Helena Last
Chance Squares
Square dancing is a form of American folk dance. The traditional square is formed by 8 people (4 couples facing in) and calls are made to music as dancers move in sync to the calls. Round dancing is a form of ballroom dance with couples moving to calls with music.
Meet our board members:
Virgil Kaiser
Club President
Virgil Kaiser reluctantly began square dance lessons in 2015 at the coaxing and pleading of his wife. His excuse prior to that was that lessons started in the fall, and it interfered with hunting season. In 2015 he started a new job and didn't have the leave to take off, so his excuse was not valid that year, so he agreed to do lessons to stop his wife from pestering him. Now Virgil has the leave to use for hunting, but he almost always works his hunting time around square dancing because he enjoys it so much! Virgil has been the Last Chance Square Dance President since 2017.
Bob Thola & Annie Bailey
Treasurers
Bob and Annie moved to Helena in 2024 and immediately joined Last Chance Squares. Bob is a seasoned square dancer and Annie is learning quickly, having started lessons in September. Both enjoy square and round dancing. They thought it would be fun to become more involved in the club, so took on the role of Treasurers. Both are retired and enjoy dancing, pickleball, and volunteering with various organizations in Helena. Bob is also studying to become a square dance caller under the tutelage of Butch Suttey.
Butch Suttey
Caller
Butch is from Butte, MT and started dancing in 1983 in Lolo, MT from Ray Granger. Butch enjoyed the fellowship and dancing so much that he asked Ray what he could do to help keep this great activity going. Ray replied, ”Become a Caller.” When Butch returned to Butte, he was mentored by local callers Roy Johnson and Bill Pasco. He later enrolled in a Caller’s School in Missoula, MT with Dayrl Clendenin and Ray Granger.
After calling and teaching for many clubs, Butch took a 10-year break from calling before returning in 2006 to calling full time for clubs in Idaho and Washington. While living in Idaho he met his wife, Faye, at a Square Dance in Clarkston, WA. Together, they danced and called in Washington and Idaho until returning to Butte in 2019 to be closer to family.
Stephanie Morrison
Vice President
Stephanie added learning to square dance to her list of 2020 New Year's resolutions but her plans were foiled by Covid. She finally started new dancer lessons at the beginning of 2022 and has had so much fun ever since! In the past year, she's recruited her parents to start dancing in Billings, learned Plus level dancing, and is now learning the boy's part. In addition to dancing, Stephanie is an avid reader, hikes regularly on Mt. Helena, and sews quilts.
Karyn Hamilton
Secretary
I, along with my husband Bill, started Square Dancing about 1966/67, when our O-Mok-See friends invited us to take lessons (all of them are no longer dancing). Mom and Dad gave us the cost of lessons as a Christmas present and I have been dancing since.
We attended our 1st State Festival at the Civic Center in Helena, that was 1974, We had lots of fun stealing banners, taking callers shirts and pulling lots of pranks on any of the callers we danced to. Why you wonder? Well, we discovered we could receive badges or dangles for all kinds of fun things like Nite Owl, Pickle Eater, Banner Thief, Kissin’ Kousin, Stork, Squirrel and the list goes on and it was all in fun. We collected lots of Badges/ Dangles. I have a whole bracelet full of dangles and a few badges also.
Bill died in Oct of 1989 and I did not dance the rest of that year, but started again in the fall of 1999. I missed the dancing and friends we had made. I met Dwain that fall and we danced at the State Festival in May and started traveling. Five years later we were married and are still Square and Round Dancing. We are now the Chairpersons for the Knothead Jamboree and still enjoy the dancing weather it be country, squares or rounds. I am the Secretary for Last Chances Square and the State Square & Round Dance Secretary. I have held all offices of both organizations, except for treasurer. I have also been a Co-Chair for Helena State Festival and was Entertainment Chair for USA West 2015, held in Helena.
In the midst of all our dancing, having a baby, being a widow, my endurance rides, starting a business, getting married again, trips, 4-H, knee surgery, and working I have managed to continue to dance. Sometimes you just can’t keep a dancer down.
It's hip to be square!
Glen Tusler
Caller
Glen Tusler (Square Dance Caller/Teacher and / Round Dance Cuer/Teacher) and wife Leola hve been actively dancing with Helena Square Dance clubs since 1966. Glen began calling/teaching square dance in 1984 continuing to the present time and started cueing & teaching round dancing in 1996. He has been calling for the Last Chance Squares club since its initial organization.
Glen is a member of the Callerlab square dance organization. Glen and Leola have been members of Roundalab (certified to cue/teach round dancing) for 25 years.