About Redwood Rainbows
We are the Redwood Rainbows, Sonoma County's first gay, lesbian & straight square dance club. Redwood Rainbows started dancing in 2007 as a beginner class affiliated with the Sebastopol Saucy Squares. In 2008, the Saucy Squares became the Saucy Squares Dance Club, Inc., a non-profit corporation, and took the Redwood Rainbows under its corporate umbrella. All Redwood Rainbows members are members of Saucy Squares Dance Club, Inc., and as it is developing, Redwood Rainbows and Saucy Squares are essentially one and the same club.
Everyone is always welcome, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, ethnic background, or sexual orientation. All you need is a healthy desire to dance and have fun! Dance dress code is casual, and no partner is needed to attend our dances. You can choose to dance lead position, follow or both. Our goal is to provide a warm and friendly environment for those who like to square dance and socialize with other dancers.
Beginners' Classes start every 6 months, on the first Monday in January and the first Tuesday in June. Those proficient at Plus level are always welcome to dance as Angels at no charge. Workshops are open to all dancers who have graduated or are proficient at the Plus level.
We dance at Wischemann Hall in Sebastopol, at 465 Morris Street, at the corner of Johnson Street.
Mondays 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Easy Plus Workshop
Mondays 7:00 - 8:30 pm: Beginner Level Class
Mondays 8:30 - 9:30 pm: Plus Workshop
Tuesdays 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Easy Plus Workshop
Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:30 pm: Beginner Level Class
Tuesdays 8:30 - 9:30 pm: Tough Plus Workshop
You can sign up for a class using our online form.
For more information please email us at contact@redwoodrainbows.org.
Meet Our Caller, Steve Minkin
I began square dancing in 1980, started calling in 1981 and went full-time six years later. I regularly leads over 350 dances each year.
I work very well with brand new beginners, providing lots of dancing with a minimum of teaching. Square dancing is ideal for non-dancers, and comes from a tradition of dances for people who didn't have a lot of time to practice dancing. My program for beginners includes traditional and modern squares, the Virginia Reel, circle mixers, line dances, novelty dances and more, all done to a wide variety of music. I also have a large and wide-ranging collection of personally selected music on hand, so I can function as a DJ for you during the non-dancing portions of the event, if you choose.
Working with children is another my specialties, and I have an extensive program of calling in schools. I also do many parent-child dances and lots of dances for camps.
My home program consists of five weekly club nights, three in Sebastopol, one in Santa Rosa and one in Novato. These clubs periodically host classes. I have called hoedowns all over California and festivals in Maui, Napa, Lodi, Lakeport, Guerneville and elsewhere, served for years as the Chairman of Advanced Quarterly Selection Committee of Callerlab, and am a member of Callerlab. I call through C-1, cue Phase II rounds, and lead line dances every week.
How did a boy from New York City become a Square Dance Caller?
Very unexpectedly! Growing up in Brooklyn and The Bronx, the only thing I knew about square dancing was that it wasn't to be done! But my wife is from rural Michigan and has been square dancing all her life. She asked me to go just once, and said if I didn't like it she wouldn't ask again. I was hooked in the first ten minutes. I've always loved music and dancing, but when I saw how unique and multi-dimensional square dancing was I fell in love with it. A few months later, in beginners class, when I learned the move All 8 Circulate, I realized that the elegant choreography of the modern square dance was similar to chess, a life-long passion of mine, and at that point I decided to be a caller and threw myself into the activity.
Our Dance Hall, Wischemann Hall
Redwood Rainbows are lucky enough to own our own dance hall, Wischemann Hall. Built in 1978 with a lot of donated and recycled materials and volunteer labor, Wischemann Hall has become a community resource as wall as the center for square dancing in our small town. Not that it doesn't have its issues: we are required by the City of Sebastopol to make the Hall ADA-compliant. We are constantly in fund-raising mode, and have recently raised enough to revamp the two bathrooms. Next we will atack the exterior problems: a ramp and disabled parking area.
