When Mike’s brother got sidelined from dancing with an injury and took up calling (a popular teen club feature), sibling rivalry dictated that Mike also learn to call. He started at a big street dance at the annual dance in Penticton, B.C.
His first calling job began when he auditioned and was hired by Dudes and Dames in Anchorage Alaska in 1970. In the mid-70’s Mike started cueing at the request of the many round dancers in the club. In 1979 Mike started calling for The Denali Dancers, a Plus club. 28 years later, Mike continues to call and sometimes cue for the club. There are dancers that were part of Mike’s first class still dancing in Anchorage and a dancer here that was at that street dance in Penticton where Mike first called.
Active in the Anchorage Callers and Cuers Association that he helped organize “back in the day”, Mike is now the “old timer”. He has been a member of Callerlab since 1980 and has attended 14 conventions so far. Mike has called at 8 National Square Dance Conventions and attended 2 Roundalab conventions. He has also attended several callers schools both in Alaska and outside including Frank Laine and Vaughn Parrish, Dick Leger’s Timing school with Dick Leger and Erwin West, schools with Cal Golden, Bill Peters, Jon Jones, Deborah Carroll-Jones, Jerry Story, and Tony Oxendine.
Mike has been calling dances and teaching lessons for 39 years and is BMI/ASCAP licensed and offers community dances, ABC dances, multicycle square dance classes, Mainstream and Plus dances, round dancing and wedding and church activities. He encourages aspiring callers and cuers to pursue their craft. He has also been known to provide guitar music for the singalongs at campouts
Both of Mike’s brothers' call and his younger brother cues. Daughter Sarah is also a cuer and Mike often serves as her “lovely assistant”. Niece and nephews are competitive teen dancers in the Pacific Northwest.
