Free Educator Workshop January 4th

Square & Contra Dance with African American Dance Caller Pathways

Sunday, January 4th, 2026 from 4 to 6 pm
Amphibian Stage
102 S Main St Fort Worth, TX 76104
RSVP required; 50 spaces available

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African American Dance Caller Pathways will be piloted beginning September 2025. This program will connect experienced instructors to a cohort of Black-identified aspiring dance callers to teach dance calling technique, Black cultural and historical roots of traditional square and contra dancing, and contemporary challenges of navigating predominately white traditional dance communities.

Though Black people play a key part in the legacy of American traditional social dances such squares and contras, the number of Black callers has dwindled greatly over the centuries and numbers are now very small. This program is our way of nurturing connections between knowledgeable callers and Black folks and increasing the number of Black callers on the scene.

Howard University students square dancing in 1949, via Smithsonian

“...The American tradition of dance calling was no doubt influenced by cultural survivals of the music and dance traditions of West Africa. That Black influence is what separated these American dances from the European tradition, making them uniquely ‘American.’

“As early as 1690, enslaved [sic] fiddlers played for dances on plantations in Virginia, and by the mid-eighteenth century enslaved [sic] musicians were common at white social functions, both urban and rural, throughout the American colonies.”

“The earliest references to dance callers, all of whom were African-American, date from shortly after the introduction of the French cotillions and quadrilles in America. This suggests that calling might have evolved in the Black culture as an alternative to the formal instruction that white dancers received at dancing schools."

Phil Jamison, Author of “Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics": Roots of Southern Appalachian Dance

Southside Squares Chicago, Intro to Square Dance Party Night, 2023 via www.SouthsideSquares.com

This pilot year will allow us to test the program’s structure and receive participant and instructor feedback to guide our move into year two with a public, formal application process.

Program Structure

Cohort members will have monthly virtual meetings with instructors to learn dance calling technique and Black cultural and historical roots of traditional square and contra dancing

In January 2026, cohort members and instructors will meet in Fort Worth, TX for a day of in-person meeting and a calling a square and contra dance.

On March 20th, 2026, they will reconvene in Fort Worth to lead a free community dance for all ages, a kickoff event for the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival the next day.

During FWAAMFest on March 21st 2026, cohort members and instructors will participate in a panel discussion on their experiences and knowledge shared in African American Dance Caller Pathways.

Instructors

Pilot Cohort Members

  • Audra Scott

    Fort Worth, TX

    Singer, Music Educator, Author

  • Briar

    Seattle, WA

    Singer, Music Educator,

    Structural Leadership Team/Human Resources, The Rhapsody Project

  • Carol July

    Fort Worth, TX

    Musician, Composer, Retired Music Educator

is made possible by

And grassroots support from members of our community. Thank you!

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FWAAMFest and African American Dance Caller Pathways are programs of the nonprofit Decolonizing the Music Room. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.