The year 2020 is going to be a blast in Ottawa because it will be the 25th anniversary of the Ottawa Date Squares and we will be celebrating it by hosting our second Veer North to the Capital fly-in.
We are currently hard at work fleshing out the details of the event but we’ve already reserved the venue: Arts Court (the same amazing dance space that we had last time), we’ve booked blocks at the same awesome host hotel, the Courtyard Marriott Downtown, we’ve posted a tentative schedule and we are now accepting registrations.
While you’re waiting for more details, check out our Ottawa page to begin planning your adventure in Canada’s capital city.
We can’t wait to see you again!
– the Veer North team.
We are pleased to welcome two very talented callers to headline our anniversary fly-in and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us on the dance floor.
Darren began square dancing at the age of thirteen. He was immediately drawn to the music and the calling of square dancing. The instructor, Darryl Hamilton, gave Darren his first square dance record, “Something About You Baby I Like,” and taught him to call. He called his first full dance for the Valley Whirlers Square Dance Club in Santa Maria at age 15. His parents, also square dancers, had to take him to that first dance. It wasn’t long after that dance that Darren became the club caller for the Valley Whirlers.
For the past 30 years, calling has taken him to clubs and festivals all over the state of California, and various cities in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and British Columbia, Canada. He has recorded numerous square dance records on several square dance labels. Currently, he keeps busy calling for many clubs throughout Southern California. He calls and teaches for Cuesta Squares in San Luis Obispo, California.
Don started dancing in 1975 and began his career as a caller by teaching a group of teens to square dance in the same year. About a year later a well-known caller relocated to the US. This changed Don’s calling workload from one night a week to five nights a week.
After retiring in 2004, Don now has more time to spend traveling and calling square dances, an activity he loves so much. Don has two sons, both of whom share a passion for sports with him. Don and Avena live in Montreal and call for clubs that dance Mainstream thru C2. Calling engagements have taken him throughout Canada, many states in the US, as well as England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Don strives very hard to structure the choreography so that it is interesting and creative. Don also spends many hours in his selection of music, which is always appreciated by the dancers. His ability to challenge and bring out the best in dancers at all levels is attested to by the zealous enthusiasm displayed by all who attend his dances.
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Yes indeed, it was in 1995 that the Ottawa Date Squares first started dancing and it’s been a long and interesting journey from our humble beginnings to today. The club’s history includes some pretty amazing events including being the only square dance club to ever dance on the floor of
The early-bird pricing will be ending on March 1 so you only have a few short weeks to register for Veer North 2020 for the really low price of $95. This price includes a sumptuous buffet brunch at the famous Tucker’s Marketplace, a home-cooked (by our very own club members) potluck supper
The Ottawa Date Squares recently benefited from two dancers that moved here from Toronto Triangle Squares and one of them, Pat, is a graphic designer. He agreed to design a logo for our fly-in and the product of his endeavours is an outstanding logo. We think you’ll all agree so
Well here we are at the end of a successful fly-in with all sorts of fond memories and new friendships to cherish. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success including the callers (Gary, Barry, Mark and Marge), the Cornwall
