The Mainstream Caller’s Notebook (book)

The Mainstream Caller’s Notebook is collection of choreographic ideas designed to help you provide more entertaining dances at the mainstream level. The material is meant to be most useful anytime ... Read More

Fast Track To Mainstream In Iowa

The purpose of this article is to relate our very positive experience in early 2007 with teaching the CALLERLAB Mainstream program using the “Fast Track” (or accelerated) approach. We are ... Read More

ACC Reference Material List

This article contains a table that lists many items commonly recommended to student callers by their coaches. Live links are provided where materials or information about them is available online ... Read More

Definitions for partially inclusive dancing – Dancing for Everybody

Birgit Rudolf has created a special set of Basic and Mainstream definitions that include information about how calls can be executed by dancers with mobility or sensory challenges ... Read More

Caller Training Handouts

Caller training handouts: a collection of handouts used in caller training presentations on various topics ... Read More

Tim Marriner’s Caller Education Materials

Tim Marriner was a CALLERLAB Accredited Caller Coach who created and published a large quantity of caller educational material over the years. Tim generously made this wealth of informative articles ... Read More

CALLERLAB Published Document Register

This article contains a register of documents and materials that CALLERLAB has published for external distribution and usage ... Read More

Teaching Orders

When planning for a class, regardless of program, one of the earliest decisions is to determine the order in which calls will be taught. This article collects information about a ... Read More

Cal Campbell’s Singing Call Collection

Cal Campbell has organized a collection of singing calls and documented them in the form of three Excel spreadsheets: Basic Part 2, Basic Part 3, and Mainstream. In all there ... Read More

CALLERLAB Certified Square Dance Teacher (CSDT) Program

The CALLERLAB Certified Square Dance Teacher (CSDT) Program has been created to provide a credential to callers who are square dance teachers. The program evaluates education, experience, knowledge, and skill ... Read More

SSD FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Those who are considering use of the Social Square Dance (SSD) system usually have many questions about how it works, the best way to implement it, and the issues they ... Read More

SSD Documentation and Support Materials

This article collects in one place documentation and materials that support the use of the SSD system. Some were created by the CALLERLAB SSD Committee while others were created by ... Read More

Saddlebrook Square Dance Teaching Videos

Saddlebrook Squares of Tucson, AZ and their caller Larry Kraber have made and excellent set of teaching videos for the Mainstream and Plus programs. These videos are available online or ... Read More

Ed Foote – All Things Considered

Ed Foote is a well known caller who has been calling since 1965. He was a founding father of Challenge dancing and served as Chairman of the CALLERLAB Challenge Committee ... Read More

Behind The Mike Newsletter

Barry Wonson edits an Australian caller newsletter called Behind The Mike. It consistently presents a wealth of useful information for callers and dance leaders. You can subscribe to have editions ... Read More

Facebook Stories About Using Social (formerly Sustainable) Square Dance (SSD)

Dean Dederson posted a question in the Sustainable Square Dance group in Facebook. The answers provided by Barry Johnson and Joni Micals constitute an excellent Winning Ways story on using ... Read More

Call Analysis Sheets

In order to design choreography callers must have an intimate knowledge of the characteristics of each call they use. The purpose of a Call Analysis Sheet is to provide a ... Read More

Flash Cards for MS Calls Not in SSD

Bruce Holmes, who is the caller for North Shore Squares in Evanston, ILL, has created sets of flash cards for calls on the MS list that are not included in ... Read More

Teaching Order Design Principles

This 9-page document discusses the factors that should be considered when designing a custom teaching order, regardless of program ... Read More

SSD, MS, & Plus Call Booklets from North Shore Squares

North Shore Squares is a new club that dances in Evanston, ILL. Despite only being active for 18 months or so they already boast 55 members. They elected to use ... Read More

Teaching an SSD Class

This Winning Ways story from a newer caller explains how she is using the SSD program to teach new dancers ... Read More

Callarama

Callarama is a “checker mover” program to help callers work out choreography by showing animated figures moving in response to calls entered by the caller. Callarama has defined the standard ... Read More

Successful Experiences using the 12 Week Condensed Teaching Method

This story recounts the results of three years of experience with the 12-week Condensed Teaching Method (CTM) - sometimes also referred to as the Condensed Teaching Order (CTO) ... Read More

Social Square Dance (SSD) Alphabetical Call List

Thanks to Kurt Gollhardt for producing this single page that alphabetically lists the calls used in the new CALLERLAB Social Square Dance program. The sheet highlights the calls from the ... Read More

CALLERLAB Online Teaching Resource

The Choreographic Applications Committee has created this resource site to assist those who are teaching square dancers. Its intent is to collect in one place all the information about each ... Read More

66th US National Keynote by Eric Henerlau

This article contains the text of a keynote address by Eric Henerlau at the 66th US National in Cincinnati in 2017. It is full of great ideas for growing square ... Read More

Learning To Dance Without a Caller

This summary article from Julian Pritchard describes the various teaching and dancing recordings their group has been using to learn and to dance in the absence of a live caller ... Read More

CALLERLAB Program Documents

This summary points to the primary program-related documents that have been officially published by CALLERLAB. This includes program lists, call definitions, timing charts, lesson checklists, teaching tips, formation charts, standard ... Read More

Two-Couple Teaching and Dancing Recordings

Tony Collingwood is a caller in the UK who has created an impressive repertoire of 2-couple teaching and dancing material ranging from Mainstream through C3B. These recordings are available free ... Read More

CALLERLAB Convention Audio Recordings (as of Oct 31, 2018)

Each year the CALLERLAB Convention provides two full days of education and information sessions. For many years audio recordings have been made of selected sessions, and latterly some have also ... Read More

CALLERLAB Convention Video Recordings (as of Aug 18, 2022)

Each year the CALLERLAB Convention provides two full days of education and information sessions. For many years audio recordings have been made of selected sessions, and latterly some have also ... Read More

Multi-Cycle Program X Plan from Gardner Patton

In the past there have been plans that provide for a Program with less calls (ABC, Community Dance Program, Basic 1, etc.) with little thought to moving those folks who ... Read More

Otonabee Squares – Success Starting a New Club (2009)

Report from Jean and Howard Lander about their success in starting up a new club in Peterborough, Ontario. The report contains much interesting information about how they advertised, promoted, and ... Read More

Caller Mentoring Guidelines

DOCUMENT: This document was prepared by the Caller Training Committee to assist those callers who are mentoring newer callers ... Read More

Condensed Teaching Order

In 2012 CALLERLAB commissioned an Ad Hoc committee to work with ACA to document a condensed teaching system that some callers had been using successfully for some time. The Press ... Read More

Sight And Module Resolution Systems Document

This document is a compendium describing dozens of known systems for resolving squares, including both sight and module based approaches. The objective was to document as many systems as possible ... Read More

No Experience Necessary Dances

Report from Dave Harry describing how combining a "no experience necessary" floor with a Mainstream dance introduced 15 squares of non-dancers to our activity ... Read More

Class In 3 Days – Four Corners Area

So in the fall of 2003 the club decided to try a different approach. We had heard about the accelerated lesson program at the 52nd National Square Dance Convention® and ... Read More

Winning Ways (2003/2009/2018) Sage Swingers

In the various square dance magazines and web sites you can read how square dance clubs and national organizations have plans for advertising square dancing, for “improving” our public image, ... Read More

Multi-Cycle Teaching Method

The AL e MO Squares, 150 members strong, will celebrate their 25th Anniversary in May 2003. They are holding an Anniversary Dance and through personal contact, by club members, they ... Read More

Experimental Lesson Systems

This article summarizes several experimental approaches to teaching new dancers known to be in use at the time of writing. All of these systems are aimed at the recruiting of ... Read More