Square Dance with Betsy Taylor (301) 589-4868 betsytay@erols.com

About the Caller

Betsy Taylor and her husband, Al, have been square dancers for many years. Betsy became a square dance caller and has been calling in the Washington area since 1993. She has also prompted Contra dances since 1997. In 2000 she called and prompted at the National Square Dance convention in Baltimore and began teaching square dance and Contra classes for the Montgomery County Recreation Department. She is a member of NCASDLA (National Capital Area Square Dance Leaders Association) and is currently serving as President. She is also a member of VASCA (Virginia State Callers Association) and CallerLab (International Callers Association).

Betsy is available to call for individual events, as well as for square dance lessons.

Taylor Made Squares

The Taylor Made Squares is a caller run square dance club which joined WASCA in 1997. We are mostly a Teaching Club. Originally we only taught Mainstream but now we also teach Plus and Contra.

In the fall of 2009, the Taylor Made Squares Club moved to a new night and new location. We now meet on Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Parish Hall of the Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring, MD. During the evening, parking is available at the East Silver Spring Elementary School parking lot which is across the street from 630 Silver Spring Avenue, the address of the Parish Hall. A map to the Church can be found here.

Mondays at Church of the Ascension

We dance at the Church Parish Hall most Monday Nights (7 to 9 pm) except holidays such as Columbus Day (October 10, 2011) and Halloween (October 31, 2011). Our Fall dances include: September 12, 19, 26; October 3, 17, 24; November 7, 14, 21; and December 5 and 12. Dance instruction, ranging from Beginner to Plus, will be provided as needed. The cost is $5 per 2 hour class/dance, and you don't have to pay for a whole series, just for the ones you attend.

In the Winter we won't dance on Martin Luther King's Holiday or Presidents' Day. In the Spring we won't dance the Monday between Palm Sunday and Easter because of the Callerlab Convention, and we won't dance on Memorial Day. In the Summer we won't dance on the Monday closest to July 4, or on Labor Day.

Wednesdays at Leisure World

Betsy Taylor is teaching square dancing at Leisure World Clubhouse II, Silver Spring, MD on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 pm. The current 11 week session begins Sept. 21 and includes Sept. 28; Oct 5, Oct 12, Oct 19, Oct 26; Nov 2, Nov 9, Nov 16, Nov 30; and Dec 7.

Thursdays at Church of the Ascension

The Taylor Made Squares will be sponsoring Beginner to Mainstream square dance classes from 11 to noon and Plus square dance classes from 10 to 11 on Thursday mornings at the Church Parish Hall. There will be a 12 week session: Dec 1, 8, and 15; Jan 5, 12, 19 and 26; and Feb 2, 9, 16, 23 and Mar 1. The cost will be $2.50 per person per hour ($5 for 2 hours). Again, you don't need to pay for the whole series, but only for the ones you attend.

An alternative address for the Church Parish Hall is 633 Sligo Avenue. On Sligo Avenue, there is a turn-around in front of the Church available for parking. During the day, parking on Silver Spring Avenue is restricted to holders of an East Silver Spring parking permit.

Fridays at Gaithersburg Upcounty Senior Center

Betsy Taylor is teaching square dancing at the Gaithersburg Upcounty Senior Center, 80A Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, from 11 am to noon. Our upcoming four week session will include Nov 4, Nov 18, Dec 2 and Dec 9, 2011. Dancers must be a member of the Gaithersburg Upcounty Senior Center. The yearly membership cost is $40 for Gaithersburg City residents and $115 for non-resdients (outside the Corporate City Limits). The cost for the 4 week sesson is $16 per person. A map to the center can be found by clicking here.

Bad Weather Policy: If the Montgomery County School system cancels classes or evening activities due to inclement weather, our activities will also be canceled. On weekends or holidays, when the schools would be closed anyway, we go by the Montgomery County Recreation Department Inclement Weather guidance - if the MCRD programs are canceled, so are our dances. You may check by calling the Recreation Inclement Weather Line at 240-777-6889. For further questions, call Betsy Taylor at (301) 589-4868 or e-mail BetsyTay@erols.com.

Brief history of the Taylor Made Squares:

In the fall of 1995, Betsy Taylor began teaching square dancing at the Longbranch Community Center in Silver Spring, MD. In December 1997, we applied to be a Mainstream Club in WASCA, the Washington Area Square Dancers Cooperative Association. Since then, we have been a caller run club with an emphasis on teaching, and have used Longbranch Community Center in Silver Spring, MD on Tuesday nights (1997 through 2005) and the Wheaton Community Center in Wheaton, MD on Wednesday nights (2006 through 2009) as our principal home base. In September 2009 we began using the Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring, MD on Monday nights as home base.

We have given many demonstrations at such places as: nursing homes, assisted living facilities, libraries, the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center, the Longbranch and Coffield Community Centers, the 75th anniversary celebration of the Montgomery Farm Women's Coop Market in Bethesda in 2007, City Place Mall and Derwood Agricultural Farm.

We are particularly proud to have danced and marched annually in Montgomery County's Holiday Parade since it was revived in Silver Spring in 1998. The only year we missed, 2007, was due to Al's treatment for bladder cancer.

Party Dances

Consider having a party dance event, including square dancing, Contra dancing, and line dancing as a fun activity for you or your organization. Betsy has called party dances for Birthdays and Bat Mitzvahs, for block parties and Churches, PTAs, and Civic Associations. To inquire about calling for your next event, please contact Betsy by e-mail or phone (301) 589-4868.

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