Leo Collins, of Heiskell, has been calling square dances in East Tennessee for over a decade. He picked up calling like many callers do: he was a regular at local community dances beginning in the 1950s and learned from being exposed week after week. When one night an out-of-town caller asked to stop and rest his voice, Leo volunteered, and his calling career was born. Leo recalls, “Years later, when I interviewed all the living East Tennessee square dance callers I could locate, I learned they had learned the same way; they were regular dancers at their weekly community dance, and one night the caller did not show up, so they called that night and started their ‘careers.’”
By the time Leo started calling, many of the traditional, regionally-specific square dance figures he had grown up around were no longer used in East Tennessee. In addition to being an avid buck dancer, Leo is now a mainstay in the East Tennessee square dance scene, calling weekly dances at the Laurel Theater in Knoxville and also at the Gatlinburg American Legion. He explains, “The simple act of square dancing builds community by allowing individuals to connect with each other at a level uncommon in modern life.”
Fiddler Tony Branam is no stranger to the old-time music scene. Though he has played for dances and is immersed in his community’s old-time jams, he has never called a square dance before. He explains, “I wish to work with master artist Leo Collins because he is knowledgeable in local and regional dance styles and has a wealth of experience in calling dances. He also has experience in teaching dance as well as teaching callers.” With Leo’s mentorship, the two will go through the literature on the history of dancing in the region. Leo will also share the unpublished interviews of local callers in East Tennessee calling from 1950 to the early 1980s that he compiled in 2012. Leo will start by teaching Tony the basic six figures, including making an arch, promenade, right hands across, cowboy loop, birdy in the cage, and take a little peak. From there they will delve into fifteen additional figures, so Tony can call an entire dance. Tony is hopeful for the future, “Square dance was much more popular in the past and, as callers have passed on, the art form’s availability has diminished. I would like to see the art form continue to be preserved as an option for community participation events.”
