Program Committee
Vice Chairmen – Clinics

Al and Bonnie Vesper

Al and Bonnie started dancing almost 60 years ago, took a 32 year break, and have been dancing again for the past 12 1/2 years. Their first exposure to square dancing was at several college Outing Club Saturday night shindigs. They attended their first club level dance after getting married in 1968. Over the following decade they progressed through all the challenge levels – dancing to tapes, or Lee Kopman 3-4 nights a week. They quit dancing to spend time with their two teenage daughters, and didn’t pick it up again until Al retired in 2011. Starting again at Mainstream, they have returned to challenge dancing both in home groups and at conventions. MP3’s have replaced tapes, but the intrigue of challenge dancing remains the same. The C3A home group they are in recently helped three C1 dancers conquer the complexities of C2 dancing. Al and Bonnie can also be found at dances in the Minneapolis area, encouraging others to forget their mistakes and celebrate what they accomplished in the unusual set ups that different callers create.

During all these years, Al became a caller, but due to the national shutdowns, his clubs, Mocha Crunch Squares and Mocha Crunch Plus, had to close. However, he is currently calling, along with Lynn Webster, once a month for VW (Vesper-Webster) Squares, a group of C2 dancers from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota.

Al & Bonnie have supported the Square Dance Federation of Minnesota as members at large on the board, as Chairmen of the MN State Convention in 2017, and as Treasurers of the MN State Convention both in 2020 and in 2023. They supported the Minneapolis club, M.A.G.I.C. (Minnesota Advanced Group Including Challenge) as Secretary for one year. This year they are supporting the 73rd National Convention as Chairmen for Clinics, bringing you superb callers to teach introductions to different levels, and “Beyond the Ordinary” extended application workshops.