Dancing since 1995, calling since 1997.

Allan Hurst has been dancing since 1995, and his first IAGSDC Convention was "Stars, Thars, & Cable Cars" in San Francisco in 1996. 


Training and Professional Affiliations:

Allan has been calling since 1997, when he attended his first GCA Caller School, coached by Anne Uebelacker, Sandie Bryant, and Ed Foote. He is currently continuing his professional development by working with CALLERLAB Accredited Caller Coaches Juli & Walt Burr.

Allan is a member of CALLERLAB, which provides his music licensing through BMI/ASCAP. He currently serves on the CALLERLAB Marketing Committee, and has presented as a panelist and/or moderator at multiple CALLERLAB Conventions.

He also is a member of the Gay Callers Association, and is the editor of their technical journal, the GCA Call Sheet.


Clubs:

Along the way, Allan has spent many years teaching and calling at multiple IAGSDC clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, including El Camino Reelers, Midnight Squares, Foggy City Dancers, Oaktown 8's and Diablo Dancers. He also has called for several clubs in the Chicago area, most notably Chi-Town Squares.


Local Calling:

In April of 2022, he moved to Sacramento, where he has called on a fill-in or occasional basis for Main Street Strollers, Sierra Squares, and Whirl-a-Ways. 

He currently calls regularly for Capital City Squares, Prime 8's, and Pear Steppers.

Starting August 1, 2023, Allan is proud to be the primary club caller for Capital City Squares.

Starting July 15, 2024, Allan is proud to be the primary club caller for Prime 8's.


Levels and Calling Style:

Allan enjoys calling Basic and SSD up through C1, although his self-described "sweet spot" is Advanced, as several Sac area clubs have discovered.

He enjoys both teaching and calling, with an emphasis on making dancers more comfortable with APD and DBD choreography while having fun.

Allan's highly interactive and comedic calling style was influenced by Andy Shore, Mike DeSisto, Anne Uebelacker, Sandie Bryant, Harlan Kerr, and Scot Byars.


Community Projects & Accomplishments:

Allan served for several years as a co-administrator of Midnight Squares, and for multiple terms as an El Camino Reelers board member. 

Allan has written a number of articles for square dance publications.

He has served on multiple IAGSDC convention committees, including writing the fun badge tours for Santa Clara 2005, Chicago 2010, and Salt Lake City 2014, the newsletters for St. Louis 2015, and serving on the core committees for Houston 2021 and Minneapolis 2022.

In the LGBTQ+ dance community, Allan is also known for starting and guiding the IAGSDC History Project, responsible for capturing and putting online the history of the IAGSDC's people, events, and culture.

The History Project first published a facsimile edition of the out of print "TEN YEARS IAGSDC" book, then created the IAGSDC History Wiki. Later, the History Project began working with James Ozanich on the (Sacramento-based) IAGSDC Memorial Panels project to bring high-resolution images of the panels online, linked to a list of decedents and memorial pages.

At the 2019 IAGSDC Convention Belles Run! in Philadelphia, PA, Allan was the recipient of the prestigious IAGSDC Golden Boot award, which he received from Barry and Pam Clasper, and subsequently passed on to Vic, Debbie, and Caitlyn Ceder at a most memorable presentation at the 2022 IAGSDC Convention, Twin City Spin, held in Minneapolis, MN.