If you're looking for a square dance caller in Boston or anywhere in New England, check us out. We specialize in non-dancers! Your guests will start moving to music in 60 seconds, and in minutes they'll be having the time of their lives. Every event is customized to your group's size, age, and ability. We use the best in live or recorded music and professional sound.
Square dancing brings people together. It's ideal for a school, church, or temple party; a birthday, anniversary, or wedding rehearsal dinner; a barbecue, clambake, hayride, or company picnic; a get-acquainted night at a convention; or any kind of fundraiser. Call or e-mail us, and make your next party unforgettable!
Hiring Beth to do dance calling at our wedding made the entire event! Everyone was dancing and laughing and having a great time, and it was such a fun and unique way to celebrate our wedding reception. One of our other vendors said she'd been doing weddings for many years and had never seen anything like it. It was a blast!
Tony was super fun. Such an accomplished caller!
He kept the dancing going at just the right pace with a perfect amount of instruction
Everyone had a great time
Thank you Tony😀💕
Toni was very skilled at getting all kinds of people out on the dance floor and guiding us through a number of very fun dances. Our friends really enjoyed the evening and I would totally recommend Tony as a caller, he read the crowd well and kept things very lively.
We all had a huge amount of fun thanks to them. They started us with the basics and by the end we were doing The Virginia Reel. They were totally professional—good communication leading up to our dance, they were early to set up, their equipment was high quality, and they had a nice read of the room to pick dances that met our skill level so that we could all enjoy ourselves. They said, and did, work with groups of many sizes as our guests came and went. Additionally, I liked booking through this site—it was easy and convenient, plus I felt less vulnerable making the arrangements.
We had a three day family reunion this weekend and Saturday evening was a "Texas Barbecue" and "Cowboy themed party". Tony was our "caller" for the square dance barn warming party. (We had a new barn built on our New Hampshire property). Tony was exceptional. We had a blast learning the various dances. We had folks from 6 to 75 years of age. Everyone had a WONDERFUL TIME! Thank you Tony
Beth did a fantastic job with our small group of novice square dancers! We all had a great time - setup and teardown was smooth. Instruction was fantastic. We had an all ages crew and all had fun!
Tony provided square dance fun, patience, and knowledge at our 50th anniversary barn dance and BBQ. Definitely looking forward to repeat square dancing w Tony !
Tony and his band were the highlights of our wedding, hands down. We had 55 guests and had the square dance in our barn. Guests who had never square danced before were raving about it after. It was such a great way to get all of our beloved friends and family to share laughs and joy together in a way that a regular DJ could never do. If you're considering Tony for a wedding, I highly recommend him and can't wait to have him back for other events!
Thanks so much for A Fun and Wonderful Event! I wasn’t entirely convinced that people would participate, but Beth was great! She had us learning the basics and we had a great time! Our finale was The Virginia Reel, So much fun!
Thanks Again!
Deborah @ West Granville Congregational Church
Beth Parkes was our caller, and the Dead Sea Squirrels came as her band. We held a traditional hoedown in a barn. Beth & the band were cooperative and helpful, making the best use of the space we had & its limitations (uneven floors & chickens walking around!). We celebrated a 60th birthday with a group not known for dancing, but EVERYONE participated and had an amazing time. Three weeks later they are still talking about it! Beth was great with us, an all-beginner crowd. The band was incredibly talented and so enjoyable to listen/dance to. Do not hesitate to hire these guys, you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much, Tony & Beth, we loved it!
Photos from this event
Price Range: $500-$2000; discounts for nonprofit organizations
Gig Length: 60 - 240 minutes
Tony or Beth will get your guests up in a big circle, put them at ease with a few words, and get them moving to lively, inspiring music -- in 60 seconds or less. Within minutes everyone will be smiling, laughing, and discovering new joy in their lives as they perform complete dances like the Virginia Reel -- dances that Americans have loved for centuries.
Above all, we make sure that your party is all about YOU! Every minute of every event is customized to the group's size, age range, couple or single status, and level of ability (boy/girl couples or 50/50 gender balance not required). Without singling anyone out or making them uncomfortable, we take your guests from a standing start to the heights of square dance success.
Tony and Beth Parkes have over 90 years of combined experience getting groups of all sizes and types to square dance easily and painlessly. Tony began his calling career in 1964, and Beth started calling while in college in the '70s. They both learned from, and were influenced by, many of the great callers of past generations, and their driving passion is to keep the tradition alive. They are well known as callers (and trainers of callers) for experienced dancers, but they get some of their deepest satisfaction from introducing people to the joys of music and dance for the first time.
Tony and Beth's client list includes Boston College, Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Apple Computer, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Museum of Science, Revels, Inc., and dozens of other colleges, corporations, and nonprofits -- as well as a multitude of families, schools, churches, temples, and Girl Scout troops.
All you need to provide is an open flat space (10-15 square feet per person recommended) -- and of course the people! (Any number can play -- we've worked with groups from a dozen to 500.)
We provide complete instruction tailored to your group, the best in live or recorded music, and a professional sound system with brand names like Bose, Electro-Voice, Pioneer, and Shure. We can play background music during other segments of your party, and we have a wireless hand-held mic that you may use for announcements, blessings, or toasts.
| May 04, 2024 • 11:00am - 2:00pm | Wedding Reception |
| January 19, 2024 • 6:30pm - 8:00pm | Nonprofit Event |
| September 10, 2023 • 1:00pm - 2:30pm | Campus Event |
| September 03, 2023 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Sporting Event |
| August 19, 2023 • 7:00pm - 11:00pm | Birthday Party |
| May 20, 2023 • 8:00pm - 10:30pm | Fundraiser |
| September 04, 2022 • 1:30pm - 3:00pm | School Assembly |
| July 17, 2021 • 7:00pm - 8:30pm | Personal Occasion |
| March 07, 2020 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Birthday Party |
| September 29, 2019 • 4:00pm - 8:00pm | Anniversary Party |
| August 31, 2019 • 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Wedding Reception |
| August 10, 2019 • 7:00pm - 9:00pm | Festival |
| December 07, 2018 • 7:30pm - 9:30pm | Christmas Party |
| September 22, 2018 • 5:00pm - 7:00pm | Birthday Party |
"How long should we plan to dance?" is one of our most frequently asked questions.
We find that 1.5 to 2 hours of actual dancing is ideal for folks who aren't used to it. We break it up into half-hour sets; the length of breaks depends on the mood and energy level of the crowd. (The breaks are for your sake, not ours! With teens we often go the full 2 hours without a break.) Each set is complete in itself; guests are welcome to participate in as many or as few as they wish.
A typical party lasts about 4 hours; we're happy to play background music during social hour and dinner. If you have a favorite playlist, we can run it through our professional sound system between our sets.
One electrical outlet (3-prong grounded) with no power-hungry devices (coffeemakers, ovens, long strings of lights) on the same circuit. For live music, add a minimum 6 x 12 foot stage area and armless chairs for the musicians (typically three).
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