CELEBRATING OVER 50 YEARS OF DANCE, COMMUNITY AND FRIENDSHIP

Welcome to Buckles and Bows Square Dance Club! Our story began in 1974 when the first class was held at the Westlake First Neighborhood Community Center. Paul Waters was our first instructor/caller. Those early sessions laid the foundation for what would become one of the largest square dance clubs in southern California. Over the years the Club has held classes and dances at a variety of schools, churches and Community Centers. The club now boasts nearly 200 active members.

We have had the opportunity to dance and learn with other distinguished callers. Bill Horst taught classes from 2000 to the time of his passing in 2015. At that time Mike Seastrom stepped in to continue our class. Mike continues to be our instructor for both our Mainstream and Plus classes.

Over the decades our club has been defined by a spirit of community leadership and generosity. We have contributed to funds to benefit victims of area fires. Annually we hold two food drives to benefit Manna of Conejo Valley. Each February we participate in the Blue Box Project to collect items needed by the residents of the Lighthouse for Women and Children. This October we are hosting the Annual Pink Ribbon Dance to raise funds for breast cancer for the City of Hope.

Today we dance at the Goebel Adult Center and the Thousand Oaks Community Center. Whether we are hosting free community open houses, dancing at community events, launching new dancer classes or hosting a monthly dance, our core mission remains exactly the same as it was over 50 years ago: to foster fun, friendship and the timeless joy of square dancing.

Where We Dance: Tuesday night classes and our 4th Saturday night club dances are held at:

Goebel Adult Center
1385 E. Janss Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Visiting Southern California? Depending on your experience level, join our Tuesday night ‘New Dancers’ Class or our Thursday night Plus Class. Be a student or an angel. Have a great night out at our 4th Saturday of the month Club dances.

Mike Seastrom has been dancing since 1960 and calling since 1963. He started dancing after losing a bet to his mother and calling when he tried to show his 6th grade teacher what “square dancing was really like.” He taught his first class in 1963 after borrowing money from his folks to buy a small sound system and was able to pay them back before the class ended.

Mike teaches and calls all levels of square dancing from beginning to advanced. He prompts Contras, and also enjoys doing dance party events when his schedule allows. He is a strong advocate for the Multi-Cycle Method of teaching new dancers. Mike currently enjoys a very successful program with Buckles and Bows Square Dance Club in Thousand Oaks, CA. Mike records for Rhythm Records, and has been on staff at the Rhythm Records Caller School, and helped produce an Introduction to Contra Dancing for R & R Video with the California Contra Callers Association.

Calling has given Mike the opportunity to trvel extensively in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Mike enjoys enjoys dancing as well as calling and feels that “dancing as a team of eight” is the world’s best social and physical recreation.