Philippe Callens

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Philippe Callens is known internationally as a leader of English country dance and also of square and contra dance. A native of Mortsel in Belgium, he has been active in the dance community for more than 30 years, teaching, publishing, calling and composing, and has called all over the U.S. for numerous years.

He started dancing in 1975 in Antwerp, Belgium, and has been teaching for over 25 years now. In that period, he has steadily gained a reputation as a leader of country dance who can easily combine high quality dancing with the dancer personal enjoyment.

In Belgium, he was one of the founding members of the Anglo-American Dance Service (AADS). Over the past seventeen years, he has also frequently called in the Netherlands and at festivals and dance weekends in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and especially the USA. In Britain, he has appeared at Eastbourne and Southam festivals, and has led weekends at Bournemouth, Casterton and Symonds Yat.

Other fields of his dance interests include dance history and reconstruction, leaders training, and publishing.

In 1997 he produced the CD "Both sides of the Atlantic" for the AADS, with music by "The Little Tinkers".

Philippe is also an active choreographer.

"From A Belgian Yankee Caller" (1996) is a collection of 45 of his New England style squares and contras, while "Continental Capers" (1999) and "Belgian Boutades" (2002) include several of his own English country dances. "Red Star Line" (2002) with music by the bands "A Joyful Noise" and "Hold the Mustard" is the accompanying CD for these two books. "Antwerp Antics" (2004) is his latest book.