Country Dance and Song Society

We'll also repeat the successful "introduction" classes in longsword, garland and clog dancing, three traditional dance forms easily accessible to country dancers who'd like to try them for the first time.

New this year are:

Group singing, lecture/presentations, gracious afternoon teas, evening dance parties and after-dance late-night activities round out the week's planned activities.

A special addition this year will be the English Dance Leaders Course led by Bruce Hamilton for a pre-registered group of current and aspiring English country dance leaders.

Staff: [Back to Top]
Music

We're pleased to have the well-known bands Bare Necessities and BLT in addition to other distinguished and fun-loving musicians at the Week:

Peter Barnes (piano, flute, whistle), enthralled by dance music since birth, has been putting sparks under people's feet for 25 years. He has produced three dance music books, toured ten countries and appeared on something over thirty recordings. Currently he divides his time among Bare Necessities, concerts with singer-songwriter Cathie Ryan, the NPR radio program Sez You and scores of weddings, folk festivals, barn dances and bar mitzvahs.

Earl Gaddis (violin and viola), of Northampton, MA, is a full-time dance musician, having played fiddle and viola for a mixture of English, Scottish, American and international dancing for nearly 40 years at dance camps, workshops and balls throughout the United States and abroad. He is a member of Bare Necessities and has been known to play spirited percussion accompaniments to Balkan dance music on a garbage can when no other instrument was available.

Tom Kruskal (concertina) is currently musician for the Pinewoods Morris Men and high school rapper team Velocirapper. A frequent musician at Pinewoods since 1966, Tom's ritual playing is strong, driving, rhythmic and attentive to the needs of the dancers and the dance.

Mary Lea (violin and viola) is a member of Bare Necessities, BLT and MGM and several other traditional dance music ensembles. She plays in a variety of styles and has released solo CDs of dance music reflecting an extraordinary intelligence and scope.

Susie Lorand (violin and recorders), since her corruption into a fiddler at Earlham College, has played for dancing from Maine to West Virginia. She dances with Millstone River Morris and helps run the Princeton and Lambertville contra and English country dances. In her spare time she copy-edits scholarly books and journal articles, sings in choirs, and studies early music notation.

Gene Murrow (recorder, oboe, concertina), when not organizing English Week, plays with the bands MGM and Jack's 80th, produces the Boston Centre series of English dance CDs, calls dances at workshops and parties around the country and teaches recorder at early music workshops.

Bill Peek (piano and guitar), on the traditional dance music scene for many years, is well known as a contra dance and English country dance pianist and tune composer and has also played guitar and banjo with several old time bands. He can be heard on several recordings including Cathal McConnell's recently released Long Expectant Comes at Last. He works as a music teacher, choir director and church organist.

Jacqueline Schwab (piano) is widely known as the pianist on nine Ken Burns' PBS documentaries (including The Civil War, Baseball and his upcoming one on Mark Twain) and on recordings with Bare Necessities, singer Jean Redpath, fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Laura Risk and others. Jacqueline has two recent solo recordings. She has performed for former President Clinton at the White House and at the Smithsonian. A longtime dancer, Jacqueline teaches English dance workshops with Bare Necessities around the country.

Ellen Tepper (harp) is a popular Philadelphia harpist and teacher who has taught at Pinewoods Early Music Week, accompanied English country dancers at balls and parties and released several solo recordings.

Bill Tomczak (clarinet) has been playing clarinet for a wide variety of dancing since 1979. He currently plays for contra dancing, English country and the occasional vintage dance with a variety of musicians and has recorded with BLT, Wild Asparagus and Yankee Ingenuity.

Country Dance

Our special guest from England this year is Andrew Shaw. Andrew started country dancing as a teenager in the 60s, and developed an enthralling interest in and enthusiasm for the history and performance of the English country dance. He teaches at weekends, festivals and other courses at home and abroad, and is widely regarded for his detailed knowledge, high standards, clear instruction and wit. His particular interest in the dances of Nathaniel Kynaston led last year to the publication of Mr. Kynaston's Famous Dance with an accompanying CD by the duo Belshazzar's Feast. Andrew lives near Altrincham in Cheshire (N.W. England) where he runs the Lemmings Reprieve dance club - a name which oddly but neatly sums up his belief in the life-enhancing qualities of this dance form.

Helene Cornelius needs no introduction to English country dancers. She'll bring her vast repertory, long experience with the Boston Centre and workshops in America and England, standards of good dancing and concise teaching style to two classes each day.

Gene Murrow has been a country dancer since 1965, and is a regular teacher at Country Dance*NY, Country Dancers of Westchester and dance workshops around the country.

Bruce Hamilton will be running his celebrated leadership course during our week, but he'll call dances for us all in the evenings. He got started folk dancing at Swarthmore College, and began teaching when he got home to San Diego and found that nobody knew the dances he liked. He started the San Jose English dance, has taught week-long workshops at Mendocino, Pinewoods and Buffalo Gap, weekend workshops all over North America, and has been active in Scottish and Morris dancing as well.

Mary Devlin has delighted both new and experienced dancers from Pinewoods to Houston, from Fairbanks to Arizona, New Hampshire, California and points in-between with quick explicit teaching, clear crisp calling and flowing dances. A favorite caller for both English country dance and contras, Mary is also on the CDSS Governing Board.

Ritual/Display Dance

The ritual/display classes will be taught by people who are all active and highly respected members, founders, and teachers of currently performing teams.

Yonina Gordon (longsword and rapper) returns to English Week following her debut on staff last summer. She's co-foreman of New World Sword, foreman of the venerable Ring o' Bells Morris, and long-time performer with Half Moon Sword. Yonina has toured England five times with her teams, most recently appearing at the Sidmouth International Festival of Folk Arts in 1998. At Sidmouth, she served as performance/showmanship judge at the prestigious John Gasson solo jig competition.

Kari Smith (Cotswold, Northwest and garland) has been teaching adults and children the variety of English seasonal display and step dance forms since 1985. She is currently completing doctoral work in dance studies at Boston University. She is foreman of Guiding Star Clog Morris in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Meg Ryan (Clog) is an outstanding performer and teacher of both English and American-derivative styles and a member of The New Dancing Marleys, who have performed in the U.S., Canada, and England. She studied with Pat Tracey and Alex Woodock.

Song

Returning to lead the informal group singing are Tom and Anne Siess, who have been mainstays of the London, Ontario, folk music scene for more than twenty years. Tom was chair of the Home County Folk Festival for 10 years and Anne was Volunteer Coordinator for many of those years. Tom is currently President of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS).

English Dance Week at Pinewoods Tentative Schedule:
9:00 - 10:15
Early Playford for All	Andrew Shaw
English For Experts	Helene Cornelius
Introduction to Longsword	Yonina Gordon
Morris for All	Kari Smith
10:30 - 11:45
Dancing the Best Well	Gene Murrow
Mr. Kynaston's Famous Dance Advanced	Andrew Shaw
Rapper for All	Yonina Gordon
Northwest for All	Kari Smith
1:45 - 2:25
Presentation
2:30 - 3:45
Open Mic	Mary Devlin & Peter Barnes
The Cheshire Set Advanced	Andrew Shaw
Advanced Longsword	Yonina Gordon
Introduction to Clog	Meg Ryan
3:50 - 4:25
Tea and Singing
Susan Murrow, Tom & Anne Siess
4:30 - 5:30
Choreographers Wrkshp	Gene Murrow
English Country for All	Helene Cornelius
Introduction to Garland	Kari Smith
Advanced Clog	Meg Ryan
8:00
Couple dances/Harp waltzes/Unprompted Sets
8:15
Evening Dance Party
11:00
After-dance Activities

Class Descriptions [Back to Top]

English Country Dance
Andrew Shaw will offer Early Playford, covering dances from the 1st through 7th editions of John Playford's Dancing Master; Mr. Kynaston's Famous Dance, for advanced dancers, featuring works by the 18th century composer of what we now call The Old Mill; and The Cheshire Set, 20th century dances from N.W. England. Gene will repeat his popular Dancing the Best Well session devoted to improving style and technique through close attention to some of the best dances in the repertoire. Helene will present more of her remarkably eclectic repertoire in an English Country for All session and an English for Experts class.

There will be an Open-Mic session for camper-callers and musicians each afternoon. Mary Devlin will coordinate the callers and provide gentle, constructive feedback to students of the English Dance Leaders Course and any others who want it. Peter Barnes will coordinate the musicians. You can call, play, watch or simply join in the dance.

Ritual/Display Dance
Three classes are specifically designed for country dancers who are still new to these genres or would like to try them for the first time: Introduction to Longsword will feature figures from Greatham and Helmsley II taught by Yonina. Kari will teach Brighton Lasses in Introduction to Garland. Meg will repeat her successful Introduction to Clog. The pace, repertory, and attention to basics will make these sessions the ideal forum for expanding one's dancing capabilities.

For Advanced Longsword, Yonina will offer a "master class" in Half Moon's interpretation of Papa Stour, with a look at figures from the other interpretations being done in England. She will also teach a Rapper for All class, drawing on traditional and modern figures. Experienced cloggers will meet to learn new repertory and style in Meg's Advanced Clog. Kari will teach Cross and Pillory Reels, a dance suitable for all in the Northwest processional tradition. Her Cotswold Morris class will explore the invention of new choreography within an established tradition.

Choreography
Composers of new dances in English country dance style who need a willing group of experienced dancers to try out their new creations, offer constructive criticism, and help shape and document the dance in its final form are invited to join Gene's Choreographers Workshop. Established choreographers will also be on hand to help others, and present their own work.

Music/Song
Each day, there will be opportunities for all to join together in song, under the enthusiastic leadership of Tom and Anne Siess. There'll be singing at Tea Time, in the Camphouse, in the evenings and at various other times and places as the spirit moves us.

Dance musicians who already possess reasonable facility on their instrument are encouraged to join Peter Barnes and the band for the daily Open Mic class.

Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule Top

413-268-7426 FAX: 413-268-7471

Country Dance and Song Society 132 Main St/PO Box 338 Haydenville, MA 01039-0338 Office Hours M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm EST

http://www.cdss.org/