Tony Parkes (caller)

Tony Parkes (November 10, 1949 – May 6, 2024) was an American professional square dance, contra dance and folk dance caller and choreographer who was active in the region surrounding Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.^[2] He wrote the book Contra Dance Calling – A Basic Text in 1992 and updated it in 2010.^[3]

Parkes was born in 1949 in New York City, where he also grew up. He studied contra and square calling with several well-known callers including Ralph Page.^[2] He began calling folk dances in 1964 and called dances in 35 states, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, England, and Canada.^[2] He wrote more than 90 dances, with many published in the compilations Shadrack's Delight and Son of Shadrack.^[2][4][5] He also taught at dance events at well-known locations such as Pinewoods Camp and the John C. Campbell Folk School^[5] and called at the New England Folk Festival every year from 1969 until 2023.^[6]

Parkes served on the boards of the Country Dance Society (Boston Centre), New England Folk Festival Association, and the Folk Arts Center of New England. He co-founded the band Yankee Ingenuity.^[2]

In 1973, Parkes moved to the Boston area^[7] where he lived with his wife Beth Parkes in Billerica, Massachusetts.^[8] Beth Parkes is also a square and contra dance caller.^[2] Tony Parkes survived colon cancer in 2018, but was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2023. He died on May 6, 2024.^[9][10]