Magic Underpants Tip
The Magic Underpants Tip is a very well-attended affinity/specialty tip where dancers strip down to their underwear to square dance. Swim suits are permitted if dancers are more comfortable wearing those. Dancers are asked to cover their privates, butts, and breasts as the doors to the dance hall are not monitored and dancers and spectators can come and go as they wish.
Caller Darren Gallina and his partner, Thom Dang thought there needed to be something in between the regular square-dancing tips and the Moonshine tip (where everyone in the hall is nude). They came up with the idea to dance in our underwear and approached the organizers of the 2014 IAGSDC “Squeeze the Hive” convention in Salt Lake City, UT to get their thoughts on it. Fortunately, Justin Crawshaw-Lopton, the convention chair, agreed and scheduled it. At this convention it was advertised as the Magic Underwear tip. Some dancers displayed humorous undergarments. At following conventions, its name was changed to Magic Underpants to match the playfulness of the session. This specialty tip has definitely been a fan favorite right from the start. At the 2015 IAGSDC convention, dancers were lined outside the hall to make sure they got to dance in their undies.
In 2014 there was not a policy on whether photography and video recordings were allowed or not. That changed in 2015 when they were not allowed, except for in the very back. After that, signs were posted to show which side of the dance hall allowed photos and video recordings and which side did not. At the 2022 IAGSDC “Twin City Spin” convention, the signs for no photos had to be moved closer to the front two squares to make room for those who didn’t mind being photographed.
Starting with the 2016 IAGSDC “Maple Leafs Regroup” convention, themes were added to the tip to help dancers buy underwear to match the theme if they wanted. The themes try to reflect the location or the theme of the convention. For example, in Seattle, some dancers wore rain gear.
History
| Year | Convention | Program Level | Caller(s) | Theme |
| 2014 | Squeeze the Hive | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | none |
| 2015 | Swing Me in St. Louis | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | none |
| 2016 | Maple Leafs Regroup | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Parade of Nations |
| 2017 | Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017 | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Summer Sizzle |
| 2018 | Circle Back to Seattle | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Make It Rain |
| 2019 | Belles Run Philadelphia 2019 | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Philly Love |
| 2020 | Take A Peak (Home Edition) | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Take A Peek |
| 2021 | Houston, We Have a Promenade (Mission Simulation) | Mainstream | Darren Gallina | Blast Offǃ |
| 2022 | Twin City Spin | Social Square Dance | Darren Gallina | Princely Purple |
| 2023 | Follow Your Northern Neighbour | Social Square Dance | Darren Gallina | Over the Rainbow |
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2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Participants
Ross Crawshaw-Lopton, 2014
Howard Terry, 2022
Terri Sherrer, 2022
