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  Chris Phillips Bio  

   In December 1976, Chris went to his first “Square Dance Hoedown” at a Miami bar (Double-R), thinking it would be a real hoot to watch. That opened a door that would change his life forever. Within minutes he found himself in a square at a Beginner Dance with an instructor who taught the calls and then played records. In January 1977 Chris soon became a Set Captain for his square (Set 3), and later became the instructor for all three squares, teaching from a square dance Encyclopedia.

  In 1979, Chris went to his first dance with a live caller at the Trails End dance hall in Hollywood, Florida. He entered the hall thinking that dancing to a "live caller" (Jack Lasry) wouldn't hold a candle to records, but before the evening was over, he made plans to take up calling himself. Chris and many other Set 3 dancers, by then called the Miami Mustangs, became regulars at the Trail's End where the caller chuckled at their stylings, calling them the "Square from Oz."

  In February of 1980 Chris officially founded the Miami Mustangs later to become the South Florida Mustangs, and in 1983, Chris opened a bar called the Crossfire, which became home to the South Florida Mustangs and the birthplace of the IAGSDC. By 1984, Chris began calling out-of-state dances in Denver, New York, and Seattle.          By 1989, he was calling for several clubs in South Florida five, nights a week.

 But calling locally in different cities on different nights was taking a toll, so Chris remodelled the Crossfire into a dance hall, and in November 1990 the Round Up Circle-C  was born. It had a western motif, with a floating wood dance floor, Studio quality Sound System, a bar, and a glorious centerpiece: lighted mirrored boots that spun from the ceiling under a large wagon wheel. Sadly, by the late 90s, square dancing was losing popularity, along with so many hurricanes and sky-high insurance rates; ten years later in 2000 the Round Up was sold by Chris.

 But to this day, Chris calls for the South Florida Mustangs in Fort Lauderdale.He is a founding member of the IAGSDC. He has called for 11 IAGSDC Conventions, starting with the very first in 1984. The South Florida Mustangs (the club he founded) received the Golden Boot Award  in 1985, with a plaque that reads: “In recognition of special achievement for being the first gay square dance club in the United States. For generations to come, gay men and women will be able to enjoy another aspect of their wholeness due to your courage, creativity, excellence and pioneering spirit.” How true it is.

Sources:

            http://www.iagsdchistory.org/historywiki/index.php/Chris_Phillips

            https://sites.google.com/site/chrisphillipsschedule/chrisphillipsbio