Mick Sheppard
Mick Sheppard
Clubs & Associations
Foggy City Dancers
Foggy City Squares
Midnight Squares
Quick Facts
- partner of Thomas Cooper
- participated in Pink Triangles in Red Square, 1993
- participated in Pink Triangles Down Under, 1996
In Their Own Words
I started dancing at Skip Barrett's (Foggy City Squares) first class at the Trocadero Transfer in San Francisco in the summer of 1981. I had seen an ad in a gay newspaper for a square dance class that was starting in less than 30 minutes. I raced down the hill to the Troc and was introduced to gay square dancing, which would become an all-consuming passion in the decades to come. I also met Kurt Bruens, my first square dance partner. When Skip said "square up" I told Kurt to stand on my right. He asked why. I said you'll find out in a minute. Then Skip explained that if you were standing on someone's right you would be dancing the traditional girl's part. Kurt was prepared to be upset but by the end of the evening he realized that the girls have more fun.
The classes were hugely fun, but what we didn't realize was that we were learning choreography, not square dance calls. And as it turned out, Skip wasn't really a caller. He was a singer who didn't understand the calls he was singing, but his energy and styling helped define "gay square dancing" as many of us would come to know it. Skip also formed exhibition teams and we performed all over the Bay Area, even at the Opera House as part of the SF Ballet's 50th anniversary celebration. We also performed at the Reno Rodeo where we marched in alongside Kitty Wells and Joan Rivers. Joan wanted one hanky of every color in her back pocket and members of the team were able to accommodate - it was a diverse group in that regard. She even promised to return the hankies after the procession, and did.
Discontentment with Skip's form of teaching led to the formation of other clubs in the Bay Area, most notably Western Star and the Advanced club, Midnight Squares (so named because we tended to dance into the wee hours, and it was around midnight when we decided we needed a name for our group).
Eventually, Skip gave up control of Foggy City Squares, and the men he entrusted the club to renamed it Foggy City Dancers. The Performance Team continued to grow under the leadership of Steve Browning, who was very innovative in his choreography. Many fond memories of hex and octagonal "squares" (performances which can still be seen on YouTube).
I had the great privilege of attending the very first convention in Seattle (where the lights and sound went out during our exhibition performance, but we kept dancing in total darkness, singing the calls as we went and we were in perfect formation when the lights came back on). During the next 20+ years I attended conventions and fly-ins all over the US. Great memories of dancing in Grand Central Station among other iconic locations (such as Red Square in Moscow).
Square dancing is truly a global pastime. I danced in Stockholm, where I lived for awhile in the 80s. Turns out the Swedes had several square dance clubs as well as callers, one of whom I convinced to come to California and call for our club. Fortunately, the calls were all in English, but occasionally the caller would switch to a Swedish translation of a call which confused the Swedes as well as me.
In the early 90s, a fellow dancer named John Paul thought a square dance travel club would be a fun thing to do. He asked me to be the secretary/treasurer of an organization that came to be known as Pink Triangle Adventures (I still have the stationery if anyone would like to have it). Our first event was called Pink Triangles in Red Square, and was hugely successful. Dancing in Red Square was a little surreal. Our second event was called Pink Triangles Down Under, which started in Melbourne and traveled to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, via Sydney and the famous Mardi Gras (the biggest circuit party I have ever attended). The trip, by bus, felt very much like a remake of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
So much dancing, so many friends, so many wonderful memories. It's been a joyful adventure.[1]
Medallion Dancer
- 1994 | 10 Year Medallion at Stars & Squares Forever
- 2005 | 20 Year Medallion at Star Thru The Silicon Galaxy
- Note: Mick attended his 20th convention in Santa Clara in 2005. Due to inaccurate convention attendance records, he received his medallion in Anaheim in 2006, although it is inscribed 2005 Santa Clara.
Photos
At Stars, Thars & Cable Cars, 1996
At Stars, Thars & Cable Cars, 1996
At Lights, Camera, Linear Action, 1999
Sources
- ↑ Email to Pam Clasper, 12 Jun 2025
