†
- Missy Reisenleiter‡
- Kay Tomlinson†
- Dale Wilson‡
†Fledgling (called a third to half a dance)
‡Caller (called a full dance)
*The Calling Party blog: see http://dancecaller.blogspot.com. It hasn't been well-kept-up lately, but the early postings are worth a read.
**Hatchlings are people who like to keep learning. They're always trying to find a better way to do things.