This course is an intensive “blitz” exposure to Modern Western Square Dancing (MWSD) for experienced contra dancers, traditional square dancers, and contra or trad callers. If you enjoy learning new choreography and the unexpected delights of no-walk-thru contra medleys, this is for you. Starting with the 25 or so contra calls that are shared with Modern Western squares, we will explore much of the CALLERLAB Basic, Mainstream, and Plus lists. New calls will be taught and workshopped, but you’ll get plenty of time to “just dance” and enjoy what you have already learned in both patter and singing call contexts. The pace of the course will be determined by the students’ ability to assimilate the material, but the goal will be that you can dance most Mainstream calls smoothly at speed. We will cover several of the more popular Plus calls as well. Expect to be challenged and have lots of fun!

Modern Western uses recorded music of various genres; the patter music is designed to get you moving at a continuous flow and the singing call music allows for a change of pace. The class time will be divided into an all morning workshop session where we will learn new figures, then a late afternoon practice and review session. You will have the middle of the day to relax or enjoy other workshops at American Week.