An initiative of FWAAMFest, African American Dance Caller Pathways (AADCP) trains African American and/or Black-identifying aspiring dance callers in calling technique, traditional dances, history, and culture rooted in the legacy of blackness at its core.
AADCP was launched in September 2025.
Black folks were key to the development of American traditional social dances such as squares and contras, but much of that history has been obscured and the number of Black callers has dwindled greatly over the centuries.
Participants will learn from experienced instructors, and complete AADCP ready to take their knowledge into their communities, increasing representation of Black contra and square callers. At the end of AADCP, instructors and participants 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.
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
Program Structure
AADCP is hybrid, consisting of monthly Zooms and in-person instruction/events in Fort Worth.
Zoom Meet-and-Greet/Orientation (Instructors and Participants)
Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026 7:30-8:00 pm Central Time
Monthly Instructional Zooms
Month monthly virtual sessions consisting primarily of a survey of traditional dance history and culture
Additional virtual time will be on the table for instructors and the cohort to meet and check in as needed.
Monthly Zooms will be scheduled via online poll to accomodate everyone’s availability.
In-Person Instruction/Dances in Fort Worth
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026
Saturday, Jan 2, 2027
Friday, Mar 19, 2027 - FWAAMFest Kickoff Dance
Saturday, Mar 20, 2027- Panel discussion at FWAAMFest
2026-27 Instructors
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Dr. Clover Johnson
Dance Caller, Educator
Co-Creator, Dancing in the Well: Art for Healing Trauma
Organizer, Southern Illinois Community Contra Dance
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Becky Hill
Percussive Dancer, Square Dance Caller, Choreographer, Community Organizer, Educator
Programming Specialist, National Council for the Traditional Arts
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Phil Jamison
Nationally-known Dance Caller, Old-time Musician, Flatfoot Dancer
Author, ”Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance”
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Paul Collins
2026-27 Cohort
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Kay Howard
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Pearl Young
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Regi Jones
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Vita Malama
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Tony Griggs
Frequently Asked Questions
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Applications for 2026-27 are now closed.
AADCP applicants must:
Be at least 18 years old and identify as African American and/or Black
Be based in the state of Texas
Preference given to applicants living in the city of Fort Worth
Preference given to application who teach general music at a school that allows them to include social dances in instruction
OR
Teachers who engaged in some form of instruction, in their school or elsewhere in their community, that allows them to include social dances in their instruction
*Others will still be considered based on their application response
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AADCP is FREE to all participants. For applicants outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, this includes travel and lodging for in-person activities.
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We believe the benefits of traditional and community dancing should be for everyone! If you are disabled, we can discuss your access needs and how to support your participation in AADCP.
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Zoom Meet-and-Greet/Orientation
Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026 6:30-8:00 pm Central Time
In-person instruction and dances in Fort Worth:
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026
Saturday, Jan 2, 2027
Friday, Mar 19, 2027 - FWAAMFest kickoff dance
Saturday, Mar 20, 2027- Panel discussion at FWAAMFest
*Monthly Instructional Zooms will be schedule via online poll
*100% attendance is expected but we know life happens. Unexpected absences will be adressed on a case-by-case basis.
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One of AADCP’s goals is to get more Black callers in the community, and to build up a traditional dance scene rooted in the Black tradition.
Our expectation is that you will incorporate the calling technique, dances, history, and culture you learn into your school and/or community instruction. Though not required and not possible for everyone, we would also love for you to find ways to introduce what you’ve learned to places in your community that don’t typically engage in these traditional dances, and for you to connect with folks already dancing in your community and consider ways to collaborate.
If you have additional questions, please email info@fwaamfest.com.
is made possible by
Help us reconnect Black folks to the art of traditional dance calling. Make a tax-deductible donation today!
African American Dance Caller Pathways is an initiative of FWAAMFest a program of the nonprofit Decolonizing the Music Room.
All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
