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Labor Day Dance Away 2009
Julian, CA
September 4 - 7
California Dance Coop
Photos of Labor Day Dance Away 09
What a difference a year makes. This was the first dance camp we had ever
attended, just one year ago. So many more people I know and recognize this
year. It still amazes me how well the room moves when it has so many good
dancers in it. How quickly mistakes disappear and how in sync the room
is to the music.
Notorious and Tidal Wave were the bands. I love how it feels like they
are dancing with me, great playing with good dynamics taking me through
the movement. Lynn Ackerson and Robert Cromartie were the callers. Lynn's
clear communication and walking around the floor seemed very hands on and
increased the community feel. Robert often had a scenario to play out in
the dances that gave fun motivational imagery to the dances. A full range
in styles in each set of dances they called. The smooth, lyrical dances
seemed particularly flowing with graceful transitions this weekend.
The food was fine but not as nice as I remembered it from last year. The
floor was still very fast, slick. It made it difficult to put a lot of
power into any moves. I took the suggestion of letting it help me develop
a better sense of balance which it did. I had some very sore hip muscles.
Lance and Sarah Little brought Carrie Ann and the new twins, Julia Rose
and Egan. Lots of baby mojo was enjoyed by so many folks holding the babies.
What fun. It was a delight to dance with Sarah as she felt free of the
kids and was able to enjoy the dance.
Balance the Bay 2009
San Francisco
August 14 - 16
Bay area Country Dance Society
Photos of Balance the Bay
Dance Weekend
This is a big urban dance weekend. With 230 registered this is the largest
event I have ever traveled to. I was surprised by how many people I knew.
In March, at the BACDS Spring Weekend, I knew only two people when I arrived,
in the mean time I have been to two other major events and about a half
dozen dances with folks from the bay area. I have found welcoming, friendly
people who know how to put on a fun filled dance weekend.
Adina Gordon, from Ashville, North Carolina called the weekend along with
the locally cherished Joyce Miller from Grass Valley. Both callers programmed
intricate approachable dances and lead them with clear, friendly calling.
Swing Farm, a much loved local band gave the traditional sound a jazz edge,
particularly from the piano. Very fun and dance inducing. This was the
first time I have heard the band Crow Foot from Maine or is it Michigan?
Somewhere back east. They have a solid traditional sound and a modern energy.
I particularly liked featured sections of the wood flute played far more
aggressively than the stuff Wild Asparagus does. It reminded me of Ian
Anderson’s solo flute work in front of the rock band Jethro Tull. What
a great timbre for Contra.
I went to both couple dance workshops that Richard Powers presented. I
got a great deal from them. I really appreciated his always positive approach
and his bottom line that if your dancing and it works for the two of you,
then it must be right. His passion and enthusiasm for dance came through
in every minute of the workshops. Very fun and informative to attend.
It was great to see so many people I knew and have enjoyed dancing with.
I was not disappointed. Several of my homies from LA and several semi-homies
from San Diego and Santa Barbara were there. It was strange that there
were so many dancers that even during the last dance of the weekend I would
find myself dancing with a neighbor I couldn’t remember dancing with before.
Even though I will freely admit I have one, I don’t want to find the twelve-step
program for this addiction.
I didn’t have my good camera on me Saturday and most of the photos I took that day with the iPhone came out blurry so I only posted a few. I didn’t have the opportunity to shoot any Video so there is none to post here.
American Week 2009
Mendocino Woodlands
July 4 - 11
Bay area Country Dance Society
What a bunch of fun! A whole week dancing. I had a great time.
The callers were Lisa Greenleaf, Linda
Leslie & Chris Bischoff and
the bands were The Avant Gardeners, Notorious, and Tidal
Wave.
So needless to say there was great music and dancing everywhere. Every
night there was a dance that was full of very skillful and spirited dancers
dancing to great music.
The setting was great. Cute redwood plank cabins nestled on the hill sides
in among the trees. A great dance hall made with huge beams and massive
log trusses. Balmy summer weather. And lots of people that loved being
there.
Linda ran a morning contra workshop where each day focused on a single
choreographer and the particular way their dances flowed. It was great
to have the time to focus the movement and transitions in detail. It also
very pleasant to be dancing in the morning and with a set of very good
dancers.
Matthew Duveneck taught an Argentine tango class that explored how the
tango works through connections I picked up many interesting steps but
mostly I got a sense of these connections and how they worked in the Tango.
These same connections clearly exist whenever you dance and it has given
me an awareness and focus on the contra floor that has deepened my joy
and experience there. I perhaps feel the closest to the fellow dancers
in that class. I also got some personal clarity about couple dancing and
how dancing the lead is really effective when it is a series of distinctly
cued invitations. What an eye opening experience. Notorious played for
this class. Imagine having to shush them.
Matthew also taught a Western Swing class in the afternoons. I finely understand
how a two step in three counts can be danced to a four count rhythm. And
I actually danced my first complete two step dance at and evening dance.
(short, short, long, long, Thank you Melissa) and got a bit of confidence
with arm moves and moving around with a partner.
After lunch there was a callers workshop session where the half dozen or
so caller students worked on their calling with a band and dancers. Imagine
Tidal Wave as a workshop band. They asked campers to join them so there
would be enough for a decent set. There was usually around eight to a dozen
couples of some of the most playful, and skilled dancers that made a delightful
and fun filled hour and a half. When the students finished calling early,
as a group we would get Lynn to call some fun, complicated dance. This
is where I took up Lynn's invitation to try calling. She (and Susan Petrick
and Karen Fontana) were very supportive. It felt like the perfect place
to try. It didn't matter how badly I called, these great, fun dancers didn't
need any calling anyway. And they all wanted me to succeed. The clincher
was that I would have Tidal Wave playing for me, what a great way to try
it out. This is a link to a recording
of the experience. If you need a HUGE ego boost, and I didn't see this
coming, call a dance for the first time in your life in front of nothing
but friendly faces, then dance with them for the next caller. You get a
new smiling face in your arms telling how great you did every thirty seconds
for the next ten minutes. Wow. Call your second dance at a packed camper
night, same ego boosting experience and everyone knows your name.
I tried Buck Dancing that Chris Bischoff taught. It was very interesting
to see how all those sounds can be made. But it was just too hard on my
feet and joints.
Chris also did some very entertaining story telling at the picnic and around
the fire.
I remember being in the middle of a dance that Linda Leslie was calling
one evening and her clear, gentle, positive voice seemed to be connected
directly to my feet, needing no interpretation by me. The music fit the
dance perfectly and was playing dynamically with the steps. I had a perfect
connection with my partner as we shared the vocabulary of the dance and
the subtle nuances of our movements spoke completely about the moment and
space and held in the rhythm of those around us. It all fit together. Every
bit of it. Like most of it will do at a really good dance. But all of it
did here. I could not think of any way that it could get better than that
moment. I was a very happy dancer.
Mt Baldy Dance Weekend 2009
at Harwood Lodge
March 20 - 22
The Living Traditions
Photos of Mt Baldy Dance Weekend
With a total of 46 people attending, this lived up to its billing as an
intimate dance weekend. There was a lot of pitching-in that made the weekend
successful and gave it more of a sense of community than any other weekend
I have been to thus far. It was held in the Sierra Club's Harwood Lodge.
The furniture was removed from the main room so that it could be used for
dancing. The rustic stone and timber lodge was built in the 1930s and felt
like a location out of an old musical or an Agatha Christie mystery novel.
Jeremy Korr was our caller for the weekend. He had an historical workshop on Saturday that was fun and informative. I had to work on Sunday so I left on Saturday night and missed the remainder of the dances being canceled due to snow fall and deteriorating road conditions.
There was a surprising little moment that I missed getting photos of because it went by so fast. Before the waltz at the break, there was a parade of the traditional strawberry dessert around the floor and back to the kitchen. One of those fun, quick moments that stay with you.
Spring Weekend 2009 at Monte
Toyan
March 13 - 15
Bay area Country Dance Society
Photos of Spring Weekend
These are photos I took over the March 14th weekend at camp Monte Toyan near
Santa Cruz. What good fun. The main draw for me, beyond that I could get
away from work to go, was that the weekend had both Contra and English Country
Dancing at the same event. There were parallel tracks of a sort so at just
about any time you had a choice between the two. Contra has hooked me hard
and I went to far more Contra Dances but with each English dance I do I am
discovering greater joy in it. I danced with many talented English dancers
that revealed it to me. There were two big evening dances each night. It
was fun to see how easily many dancers went from one to the other. All three
callers, Bob Isaacs, Linda Leslie, and Jenny Beer, were first rate.
I am really loving these weekend events. The concentrated dancing is a joy.
But all those really great dancers that come make it a pleasure. Their focus,
intensity, joy, and skill make it worth the doing. I am really enjoying
being in a group of these dancers. I have tried to point out a few of these
wonderful people in the photos. Please, please, please forgive me if I got
any names wrong.
I didn't get any photos of the choreography workshop that Bob Isaacs lead. It was insightful to see the ten steps he goes through but most interesting to me was trying to solve the practical idea that Erik suggested. The eight or ten of us got on our feet and started spacing it out. I couldn't help but draw the parallels to what we do in theatre. The idea Erik had was a moment with you and your partner (neighbor rolling out of a star promenade and your partner rolling in) the group of us were trying to set this up, that was the moment, the meat of the dance. Nothing else mattered until that moment worked. It was like setting up Romeo seeing Juliet on her balcony or George and Emily talking over their homework under the "terrible" moon in Our Town. The rest of the play doesn't matter until these moments work.
Fiddling Frog 2009 Pasadena California
February 27 - March 1st
California Dance Cooperative
Photos of Fiddling Frog
These are photos Jocelyn and I took over the weekend. It was the first
time Matthew, Jocelyn and I attended. I had a blast! Many of my favorite
dancers from the regular dances were there, along with many exceptional
dancers from the region that I have come to know. That big, beautiful floor
was full of them. I had a huge production in performance at work and couldn't
make any of the evening dances and still I felt like I had a full weekend
of dance. I was high on that Contra Mojo for a week.
Kathy Anderson Called to the music of the Lissa Schneckenberger band and Contrazz. I loved the sound of Contrazz driving the movement on the floor. Kathy's contras were great but I really loved her squares. What a master of integration. They were fun and challenging and as approachable as anything in a long line. What a joy to dance to.
I had never danced a medley before, how fun. A twenty five minute dance with six callers, many of the warm familiar voices from the local dances and a few regional folks I have wanted to hear.
Videos
These are videos that Jocelyn took.
Fiddling Frog 2009 - Collage
Some of the many moods of Frog. Calling by Kathy Anderson and music by
Contrazz and The Lissa Schneckenburger Band.
Kathy Anderson at Fiddling Frog 2009
Kathy Anderson calling to the music of Contrazz
Fiddling Frog 2009 - The Waltzing Baby
Cara, Gil and Noam at Fiddling Frog 2009
Frannie at Fiddling Frog 2009
Frannie Marr calling to the music of Contrazz
Boxing Day Dance 2008- Citrus College
December 26
Me and Jocelyn and a bunch of friends
Photos of Boxing day
These are photos that my mom and her good friend Mary Jane took at the
very first dance that Jocelyn and I produced. It was held on stage of the
Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College where I am the Production
Manager. It was held the day after Christmas, Boxing day, and it was free.
I got the use of the stage as a Contra Dance Master class with instruction
and a labratory dance. The band, Molly and the Misfits put together by
Barbara Anderson, played for donations and my friend Frannie called as
a way to thank the contra dancers for sending her to Pinewoods caller camp
in the summer. Kara and Speedy from the crew came in to set up and run
sound. I hooked up the Christmas tree and the concert decor garland as
decoration. We left major props from the Christmas show out in the scene
studio where refreshments were served at the break by Jocelyn. I asked
my mom to count heads when I thought it was at its fullest and she came
up with 134. More folks came as others left. I am guessing there were 25
to 30 students, several of my colleagues, employees, and friends.
It was an amazing mix of people from the corners of my life.
I couldn't have had a a better experience. The traditional music and dance
that I love so much in a different, spacious, setting where I work. So many
folks had such a good time. Many poeple took the time to thank me and ask
when the next dance was going to be.
What a great experience for my first time producing.
Dances of our Summer 08 Vacation Trip
Greenfield Massachusetts
Video of Greenfield
Saturday August, 9 2008.
The one and only time we have danced at Greenfield
MA at the Guiding Star Grange. A great driving band TIDAL WAVE playing
their Quebecois music. I do love a diatonic accordion out front most of
the night. A beautifully paced evening of fairly complex dances called
by Rachel Nevitt. She was always pleasant, graceful and informative.
I particularly liked "Jack's in the Kitchen" I think it was
called. There was also the always interesting "Indecent Dance" which
was enjoyably backward. Regulars to the dance, Adam, Pat, Charley, and
Roseanne were informative and friendly to talk to. I didn't catch the
name of the dance recorded here but a person who saw it on YouTube
commented "These
dance sequences are "Sun Dance" -- when men swing, and "Moon
Dance" --
when women swing, both written by Robert Cromartie" Which I do remember
Rachel mentioning.
The video is 5:00 long. The file is 165 mb.
Photos
of Greenfield
Glen Echo Maryland
Video of Glen Echo
Sunday August 17 2008
Jocelyn shot this clip at the second of the dances we attended at Glen
Echo. I can't recall the name of the band, but I bought a CD titled "Beeswax
Sheepskin"
that has most of the players who were there that night. The caller was
from New Hampshire and I can't recall his name either. The dance was held
in Glen Echo's Bumper Car Pavilion. It was a fun night with good dancers.
This dance seemed to have a higher percentage of experienced dancers which
made it a more enjoyable experience than the Friday night dance, held in
the Spanish Ballroom (what a large and beautiful room), that was three
times the size and easily had thirty percent new dancers which required
much simpler dances and lots of help and direction during the dances. This
is just a snippet that was captured before the nearly full memory card
maxed out. The file size is 21mb and it is 0:36 long
Photos
of dancing at Glen Echo
Labor Day Dance Away
Julian California Aug. 29 - Sept 1 2008
Video of Friday
Friday night Dance
I shot this video near the end of the evening. Wild Asparagus was playing
and George Marshall was calling. I tried to capture the whole dance but the
battery in the camera died just before the dance ended. The video is 9:15
long. The file is 295 mb.
Video of Sunday
Sunday afternoon dance.
Jocelyn shot this video clip at the the Sunday afternoon
dance. The Great Bear Trio was playing and Susan Petrick was calling. It
is just a piece of the dance 1:23 long. The file size is 41 mb.
Photos
of Labor Day Dance Away
Sorry no video of Lexington Kentucky or Dallas Texas.
Photos
of Lexington Kentucky