Square Dance

Square Dance

updated 11/24/25

The square dancing described here is "community" or "traditional" square dance, done to live string band music and beginner-friendly (no levels or classes), rather than modern western square dancing (MWSD).

1970's-1980's (pre-BACDS)

Occasional square dances were held in the mid-1970's at Ashkenaz, typically with the Arkansas Sheiks (Michael Drayton, Karana Hattersley-Drayton, Jon Pederson and others) playing and either Karana Hattersley-Drayton, Moe (Morris) Hirsch (1933-), or Bob Black (RIP) calling.   I have a fond memory of Moe Hirsch calling the singing square Alabama Jubilee accompanied only by his own banjo playing.  These dances continued until at least the late 1980's.

Both Moe Hirsch & Bob Black were professors at UC Berkeley (math & anthropology), and hosted a weekly old time music jam in Faculty Glade near the music buildings. 

Some of the larger local folk festivals such as the Western Regional Folklife Festival (at Fort Barry/Cronkhite in the Marin headlands or the big lawn at Fort Mason) and a folk festival at Santa Rosa Junior College would conclude with a mass square dance on the grass, often called by Karana Hattersley-Drayton.  

From March-June 1980 and January-June 1981, local old time musicians Brendan Doyle & Dan O'Connell ran a Tuesday night square dance series at the Noe Valley Ministry in SF, with Dan O'Connell calling and music by the Wooden Nickel String Band (Greg & Jere Canote, Meghan Merker, and Brendan Doyle, sometimes joined by Ron Cole and Nancy Dols (now Neithammer)).   They featured at least one out-of-town band, the Jubilo String Band from Philly.  The series ended when Sandy Bradley spirited Greg and Jere away to Seattle and Dan O'Connell moved to Vermont.  flyer by Greg Canote.

SFFMC, Plowshares & early BACDS

Impromptu square dances were often a part of campouts and the New Years gathering (Bothin, Camp Harmony, etc) of the San Francisco Folk Music Club.

The San Francisco Free Folk Festival (1976-present) often includes dancing, including square dancing.

In September 1981, Plowshares Coffeehouse (San Francisco Folk Music Center) at Fort Mason introduced regularly scheduled Thursday evening dances with English Country dance on the first Thursday, Old Time Squares on the second, New England Contra Dances on the third, and, on the fourth Thursday either Irish dancing or an "Open Mic Dance" where anyone with an interest could to try out calling or sitting in with the musicians.  Plowshares also hosted dances with visiting callers and/or musicians.  For more information about Plowshares, see Susan Wageman's thesis Plowshares Coffee House: People, Music & Community.   The contra dance became the BACDS Saturday night SF contra (1982-2020) - see Contra Dance.

When contra dancing first started up in the Bay Area, squares were typically part of the evening. For instance, Brad Foster would always call a few singing squares or New England squares; Kirston Koths was fond of southern big circle square dances (running sets).

Dare to be Square dance series 1990's (Oakland, El Cerrito); DTBS West Nov 2014 & 2025

The term "Dare to Square" was used by Phil Jamison for a series of articles in the Old Time Herald, including Community Dances in the Eighties: Dare To Be Square! (OTH Vol 1 #6 Nov 1988).   This article was reprinted in the Country Dancer, where it generated much discussion.

The name was later used for a series of weekend workshops in various parts of the US & Canada, including a Dare to Be Square West event held in Oakland in November 2014 at Geoffrey's Inner Circle, downtown Oakland  (callers Phil Jamison (North Carolina) & Kathy Anderson (Ohio), local bands Squirrelly Stringband, KC & the Moonshine Band, the Earl White Band, Right to Parlay, Uncle Dave, and more), cosponsored by BACDS.  

DTBS West returned to the Bay Area at Ashkenaz in November 2025, organized by Evie Ladin, Robin Fischer, & Allegra Thompson, with callers Sue Hulsether (Wisconsin) & Tony Mates (Seattle), Echo Mountain (Los Angeles), Stumptown Stringband (Portland OR), and local bands Stone Cold Ramblers, Round Top Stringband (the house band for the East Bay Square Dance), Skillet Licorice, The Baybillies, Plaid Strangers, The Bearcat Stringband, Dane Miller and John Gravois, and David Brown and Friends (playing for Quebecois squares).   See Facebook group & event.

"Dare to Square" was also used as the name of a local square dance series started in 1989 by several old time musicians, including Brendan Doyle, Maxine Gerber, and Stefan Curl. The dance was initially held at College Ave Presbyterian, a Julia Morgan building on College Ave in Rockridge.  The first dance was called by Fred Park and very well attended. In February 1991, it became a BACDS dance on 2nd & 4th Sundays,  with the programming alternating between Jim Saxe and the original Dare to be Square committee. Initially held at St. Clements (St. Joseph's was not available on a Sunday night), it eventually moved to the El Cerrito Veterans Hall where it remained for many years as a mixed contra/square dance; at some point Jim Saxe became the programmer for both nights, assisted by  Kathrine Gardner, Robin Cohen, and others.  The series ended in February 2004 with a Reunion and “13th Anniversary” dance with a Cavalcade of Callers and Hell Broke Loose in Berkeley (community band organized by Kathrine Gardner).

Ashkenaz (early 2000's)

Occasional square dances at Ashkenaz in the early 2000's included musicians such as the Earl White String Band and Eric & Suzy Thompson with Brendan Doyle & Maxine Gerber.

North Oakland Square Dance (2008-2020)

The North Oakland Square Dance was a non-BACDS series run by several folks involved in the old time music scene.  Jordan Ruyle was the main caller and organizer; the Squirrelly Stringband (David Murray fiddle, Debbie Berne banjo, Allegra Yellin guitar and Rachel Kraai washtub bass) was the house band.  It was held at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library,  6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (near Alcatraz St and the Berkeley/Oakland border). 

The Marxist Library is a small storefront, lined with bookshelves and poster-filled walls, and a fine wooden dance floor (it is rumored that it used to be an Arthur Murray dance studio).  Three or four squares could dance comfortably, it got crowded at 5, and 6 was packed.

The message archives of oldtimeSF show that the Marxist Library was the venue for a a number of special square dances (mostly benefits), concerts, workshops, and jams in 2008 & 2009. However, the first regularly scheduled dance was May 7 2010.The series became popular enough to start a 2nd dance on the 3rd Friday (3/16/12) with rotating callers and bands, while the first Friday continued to feature Jordan Ruyle and the Squirrelly Stringband.

Here is an article published April 2019 in Oakland North (an online news site products by UC Berkeley journalism students): From square dance to political activism at Oakland’s Marxist library

The North Oakland Square Dance did not resume after the COVID19 pandemic; however, the Marxist Library continues to be used by other folk music related groups, including a singers circle, and the dance has now become the BACDS East Bay Square Dance.

Current

East Bay Square Dance (BACDS)

from https://bacds.org/series/contra/:

East Bay Square Dance (Third Fridays, with exceptions)

The East Bay Square Dance held its first dance on Friday, August 16th 2024 at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library in Oakland. For over ten years, before the pandemic, there had been a square dance at the same place, also on Fridays, called the North Oakland Square Dance. That dance was run by the Squirrelly Stringband and was beloved by many. The North Oakland Square Dance ended with the pandemic and did not restart.

The new BACDS-sponsored East Bay Square Dance hosts many of the same musicians and callers as the North Oakland Square Dance, and has many of the same dancers. In October 2024 we moved to the Hillside Club in North Berkeley, where we have more space. This dance is committed to being welcoming and inclusive to everyone. Square dancing is relatively easy to get into for beginners, and the music is fantastic.

As of March 2025, the East Bay Square Dance continues to flourish and grow, although hall availability issues required temporary changes of dates and location in spring 2025 (sometimes using the Universalist Unitarian Fellowship Hall at Cedar & Bonita).  The house band is the Round Top String Band (Nick Lofaro, Rowan McCallister, Dan Kluger, Allegra Thompson) with rotating callers. 

Feral Friday Square Dance (SF)

Karen Celia Heil, with sponsorship of the California Bluegrass Association, organizes the Feral Friday San Francisco Square Dance, typically with Mike Lewinski calling and KC & The MooNshine Band. Prior to the pandemic, it was held on the fourth Friday at Alley Cat Books; it now happens on the second Friday at the Polish Club (also used by the Wednesday BACDS contra dance).

BOTMC and Ashkenaz

Since its second year (2004), the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention has included a big Saturday night dance at Ashkenaz as part of its 4-5 day event in September, as well as occasional other dances (family dance on Sunday afternoon, welcome dance on Wednesday night, sometimes at the Marxist Library).  Square dances at Ashkenaz have also occasionally been part of the BOTMC Spring Situation.

Dances are also held throughout the year (approximately quarterly) at Ashkenaz, often with a costume theme.