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Welcome to the San Diego Callers Association website!
Square dancing keeps the mind sharp, the body exercised, and even offers health benefits such as the reduction of stress and an enhanced immune system.
Enthusiasts can square dance around the world since the various calls have been standardized by Callerlab, the International Association of Square Dance Callers. It is recognized as California's State Folk Dance.
If you're considering or planning a square dance party for an interested group or organization, check out the information on the Square Dance Party page. No previous experience or skill is necessary, just the desire to move with the music! If you can move, turn, and shake hands you can square dance.
For companies, square dancing is great as a team-building exercise because it's a cooperative -- not competitive -- activity. It enhances people skills, which improves the overall work environment. It's an ideal break during an intensive brainstorming retreat.
There are a number of organized clubs throughout San Diego County offering square dancing at standardized levels of Mainstream, Plus, Advanced, and Challenge. There are also clubs specializing in clogging and demonstration dances.
Most clubs offer one to three "give it a try" square dances every year. The cost of admission on your first night is generally free (call ahead to be certain). Admission is generally $4 to $6 per person -- cheaper than a movie where you just sit and watch -- because the clubs are non-profit organizations.
Dress for comfort, wear walking shoes or sneakers, and plan to have fun moving with the music! Additional information (dates, times, location) is available from the club listings on the Dancer Association Websites. Drugs and alcohol are not permitted at Association clubs and events.
A fun and friendly experience is waiting for you at a nearby square dance club.
BASIC fun-level square dances, designed for new dancers who already know the basics or dancers no longer dancing at the Plus level, are sponsored monthly by the San Diego Callers Association. They are held on the 4th Saturday night of every month at the Grossmont Work Training Center. Dance time is 7:00-9:30 PM. Please check the calendar for possible blackout dates.
Association members support the community at a variety of dances benefitting organizations such as Father Joe's Villages, Rady Children's Hospital, and Toys For Tots. Upcoming events are shown on the Calendar.
Meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month at the Grossmont Work Training Center, 230 Jamacha Road in El Cajon; meeting time is 8:00 AM and educational presentations are made following every meeting.
The annual Caller's Social is held in August.
It’s almost summer and that means that it’s time for the 7th Annual Callers School of San Diego! (Can you believe it’s seven years already?) If you know anyone in your groups who might have what it takes to be a caller, or who might just be interested in learning about what we do as callers, please let them know about the school. While we have most of our clubs covered with callers now, we still need people with the energy to go out and try to start new groups in areas where our activity does not serve currently.
If you notice, there is no date, time or location listed on the flyer. First we want to see if there is enough interest in having the school, then we will communicate with the interested people and set up a schedule where as many as possible can attend. So the main thing is to get names right now.
-- John Marus
The San Diego Callers Association is an affiliate member of the Square Dance Association of San Diego and CALLERLAB, the International Association of Square Dance Callers. Membership is open to experienced and novice callers alike, throughout southern California.
If you can dance in a square, you should be able to dance in a circle, right? Round Dancing, which is very much like ballroom dancing, has been closely associated with square dancing since it began.
It is not necessary to be a square dancer to round dance and you don't have to have any previous ballroom dancing experience to become a round dancer. If you can do the Surfer's Two Step (left, then right, then left, then right, keep going), you can become a round dancer!
Most clubs feature rounds between tips at their square dances. There are also some groups that round dance exclusively. More information is available from the San Diego Round Dance Instructors and from the clubs themselves.