Country Dance and Song Society English Dance Week at Pinewoods August 2 - 9, 2003

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Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule

English Dance Week at Pinewoods August 2 - 9, 2003 Program Director: Kari Smith Staff: Laurie Andres Peter Barnes Susan Conger Helene Cornelius Judy Erickson Jim Ialeggio Atossa Kramer Mary Lea John Mayberry Rick Mohr Gene Murrow John Roberts Jacqueline Schwab Paul Eric Smith * Cathie Whitesides * Advisor, plus: Brad Foster Steve Howe

Program Description: [Back to Top]

Look up our Adult Programs for some general information; here is more detail about this particular program and staff.

English Dance Week provides a unique opportunity to be immersed in English and related forms of vernacular dance, music, song and drama. Come to be instructed, inspired and entertained by the very finest teachers, dance leaders, musicians and performers anywhere.

In addition to a variety of extraordinary classes and evening dance parties, the camp will come together each morning in the beautiful C# pavilion for a Morning Gathering, a unique time for staff performances and special presentations, and for all to join in community through song and light-hearted, playful dancing.

This summer's English country dance program features callers Helene Cornelius, Gene Murrow, Laurie Andres and Paul Eric Smith offering graded classes for dancers of different skill levels and several classes open to all. For budding and experienced callers there will be an open mic session under the guidance of Gene Murrow.

For those interested in honing their musical skills, there will be open English country and Ceilidh dance bands under expert tutelage and held in conjunction with the English open mic session and ceilidh dance respectively.

This summer's seasonal display and clog dance program will emphasize sword dancing and American extensions of English dance forms. Judy Erickson will offer two longsword classes: a repertoire class focused on a dance choreographed and developed by Judy with Orion Sword, and a style and composition class. In addition, Rick Mohr offers a rapper sword class for all. The American extensions will be explored in Rick's Cotswold-style class, devoted to repertoire choreographed and developed by him with the Commonwealth Morris Men, and in two clog classes offered by Kari Smith.

For those interested in the theatrical side of English vernacular performances, we have two unique and exciting classes: John Mayberry's Miracle Plays and Mummers Plays class and, in conjunction with Rick's Cotswold-style class, John's Fooling for Cotswold Morris.

Songs and singing will be an essential ingredient of the program, integrated into the Morning Gathering and other venues. John Roberts will lead a singing session every afternoon, open to all, singers and listeners alike.

This summer's program will be further enriched by the presence of the English Dance Musicians Course, taught by Jacqueline Schwab. Course participants will work with Jacqueline throughout the day, joining the English Dance Week program for one class period and for all gatherings, meals, parties, non-class activities and evening programs.

Staff: [Back to Top]

Laurie Andres, from Seattle, WA, has delighted audiences all over the U.S., Canada and Europe with his extraordinary, versatile and distinctive playing on piano accordion and piano. A master of musical whimsy, Laurie plays with wit, color, emotion and compelling danceability. He plays for contra, square, English country, morris and clog dancing, and performs with several ensembles, including The Rhythm Rollers, the Klezmer Red Hots and Rouge, a French cabaret band. He calls an English country dance series in Seattle and has been on staff at one Pinewoods session or another for the past 20 years.

Peter Barnes, enthralled by dance music since birth, has been putting sparks under people's feet for over 30 years playing piano, flute, whistle, guitar and assorted other instruments. He has published three dance music books, toured ten countries and appeared on over 50 recordings. He plays for English country, contra, square and vintage dancing and has played for festivals and tours from Prague to Hawaii. He currently works with the bands Bare Necessities, The Latter Day Lizards, Yankee Ingenuity and with singer, Cathie Ryan.

Susan Conger grew up playing classical violin, and as an adult was drawn to the fiddle tunes she heard while contra dancing. In 1987 she followed the tunes and dances to the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. Much to her surprise, what began as a hobby evolved into a career. She is now a full-time musician, teaching fiddle and violin and playing for English country, contra and other dances and festive events. In 1999 she edited and published Along the River, a collection of dance tunes written in the last 25 years by musicians from the Connecticut River Valley. Her most recent project is the Along the River CD.

Helene Cornelius is America's foremost expert on English country dance, with the widest repertoire around. Much-loved by English country dancers all over the country, she brings her vast repertory, long experience, standards of good dancing and concise teaching style to enrich the program.

Judy Erickson is currently foreman of the internationally-acclaimed Orion Sword and past member of Muddy River Morris. She has served on the English-Scottish Session program committee, been a camper at many Pinewoods sessions and has been on staff for several Pinewoods weeks, both with CDSS and CDS-Boston Centre. Her compelling and evocative choreographies for longsword, blending American movement and musical themes within the genre, bear the mark of choreographic genius.

Jim Ialeggio, long-time musician for Orion Sword, and past member of Pinewoods Morris Men, is renowned for his distinctive style of accordion playing. His unique musical flare has influenced the development of Orion's remarkable and innovative dancing style.

Atossa Kramer, from Berea, KY, is a multi-talented musician who has accompanied country dancing for more than 25 years playing clarinet, piano and recorder. She is currently on the music faculty at Berea College teaching Appalachian music, aural harmony, recorder, clarinet and piano. Atossa plays clarinet in the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and is a member of the dance band, The Berea Cast-Offs.

Mary Lea has been playing violin and viola for dances for over 20 years, from contra, square and English country to ragtime era and couple dance music. She has been a member of the nationally-known bands, Bare Necessities (English country) and Yankee Ingenuity (N.E. contra) since 1978, BLT since 1982 and has recordings with each of these groups plus two of her own production. Mary has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad playing for workshops, concerts and week-long dance events and is known for her mastery of many musical styles and for her expressive and danceable playing.

John Mayberry, Fool of the Toronto Morris Men, is an accomplished traditional singer and Morris dancer with much experience in street theater, mumming and Medieval theatre. He and singing partner, Jamie Beaton, also do comic, improvisational performances as the Bullero Brothers. John is a professor of theatre production in the Department of Theatre, York University, Toronto.

Rick Mohr has been enthusiastically dancing, teaching and choreographing Morris and rapper dances for 20 years and is currently foreman of Boston's widely-admired Commonwealth Morris Men. He is known for clear and well-paced teaching, good humor and fresh, tradition-based choreography. He also happens to be a wonderful traditional singer, fiddler and accordion player, too!

Gene Murrow has been an English country dancer and musician since 1965, and has taught and called at clubs, workshops, festivals and balls in the U.S., England and Europe for the last 20 years. In 1996, he organized the Amherst Assembly, a conference devoted to a scholarly and practical look at the origins and evolution of the country dance; in 2001 he presented a paper at the EFDSS/Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society conference in London. He is also leading the English Dance Leaders Training in Music course offered during Early Music Week this year. As a member of the dance band MGM, he has made two recordings. He is currently producing a series of English dance recordings featuring Bare Necessities and serves on the CDSS Governing Board.

John Roberts, currently from Schenectady, NY, is a music engraver, legal alien, singer and musician. He is renowned as a singer of English traditional song and a master concertina, banjo and hurdy-gurdy player. He performs regularly with his long-time singing partner Tony Barrand, with Nowell Sing We Clear and has a solo career singing (and playing) the full range of the English tradition. John is also one of the finest of morris musicians on the planet!

Jacqueline Schwab has been an English country dance musician for over 25 years and is a founding member of Bare Necessities. She is widely known as the pianist on nine Ken Burns' PBS documentaries (including The Civil War, Baseball and Mark Twain) and on over 30 recordings, including with Bare Necessities, singer Jean Redpath and fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Laura Risk. Jacqueline also has three solo recordings. She has performed for former President Clinton at the White House and at the Smithsonian. A longtime dancer, Jacqueline plays and teaches English dance workshops with Bare Necessities around the country and abroad.

Kari Smith, Program Director, has been teaching the range of English and Anglo-American display dance traditions since 1985. She is currently foreman and a founding member of Guiding Star Clog Morris in Greenfield, MA, and The New Dancing Marleys, a research and performance group specializing in the American history of English-style clog dancing. She has recently completed a doctorate in Dance History and Folklore at Boston University, and is teaching dance in workshops, elementary schools and at Antioch New England Graduate School. She also deeply loves to sing traditional song.

Paul Eric Smith has been calling, dancing and playing for social and display dance for more than 20 years. Currently a musician for Guiding Star Clog Morris and The New Dancing Marleys, Paul Eric's interest in ceilidh dancing has been revived by a recent trip to England's Sidmouth Folk Festival, where the ceilidh dancing lasts all night to loud world music.

Cathie Whitesides, from Seattle, WA, has been playing fiddle for English country dance, contra and square dancing, and several styles of step dancing since 1980, and has performed and taught at Pinewoods camps, numerous Bay Area, CA camps, Ashokan Northern Week and in workshops in the Seattle area. She plays Celtic, Anglo-American and Eastern European music with soul and a passionate dedication to distinct ethnic styles that has won her national recognition. Cathie collaborates regularly with Laurie Andres as The Rhythm Rollers, as well as with many other musicians.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods Tentative Schedule:
9:00 - 10:00
Advanced English Country Dance: Pat Shaw	Helene Cornelius
English Country Dance for All: Everything Once	Gene Murrow
Cotswold-style Morris: "Minneapolis-on-Charles"	Rick Mohr
Fooling for Cotswold	John Mayberry
10:15 - 11:15
English Country Dance for All	Helene Cornelius
Longsword Style and Composition (experienced)	Judy Erickson
Beginner/Intermediate Clog: Marley Buck & Wing	Kari Smith
11:30 - 12:00
Morning Gathering	John Roberts & Paul Eric Smith
1:50 - 2:50
English Country Dance for All	Laurie Andres
Longsword Dance: Dual Pelican No Bleeper	Judy Erickson
Advanced Clog: Horatio N. Grant's Lancashire Clog	Kari Smith
3:00 - 4:00
Open Mic/Open English Country Dance Band	Gene Murrow/Peter Barnes
Rapper Sword Dance for All	Rick Mohr
Singing	John Roberts
4:00 - 4:30 Tea
4:30 - 5:30
Advanced English Country Dance: American Playford	Gene Murrow
Ceilidh Dance for All/Open Ceilidh Dance Band	Paul Eric Smith/John Roberts
Miracle Plays/Mummers Plays	John Mayberry
8:00
Couple Dancing
8:15
Evening Dance Party
11:00
After-dance Activities

Class Descriptions: [Back to Top]

English Country Dance and Music

English Country Dance for All: Everything Once -- Gene Murrow/Laurie Andres, Susan Conger, Cathie Whitesides
A comprehensive survey of virtually ALL English dance movements (including stepping) and figures, using a carefully chosen sequence of exemplary, good dances. Here's an opportunity for dancers to ensure that you've properly learned every standard figure (like double figures of eight) and some unusual figures (like chevrons), and to ask those questions you've been meaning to ask some day.

English Country Dance for All -- Helene Cornelius/Laurie Andres, Atossa Kramer, Cathie Whitesides
A captivating mix of 17-18th- and 20-21st-century dances for everyone's enjoyment called by a master.

English Country Dance for All -- Laurie Andres/Peter Barnes, Atossa Kramer, Mary Lea
An eclectic mix of Laurie's favorites for everyone's dancing pleasure!

Advanced English Country Dance: Pat Shaw -- Helene Cornelius/Peter Barnes, Mary Lea
A class devoted to Pat Shaw dances for dancers who are very familiar with basic English country dance movement and style, and who like challenges.

Advanced English Country Dance: American Playford -- Gene Murrow/Atossa Kramer, Mary Lea
The 400-year-old tradition of Playford-style English country dance is taking new shape in the hands of American choreographers. We'll look at brand new dances and some old favorites by Fried de Metz Herman, Gary Roodman, Victor Skowronski, Orly Krasner and others. Participants in this advanced class should know the figures of English country dancing (which will not be taught), and be experienced with learning dance patterns quickly.

Ceilidh Dance for All -- Paul Eric Smith
Rise to new heights of playfulness and fun in a daily ceilidh dance, offered in conjunction with the Ceilidh Dance Band class (see below) directed by John Roberts. A variety of dances (NOT all jumping and sweating), including old chestnuts and new compositions, will be provided. A party atmosphere will prevail, as the class will be offered close to the cocktail hour.

Ceilidh Dance Band -- John Roberts
This music is, in a sense, the "Old Timey" equivalent of English dance music. The aesthetic is not in virtuosic solos or improvisational flights. The tunes are simple, but there is a demand for ensemble togetherness and rhythmic pulse which is the quintessential component of all country dance music. It's a great place for beginners to start, and we'll have the added bonus of combining the session with the corresponding ceilidh dance, so we'll be playing for real dancers.

Open Mic -- Gene Murrow
An opportunity for new and aspiring callers to prepare and call dances with a live band (under the direction of Peter Barnes, see below) in a supportive, cooperative environment. Constructive commentary from the musicians, the dancers and Gene and Peter will help callers develop their skills and presentation.

Open English Country Dance Band -- Peter Barnes
This offers musicians of all levels an opportunity for hands-on experience playing for dancers and working with callers. Under the occasionally stern but always playful eye of Peter Barnes, here's your chance to enjoy performing and learning in a real-life dance situation!

Seasonal Display Dance & Drama

Cotswold-style Morris: "Minneapolis-on-Charles" -- Rick Mohr/John Roberts
Learn the exhilarating dances of the "Minneapolis-on-Charles" style, evolved by Boston's Commonwealth Morris Men from the ancient Midwestern "Cotswold" tradition "Minneapolis-on-Mississippi." The dances have strong roots in traditional Morris plus their own distinctive elements, including a satisfying palette of steps, well-integrated hands and feet, a good mix of figures and great horizontal and vertical motion. Wear athletic shoes and plan on a week of fine Morris fun. As an extra treat we will work with John Mayberry's Class of Fools to develop the full Morris experience.

Fooling for Cotswold -- John Mayberry
Offered in conjunction with Rick Mohr's Cotswold-style Morris class, Morris dancers and admirers alike will gain in-depth insight into the broader occasion and spectacle that is the Morris, as it is explored through the eyes, skills, role and craft of the Fool. No acting experience is necessary. Though the emphasis will be on fooling as a dancer, we will explore other non-dance aspects of Morris fooling as well.

Longsword Style and Composition (for experienced longsword dancers) -- Judy Erickson/Jim Ialeggio
This class will examine the choices any dance deviser makes, with consideration of stylistic unity in both the figures and the composition as a whole. Simple example figures will be used to explore how different style choices (ways to do the figure, stepping, chorus figures, speed, etc.) change the figures, and how such choices affect the overall structure of a dance. This is a "think with your body" class. For experienced longsword dancers. Be prepared to wear both hard-soled shoes (that are not too slippery) and sneakers (or shoes with good traction), as we would like, ideally, to try both stepped and briskly moving styles.

Longsword Dance: Dual Pelican No Bleeper -- Judy Erickson/Jim Ialeggio, Cathie Whitesides
A stepped longsword dance for 8 to a 12/8 border tune. The stepping is a walking-pace pattern of drop steps and walks. The figures are mostly linked, and include a modified version of singles and over-your-own, as well as some invented figures. The dance is moderately paced and the geography is not complex. Emphasis will be on learning a series of figures with concentration on the style that makes this dance distinctive, and on how to perform the figures so that the style is highlighted. Both inexperienced and experienced longsword dancers welcome. Wear sneakers or other shoes with good traction.

Rapper Sword Dance for All -- Rick Mohr/Susan Conger
Rick will lead a class open to all, presenting an exciting dance with opportunities to learn and improve on the full range of rapper skills -- stepping, figures, drive, teamwork, flips and presentation. Wear hard-soled shoes.

Miracle Plays/Mummers Plays -- John Mayberry
The main focus of this class will be the development of a new collective Mummers' play to be performed by the end of the week. As a way to get the creative juices flowing, the class will look at some of the dramatic forms which are thought to have influenced the development of the Mummers' play -- Medieval Miracle plays, Commedia dell'arte, Pantomime, literary drama, etc. You do not have to have any acting experience to enjoy this class!

Clog Dancing

Advanced Clog: Horatio N. Grant's Lancashire Clog -- Kari Smith/Paul Eric Smith
In 1899 dancing master Horatio N. Grant of Buffalo, NY published a detailed notation describing a Lancashire Clog, a dotted hornpipe routine that Grant characterized as a "professional dance to four-four tempo." In this class, experienced step- and clog dancers will learn this dance, gain experience working directly with Grant's notation to create an interpretation of it and examine the history of the Lancashire Clog Hornpipe Dance on the English and American popular stage from the 1840s on. If you have a pedestal, bring it!

Beginner/Intermediate Clog: Marley Buck & Wing -- Kari Smith/Paul Eric Smith
In this class, dancers with little to no experience with English style clog dancing will learn the basics of English clog dancing while learning to dance a variant of the Buck and Wing clog dance routine taught to Kari by the late Anna Mae Marley of Rockville, CT, who learned it from her father who was clog dancing as early as the 1890s. In this class we will examine the American history of English-style clog dancing in addition to learning the dance. This class will be paced according to the needs of dancers new to clog dancing. Wear clogs, hard-soled shoes or tap shoes.

Song

Singing -- John Roberts
The singing circle has a simple basic format: we go round the circle and participants may sing or pass. John encourages chorus songs so everyone can join in somewhere on all the songs, and likes songleaders to give a bit of information about the provenance of the song they're doing. All are welcome! Come to sing and/or to listen!

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

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