2011 Family Week at Pinewoods
Tentative Schedule
| 7:45-8:15 | Hot Breakfast served cafeteria style |
| 8:15-8:45 | Cold Breakfast Coffee/Tea available |
| 9:00-9:55 |
9:00 Kids' ClassesAge 2-3 Playtime: Ruth Tracy Age 4-5 Sing, Dance and Play! : Erica Morse -- 4 and 5s will get to know new singing games, finger plays and will enjoy singing along to picture books. We will get some wiggles out while moving together to songs and stories and play simple games and dances that are connected to songs. This class will focus on singing, dancing, working together and having fun! Age 6-7 Story, Song and Dance: Mary Alice Amidon -- 6 and 7s will have a great time beginning their day sharing songs, stories and dances as a group. We'll create some of our own but also enjoy the richness of traditional dance and song. Age 8-9 Get Up and Go: Keith Murphy -- In this class we will sing, dance and enjoy stories together. We'll draw on the creativity of the 8/9s to add and incorporate their ideas into traditional songs and dances, and perhaps make up something entirely new. Age 10-12 Contra and English Dancing: Peter Amidon / Becky Tracy -- Peter will start each 10-12 class with a cracking good folktale, sometimes told episodically, followed by explorations of choreography based on, but not limited to, American contras and English country dancing, to the music of Becky's fine fiddling. |
Teen Class (13-19): Will Mentor / Sam BartlettThe teens will meet every day at this time |
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9:00 Adult ClassesEnglish Country: David Millstone / Susan Kevra, Eden MacAdam-Somer, Karen Axelrod -- Drawing on dances from the mid-17th century to contemporary compositions, we'll explore the many moods of English Country dance, from stately to vigorous, in a variety of formations and figures. With occasional style points to help you improve your dancing, this class is accessible for beginners, with occasional challenges included for the hard-core English dancers. Clogging!: Abby Ladin / Mark Roberts -- No experience necessary OR brush up on your favorite steps. Learn the double basic, the buck step and the Tennessee walking step for starters. Let’s get percussive with great banjo music and some rhythm in our feet! |
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| 10:00 | Refreshments |
| 10:15-11:00 | Morning Gathering (songs, dances, show & tell for all) |
| 11:00-12:00 | Swimming, Bookstore staffed |
| 12:15 | Lunch |
| 1:35-2:30 | Nap or rest (all ages) |
Cozy Time Stories and Songs (under 6 w/parent): Mary Alice AmidonCome gather in close for some picture books with music, great stories and simple songs to settle in together after lunch. Mary Alice will share her favorites and welcome you into story land. |
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Art (8 & up, under 8 w/parent): Sam Bartlett, Abby Ladin |
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Singing (8 & up, 6-7 w/parent): Alistair BrownJoin us on the porch after lunch to share some songs. Bring your favourites. Suitable for adults and older children. |
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Family Band - Intergalactic Travelers Band (10 & up, 8-9 w/parent): Eden MacAdam-SomerIn this ensemble we will learn new tunes from all around the planet, arrange them as a band, write some of our own, and have lots of fun playing music together. All ages and instruments are welcome and encouraged to come! |
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Mummers (10 & up, 8-9 w/parent): Keith Murphy, Erica MorseThe age old form of the death and resurrection play will be energized by the creation of a new cast of characters and plot details. The play always benefits from a wide cross section of camp at this class so we hope you can help with that. |
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Calling workshop (13 & up): Susan KevraCalling a community dance is more than just finding simple dances. It's about finding dances that appeal to a mix of dance levels. It means clear and efficient teaching, an ability to explain figures that may be entirely new to dancers. It's about reading your crowd. In this hands on workshop, we'll work on honing the skills that will help you make a community dance successful, skills that can carry over into any calling situation. |
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| 2:45-3:40 |
2:45 Kids' ClassesAge 2-3 Playtime: Ruth Tracy -- Age 4-5 Sing, Dance and Explore: Andrea Cooper -- The 4 and 5 year-olds will explore singing dances, dancing songs, rhythm games, gaming rhythms, stories with songs, songs with stories, and other fun stuff. Age 6-7 Sixez & Sevenz: Abby Ladin -- Moving bodies, singing songs, rhythms and patterns, leading, following, general silliness and an occasional game of telephone. Age 8-9 Longsword: Erica Morse / Music by: Karen Axelrod --8-9 year olds will gather each day to learn to dance Longsword. Being linked together with swords, it is important to work together as a team while also learning the tricks of the trade to becoming an excellent sword dancer. To balance out the class, we will play games that help us get to know each other and work together and to allow for playfulness while also working on the skills of the dance. Come ready to have fun! Age 10-12 Morris: Alistair Brown / Music by: Eden MacAdam-Somer -- In the afternoon, we'll have fun with some lively morris dances. They'll all involve sticks and most of them involve singing too! |
2:45 Adult ClassesAfternoon Delights: Contras, Squares and More: Susan Kevra / Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy -- This class will include a wide range of dances, old and new, the perfect blend of innovative new material and vintage contras and squares that never get old. With perfect musical accompaniment from Becky and Keith. Harmony Singing: Mary Alice Amidon, Peter Amidon -- Peter and Mary Alice will lead campers in rafter shaking harmony singing including traditional Anglo/American and African-American folk songs, spirituals and songs written by folks steeped in traditional music. Participants will be working from written music as well as learning songs and harmonies by ear. |
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| 3:45-4:00 | Campstore |
| 3:50-5:00 | Swimming, Bookstore staffed |
| 3:50-4:35 |
3:50 ClassesJam Session: Becky Tracy -- (10 & up) Rapper: Alistair Brown / Mark Roberts -- Have you ever wanted to dance rapper, but didn't know where to start? Here's a chance for dancers with any (or no) experience to learn how it's done. |
| 4:45-5:15 |
Stunts: Sam Bartlett |
| 6:00 | Dinner |
| 7:15-7:45 | Community Dance |
| 7:50-8:45 | Evening Gathering |
| 8:30 | Pied Piper/Bedtime for children 9 & younger |
| 8:45-10:45 | Evening Dance Party |
| 9:30 | Bedtime for 10-12 year olds |
| 11:00 | After-dance Activities |
July 16 - 23, 2011
Is there still room?
For up-to-date info about availability and wait lists,
see our Program Weeks page.
Program Description
Having been on staff at Pinewoods and at other camps for both family and adult programs around the country for many, many years, we are delighted to be programing our second family week! This is a wonderful opportunity for us to gather some of our favorite musicians, dance teachers and story tellers for a truly idyllic week.
So often we worry about our child getting a good teacher in school and here we have an entire staff of simply the best mentors you could hope for for your child. We are particularly excited by the fact that we have a staff with so many amazing and versatile musicians that this week promises fantastic dancing for everyone. It's an exciting experience to see our children absorbing these incredibly rich and fulfilling traditions and such fun to be able to share that with them at a week that offers so much for everyone.
Along with contras, English country and community dancing, there will again be classes in morris, rapper and Appalachian clog. There will many opportunities for singing, storytelling as well as jam sessions every afternoon and a daily musical procession. We'll be working on a mummer's play while musicians in the band class prepare to play for a dance every day. There will also be crafts and we will create a surprise giant puppet (shhh!) How is all this possible? Family Week never fails to fill us with a level of inspiration that sustains us through the year and we are lucky to have great programs of this sort developing around the country. But for anyone who has been to Pinewoods, you know that there is something simply magical about being there. We hope you can join us.
-- Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy, Program Co-directors
A Typical Day
At each of our Family programs, a typical day includes two classes tailored to age groups. Morning starts with age specific classes for children age 2 and up, while parents and the teens pursue their own music and dance classes. Also, the whole camp gathers to sing and dance together before lunch. Children not napping after lunch may join their parents in a wide variety of classes designed for mixed age groups. After dinner the whole community comes together for a family dance followed by singing and stories.
As dusk settles, a Pied Piper leads the families with children age 9 and younger (8 and younger at Campers' Week) to their cabins where the parents put their children to bed. Preteens stay halfway through the evening dance before their bedtime comes. Adults and teenagers can enjoy the evening dance and later activities, while roving monitors listens for wakeful children. If a child is uncomfortable, the monitor will alert the parent at the dance. Each family is expected to prepare their children for these scheduled bedtimes.