Mission Squares

Location: Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Started: 1996

Admitted to IAGSDC: 11 Jul 1997 as Full Member; 2002 changed to Associate Member

Status: Folded, 2003

History: Mission Squares is a relatively young gay square dance group in Santa Barbara, California. One of the beauties of our fair city is the mission built by Father Padre Serra. Of the 21 California missions, the Santa Barbara one has been nicknamed the “Queen of Missions”. Yeah, that fits.

Our group was founded quite by accident, at least on the part of our illustrious leaders, Kim Curran-Moore and her wife Melissa, who had innocently agreed to be a phone contact back in June 1996 when Paul Waters spied their potential at SB Pride. Little did they know then that Paul, the Evil-Controlling Caller of the Southern California Consortium, had plans for them. Phone contact? Hah! Kim has been slaving away for us ever since, and we would never be where we are today without her and Melissa. While a few of us have been to convention before, this is the first year that we will have enough of a representation to have a club photo, and (thanks to our resident artist, Mark) we have a logo and club badge.

Source: Debbie Ceder, 1999

The first convention the club marched in was Lights, Camera, Linear Action in Los Angeles, CA. Debbie Ceder has this memory of the Grand March:

I distinctly remember dressing up in my leather bustier and wielding a 12-foot whip as we Grand Marched down the streets of LA. Once, I cracked my whip and narrowly missed the left ear of the man who is now Chairman of our Physics Department! He still remembers that event fondly!  :-)

Classes:

Club Caller[s]: Vic Ceder, Darren Gallina

Levels: Mainstream, Plus

Dance Location[s]:

Fly-Ins Hosted: none

Conventions Hosted: none