Tony Parkes

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.

He wrote the book Contra Dance Calling – A Basic Text in 1992 and updated it in 2010.

Early life Parkes was born in 1949 in New York City, His father, Philip Parkes, and later for the Alameda County Law Library in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Calling career Parkes studied contra and square calling with several well-known callers, including Ralph Page.

He also taught at dance events at well-known locations including Pinewoods Camp and the John C. Campbell Folk School

Parkes served on the boards of the Country Dance Society (Boston Centre), the New England Folk Festival Association, and the Folk Arts Center of New England. He co-founded the band Yankee Ingenuity. where he lived with his wife, Beth Parkes, in Billerica, Massachusetts. Beth Parkes is also a square and contra dance caller.

Tony Parkes survived colon cancer in 2018, but was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2023. He died on May 6, 2024.