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P.O. Box 2406
Muscle Shoals AL. 35662
PH 256-383-7585- Fax 256-383-7583
Email Mac @americancallers.com
Press Release
A Return to Square Dancing
The ACA Proposal
Today there is an uneasy consensus among dancers & callers which holds that square dancing is neither as it used to be nor what it ought to be. We all agree that, while there are not as many callers as twenty years ago, there are even fewer dancers. The one thing that none of us can deny is that we no longer have the once copious flow of new students into our square dance classes that we enjoyed in years past. The flow has shrunk to a trickle or none at all. The truth is that the one and two square clubs that we have today would not have been considered a good “basement group” in the 1970s. Beyond these areas of accord and mutual commiseration, we began to diverge and quibble. We can agree that something is wrong and in talking to people that have quit square dancing, it’s not hard to figure out. We can agree on what is wrong, but not what to do about it. At the moment we are doing relatively little or nothing about it and the downward trend continues.
The sad truth is that there is a quick fix for the ills that have been building up over the past two decades while we waited for things to improve. It did not happen. Until all of us agree upon, and put into effect, an effective and workable course of action, the decline in square dancing will not only continue, it will worsen.
The American Callers Association (ACA) has applied logic, facts, experience and reason to the problem of our shrinking numbers and has come up with a workable and effective solution. Do away with existing barriers between dancers and return to the days of the undesignated dancer. In other words, we should discard the present Basic, Mainstream and Plus list. We should replace these levels, lists, programs or whatever with a program of square dance choreography that can be mastered in a reasonable amount of time and that will include the very best and most useful calls. By doing so, we can bring all dancers back together on one floor and put the fun back in square dancing.
No longer will dancers be labeled and categorized in a divisive manner. No longer will dancers be forced to spend inordinate lengths of time in classes to become a square dancer and not be welcomed by existing dancers. (This will put 95% of all dancers back together.) We should condense the current list of Basic, Mainstream and Plus into one single, sensible, and manageable program which need be called merely “Square Dancing.” There will always be advanced and challenge, but we do not build from those levels. If we don’t put them in at the bottom, they cannot take them to the top. With no new dancers the top looks very dim.
American Callers Association is not only furnishing the concept, we have also worked out the details. Reviewing tapes of recent dances held in many areas of the country, the information showed that ninety-five percent of the dances were called with 50 or less calls. The calls were in terms of frequency of use and the popularity that dominates our square dance choreography. The determination of these calls was made in an entirely objective manner, with no preconceived bias toward or against any call.
Using these analytical studies as a basis, American Callers has developed a recommended list of calls, including the order in which they can be taught during the learning cycle, that forms the keystone of the “One Floor Program.”
Remember this is a recommended list and it can be improved even more.
The “One Floor Program” can be downloaded from our web page .
Obviously, this solution will require a degree of sacrifice and cooperation among callers and dancers that so far has never achieved. Everyone is going to have to give up something in the common cause. The rewards of doing so can be very great. The penalties of not doing so are even greater.
Persons wishing to know more about the “One Floor Program” may contact Mac Letson at or write to American Callers at P.O. Box 2406, Muscle Shoals Al. 35662, or call 256-383-7583. Should you choose this as your program of square dancing (club, association or state), please furnish any caller that you have to call for you a copy of this list. . As more input comes in, we may have changes to this proposal. The dancers we talk with like what they hear. Callers that have been teaching by this list report they keep about 80% of their new dancers. Most of the callers we have talked to say that they think square dancing would better with just one program below advance and challenge.
Some of the Advantages of the Proposal:
1. Can now have more than one class per year.
2. Planning a special dance is made easier.
3. Brings about a better attitude and unifies the activity again.
4. Makes recruiting and the retention of new dancers easier.
These are just a few advantages of the one floor program, I am sure you can think of many more.
Please feel free to copy or forward this press release to anyone .
Equality and Retention
By
Patrick Demerath
Oct,2007
The American Callers’ Association in its attempt to be of service to all callers, dancers, and associations provided current, timely, and effective information on new dancer recruitment, winning ways to retain club dancers, and pitfalls to drive square dancers away for most 2001 to the present the American Callers’ Association continues to relish and appreciates the positive comments, encouragement to continue, and contributions from callers and dancers all over the country and from abroad to continue these initiatives. The American Callers’ Association will continue to provide information that will help the square dance community recruit, retain and retrieve square dancers as well as encourage the dancers to speak out on the cumbersome dance programs.
This month's American Callers’ Association Viewpoint discusses the social benefits of square dancers and square dancing in general. These are the benefits that all dancers can and do enjoy. Square dancers often invite people to try square dancing. The square dancer is often asked about the values and the traditions of square dancing. The ‘”new dancer will often ask or think “Why should I become a square dancer?” “What is in it for me?” In my own experience as a dancer and caller for, I can remember many instances in which I had received such questions from friends and acquaintances. I have often strived to answer such questions about the benefits of square dancing.
One great answer is fun, friendship, and fellowship that you will experience and enjoy. We can cite the history of square dancing in what it means to people now and to people two-hundred years ago and one-hundred years ago often mentioning some of the prominent people who square danced. We often attempt to draw attention to the many new friendship opportunities of square dancing and cite the many wonderful friends that we all made. Even the non-dancing social gatherings enjoyed by square dancers and their families are a significant part of the square dancing life style.
If we look around at other organizations, all of these benefits are not unique to square dancing. Other social, civic and religious organizations provide many such opportunities for benefits that square dancers enjoy. At this time of the a decline in square dancing participation , I sometimes become disillusioned because I can never provide a convincing statement that would explain the one quality benefit most central to square dancing.. “What is it that sets square dancing apart from other groups?”
The answer to this question is not evident unless one looks into a square of new student dancers relatively early in their lesson program. If we look at them in lessons, we see laughing, fun and a beaming sense of accomplishment. Still, these are not the elements that set square dancing apart from other activities. The answer to the question is that student dancers all share “EQUALITY” which is the most vital element in our beloved square dancing as well as is required to ensure continuation and prospering of square dancing.
When a student square dancer enters the hall for a square dance lesson, all the cares and woes that accompany life in the outside world disappear from his/her memory. Each square dance student dances with seven others in a square in full and complete harmony. It matters little what is their business, education, wealth, or profession. What matters is that the dancers are united in the square following the patter by the caller.
It can be argued that the sum of the history and the social benefits of square dancing, powerful as they are, pale in importance to the “EQUALITY feeling” of each new dancer having fun in the square.. If this is missing, this may be why so many people drop out of square dance classes, stop dancing right after graduation, and are lost to the square dance community. Perhaps, it is a reason why square dancing is in decline. Perhaps, the various dance programs/levels drive new dancers away because the EQUALITY among square dancers is absent. Perhaps, we have taken EQUALITY away from dancers after they graduate from classes by our more difficult dance programs.
The American Callers’ Association recognizes that the long period of current lesson program equate to earning a Masters of Business Administration from a university. The American Callers’ Association has an international one-floor program can be taught in as little as 16 weeks Perhaps the American Callers’ Association international one-floor could be improved by reducing it to as little as 60 calls. The reason for this is that there appears to be a limit around 60 calls that some student dancers can absorb. After that square dancing becomes too stressful resulting in these good people dropping out of lessons or leaving right after lessons. Perhaps reducing stress on the new dancers and eliminating the “INEQUALITY” of square dancers might reduce the number of new dancers leaving square dancing if we return to the central uniting bond of square dancing which is “EQUALITY”. The bottom line is that if we as callers, dancers and leaders take away “EQUALITY”, it seriously damages square dancing. All square dancers should be able to feel the “EQUALITY” of square dancing, as “EQUALITY” will help square dancing grow and prosper.
Any individual, club, caller, or association who wishes to communicate his/her opinions on this subject is encouraged to contact the American Callers’ Association at or Patrick Demerath at . Please visit the American Callers’ Association Website and Newsletters at American Callers.com. Read about the International One-Floor Program.
Until next time, Happy Dancing.
Thank You for Your Efforts Rick and Scott
By
Patrick Demerath
Nov,2007
The American Callers’ Association in its attempt to be of service to all callers, dancers, and associations provided current, timely, and effective information on new dancer recruitment, winning ways to retain club dancers, and pitfalls to drive square dancers away for most 2001 to the present. The American Callers’ Association continues to relish and appreciates the positive comments, encouragement to continue, and contributions from callers and dancers all over the country and from abroad to continue these initiatives. The American Callers’ Association will continue to provide information that will help the square dance community recruit, retain and retrieve square dancers as well as encourage the dancers to speak out on the cumbersome dance programs.
This month's American Callers’ Association Viewpoint offers thanks and appreciation as well as endorsements from the American Callers’ Association for their insights, efforts, and accomplishments to expand the customer/dancer base of square dancing. These two individuals along with their friends prepared realistic music and dance timelines for youth square dancers.
How many times have we heard square dancers, callers and square dance leaders say “we need to attract younger, much younger dancers.” Their comments normally fell on the rocks or under thorn bushes as the biblical story of the Parable of the Mustard Seed resulting in nothing being created to facilitate growth of the mustard seed or the recruiting of youth dancers into square dancing.
The first person I would like to spotlight and offer ACA thanks is to ACA caller Rick Hampton of Fine Tune and Gold Wing records. He and his friends under took the hard work and expense to develop and market music for the youth dancers. They created a CD and Mp3 format of 14 singing calls and 8 patter records of music designed and preferred by younger dancers. This was a gigantic undertaking from a lot of dedicated people. Please contact Rick Hampton at for more information and to purchase his music for youth dancers.
The second person I would like to spotlight and offer ACA thanks is Caller lab caller Scot Byars. Scot and several of his friends developed a program called “Blast Class.” Scot’s idea was to recognize that the current majority of dances are either seniors or senior baby boomers. They require a teaching method suited to their needs and abilities. Scot and his friends recognized that in order to attract and retain younger dancers a new time line had to be developed, published for younger dancers. Scot created a matrix of frequency of lessons per week, number of weeks of lessons, number of months of lessons and number of calls taught per week. He further broke down his segmentation by various age groups and applied it to the above criteria. The result is that a caller of younger dancers can follow Scots matrix and develop his own timelines and frequency of lessons. ACA encourages you to contact Scot at to learn more about his statistical program to personalize square dance lessons to the dancers ages and abilities.
As far as I can remember this is the first time that a caller program was developed to meet the dispersions of the market /dancers based upon demographic elements of age with corresponding abilities. Both Rick’s music and Scot’s Blast Concept would work very well with the ACA one-floor dance program which is shorter and less stressful than the other programs.
ACA would like to thank both Rick Hampton and friends and Scot Byars and his friends for the foresight, commitment, and hard work in developing music for younger dancers and a timeline matrix for teaching younger dancers.
Any individual, club, caller, or association who wishes to communicate his/her opinions on this subject is encouraged to contact the American Callers’ Association at or Patrick Demerath at . Please visit the American Callers’ Association Website and Newsletters at American Callers.com. Read about the International One-Floor Program.
Until next time, Happy Dancing.
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