Editor's note: Jeff Garbutt found this, and did the initial transcription. Any errors that snuck through are mine. A few notes have been made for things that callers from 2025 might not immediately recognize from 1978, eg: "Curlique" is mostly eqivalent to "Touch 1/4", although the flow and timing for the dancer dancing "girl" is very different; "Cross trail" is currently on the Advanced list as "pass thru, 1/2 sashay", although older usage seems to imply a little more intent to face the direction of the sashay.
And pronoun usage has not been updated, hat tip to all of you who call, whatever pronouns you use.
Taken from: “Sets in Order yearbook 1978” pages 38 to 40
Dave Taylor
A varied career in school teaching coupled with other business enterprises has given Dave a broad perspective on square dance leadership. Active in callers' schools and clinics, he has much to offer those interested in becoming more effective in their work.
The dancers’ objectives in any category of square dancing are to become more accomplished and to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The wise caller programs toward those objectives. His planning should take into consideration some of the fundamental facts about human behaviour and response.
(1) At the very beginning of the dance, the dancers’ ears are not tuned-in nor use their physical reflexes as efficient as they will be later in the program. An athlete needs to warm-up before physically engaging in any type of sporting event. Public speakers, debaters and entertainer’s warm-up mentally by reading and reviewing the material they have researched. Callers and dancers also need a warm-up period.
(2) The dancers will not perform as efficiently near the end of the evening because of prolonged attention span as well as physical and mental fatigue.
Tip Number One
This is the most important tip in warming up the caller and the dancers. It is for that reason that I prefer to start every program with a singing call. It relaxes the anxieties of the skeptical, awakens the physically and mentally weary, and increases the anticipation of the eager. Changing the choreography two or three times during the singing call with interesting choreography that is within the dancers’ experience will create fun and excitement. The singing call should be one that is lively, happy, and preferably a familiar tune in which the dancers can sing along. Examples of this singing call are:
| If I had to do it all Over Again | Chaparral 302 |
| Linger Awhile | Blue Star 1879 |
| Take Me Home Country Roads | Bogan 1242 |
| California Here I Come | Top 25081 |
| Oh! Happy Lucky Me | Longhorn 163 |
| Wish You Were Here | Kalox 1068 |
| Sometimes Goodtimes | Ranch House 294 |
| Charlie's Polka | Kalox 1151 |
| Do What You D, Do Well | Swinging Square 2361 |
| Hazel Eyes | Scope 549 |
| Blue Lady | Lou Mac 110 |
| Old Black Magic | Hi Hat 339 |
| Help Me Make It Through The Night | Square Tunes 134 |
| It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer | Jewel 153 |
| Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms | Mustang 305 |
| Melody of Love | Windsor 5064 |
The introduction, break and ending of this first singing call should be extremely lively such as the old standby “All Four Ladies Promenade the Inside of the Ring”. Here’s another old standby.
All four ladies’ chain
inside of the ring
All join hands circle to the left
Ladies center men sashay
Circle left the same old way
Ladies center men sashay
Allemande left your corner
Weave the ring
Dosado and Promenade
It is sometimes desirous to use a similar beginning in the figure of the dance and then arrive at the corner position by changing the figure. This will promote better listening while the dancers are successfully executing the patterns.
One and three promenade halfway around
Lead to the Right and
Circle four to a line
Right and Left Thru then flutter wheel
Sweep one quarter and pass thru
Swing the corner promenade
Using the same beginning but changing the patter we arrive at the corner position in this manner:
One and three promenade halfway around
Lead to the Right do a right and left thru
Same four circle four hands around
Side men break to make tow lines of four
Star Thru then square thru three hands
Swing your corner promenade
The first singing call of the evening can aid the caller in determining the degree of competency and capabilities of the dancers. This is based not so much on what materials the dancers are executing as much as on how well they are doing it. The “manner” in which the dancers respond to the music, how gracefully they execute these commands and the expressions on their faces are an extremely reliable source of information to the caller. Competent dancers move gracefully, slide their feet to the rhythm of the music, demonstrate good posture, and reveal a great deal of self-confidence by keeping their heads relatively free from side-to-side action and by continuously looking forward. Dancers who perform poorly due to a lack of self-confidence will reveal this to the caller (even during a singing call or patter tip of extremely simple basic material) by means of poor posture and very inconsistent dancing. They will dance alternatively slower and faster than the beat of the music as well as sometimes with the beat of the music.
The dancer’s head is one of the key signals to reveal to the caller what to expect as far as performance. Accomplished dancers seldom move their heads since they are extremely sure of themselves. Conversely, the dancer who constantly shifts hid head from side to side is really looking in every direction for someone else to help him. It is for this reason that the first few minutes of the patter tip should be called in such a manner as to keep all dancers close to their corners to allow adjustments that will help the insecure dancer to arrive at the corner position successfully. Here are some examples that can be used on the first patter tip as opening promenade breaks.
Promenade but don’t stop don’t slow down
The head two couples wheel around
Do a right and left thru
Star thru then pass thru
Allemande left your corner
The star thru and pass thru replaces the call cross trail since a dancer who is suffering from anxiety at the beginning of the evening not be able to properly execute cross trail but would most assuredly be able to star thru and pass thru. Here is another promenade break.
Promenade but don’t stop don’t slow down
Gents’ rollback with a left face whirl
Promenade the corner girl
The head two couples wheel around
Right and left thru
Star thru then square thru four hands
Everybody do a U-turn back
Allemande left
Notice that the dancers are at all times kept close to the corner. This is done for two reasons: (1) so that the caller can “get out” if he feels a problem arising and (2) so that the dancers can make a quick adjustment when he is confused. The opening figure for head couples can be kept very simple yet interesting, due to the fact that it is unusual. Here are some examples:
Head couples lead to the right circle four
Head men break make two lines of four
Pass thru wheel and deal
Everybody do a U-turn back
Centers in cast off three quarters
Pas thru, wheel and deal, boys turn thru
Go to the girls do a left turn thru
Boys go back in the middle and turn thru
Centers in cast off three quarters
Pass thru wheel and deal
Allemande left to your corner
Couples two and four Curlique (Touch1/4) across from you
Then walk and dodge
Circle four with the outside two
Make two lines of four
Pass thru wheel and deal
Center two turn thru
Do a Left turn thru with the outside two
Go back in the middle and turn thru
Centers in cast off three quarters around
Pass thru wheel and deal
Everybody do a U-turn back
Centers in cast off three quarters around
Pass thru wheel and deal
Center two left turn thru
Everybody do a right and left grand
Head couples square thru four hands
Square thru with the outside two, four hands
(at this point, the insecure dancers may turn around, if so, caller could call – co a U-turn back and Allemande left)
Partner trade and right and left thru, star thru
(at this point the caller could call Allemande left)
Swing thru and the centers run
Tag the line and face to the right
Wheel and deal then Box the gnat
Change hands Allemande left
Here are a few calls that can be executed rather easily yet hold everyone’s interest due to the unusual “manner” in which the dancers arrive at an allemande left.
Head couples lead to the right
Circle four make two lines of four
Pass thru wheel and deal double pass thru
Centers in cast off three quarters around
Pass thru wheel and deal
Double pass thru centers in
Cast off three quarters around
* All join hands circle eight
Four girls as couples go forward up and back
Girls as couples lead to the left
Allemande left
At this point* if the caller says “lines of four pass thru so a U-turn back” you can merely continue with the rest and have the four boys as couples lead to the left for an allemande left.
Side couples touch a quarter walk and dodge
Circle four and make two lines of four
Pass thru wheel and deal double pass thru
Cloverleaf, center two star thru and back away
The other couples lead to the right
Allemande left
Tips Number Two and Three
Tips number two and three in the program should provide a steady increase in the complexity of the material used. This material should be extremely familiar to the caller so that he can feel secure in his presentation and increase or decrease in the complexity of the material to suit the occasion. Each caller has his own “bag of tricks” or “favourites” that he himself enjoys presenting. It is, therefore, much more advisable that the caller be himself and use his own material that he has either learned or worked out for himself.
Tip Number Four
Tip number four falls in that center portion of the program where the caller begins to reach for the peak of dancer performance. If there is to be a workshop tip, it should at this part of the evening. If the caller chooses to conduct a workshop tip, he must be prepared himself and be absolutely certain of the material used. The material or experimental basic must be something that can be taught easily and in a short period of time. It is of paramount importance that the caller takes absolutely nothing for granted and proceeds to teach the workshop tip thoroughly. Time spent workshopping in such a way as to provide complete success for the dancer is time well spent. The walk throughs should not be hurried. Every person must know exactly where to go and what his or her position is to be. It is extremely important to walk the side couples’ position just as slowly and just as thoroughly as was done with the head couples. Any attempt to rush a walk thru or assume that the side couple’s position was learned while executing it from the head’s position is foolish folly and can only lead to confusion among dancers and a severe let down in the middle of that gradual rise in programming.
Tip Number Five
This should be the pinnacle of dancer performance for the evening. If there has been a workshop, the material that was taught should be repeated in its simplest patterns and blended with other interesting patterns in such a manner as to provide enjoyment for the dancer. It is at this part of the evening that most dancers are able to perform at their maximum.
In the event that the caller inadvertently causes chaos in either tips number four or five, he must quickly try to bring the floor together by means of carefully planned directional calling. Once the dancers have become confused, they often lose their composure as well as their self-confidence and perform poorly even at those levels that they once found extremely simple. It is advisable, therefore, that the caller find some method to bring the dancers through two more successful patterns no matter what they might be and then forge ahead with an extremely lively singing call.
Tip Number Six
In this tip the caller should ease the reins slightly without letting the dancer become aware of what he is doing. The caller accomplishes this by continuing to use some of the material previously used and to engage in unusual “get outs”. Unusual choreography often leads the dancer to believe that the level has been on the increase and that he is in a continual state of progress in spite of the fact that physical and/or mental fatigue may become evident in a large share of the dancers at this time. Here is an example of surprising or unusual choreography.
Couples one and four do a right and left thru
Side ladies’ chain across
New couple number on stand back-to-back
With the corner box the gnat
Drop your hands and form your square
New head couples cross trail (1/2 Sashay, Pass thru)
Go around the outside around two people
Lines of four go forward and back
(all the boys in one line all girls in the other)
Pass Thru, wheel and deal
Center two square thru three hands
Dosado to an ocean wave
(Boys in one wave girls in the other)
Boys Swing Thru, Girls Spin the Top
Boys Spin the Top, Girls Swing Thru
Everybody step thru and bend the line
Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal
Center two Pass Thru
Star Thru with the outside two
Cross trail (1/2 Sashay, Pass thru)
And Allemande Left your corner
Another unusual ending can be accomplished whenever the caller has the dancers in lines of four in sequence with their partners (1P2P or partner line)
Center four square thru four hands
The outside four Allemande Left
Everybody Right and Left Grand</strong)
Tip Number Seven
In this tip the caller must use his own judgement as to whether or not has possibly worked the dancers a little more than he had intended. If he has, it might be desirable to finish with two singing calls. It is suggested that the first singing call is one that is very familiar and perhaps slow and dreamy. Here are some examples.
| First thing every morning | Blue Star 1827 |
| I write the songs | Chaparral 501 |
| The same old way | Longhorn 1007 |
| Bring back your love to me | Red Boot 181 |
| Misty | Windsor 5061 |
The closing signing call allows the caller to pick up the tempo and to provide some excitement.
| Something about you baby I like | Chaparral 201 |
| Love me honey do | Kalox 1049 |
| Swanee | JBK 151 |
| Green river | Grenn 12133 |
| Good old square dance | Hi Hat 441 |
Conversely, the caller may decide that he has not overworked the dancers, in which case the patter call would take on all the similarities described in tip number six. The formula for the closing singing call would remain the same.
There is no set formula for a successful dance that is applicable to each and every caller. Certainly there are many programs that are extremely successful whose format may be different in every aspect. No one can knock success. This program is offered in all good faith to those callers who feel a need for improvement. Perhaps only portions of it may be of interest to some callers.