Country Dance and Song Society English Dance Week at Pinewoods August 13 - 20, 2005

As of Sept 3, this week is over.

Click here for a list of Dances taught English Dance Week 2005

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Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule

English Dance Week at Pinewoods August 13 - 20, 2005 Program Director: Barbara Finney Staff: Lise Brown Philippe Callens * Allen Dodson Alisa Dodson Bruce Hamilton * Andra Herzbrun Horton Steve Howe * Lydia Ievins Atossa Kramer Tom Kruskal Mary Lea Carol Marsh Bill Peek Bruce Rosen Meg Ryan Jacqueline Schwab Tom and Anne Siess * Advisors, plus: Helene Cornelius Brad Foster Sharon Green

Program Description: [Back to Top]

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

Come and join us for an exciting week of English social and ritual/display dancing and music. You can choose from a wide variety of dancing as well as music-making opportunities -- all offered by a stellar staff of teachers and musicians. We offer some graded classes and some for all levels, so whatever your experience, you'll find classes you can enjoy.

In addition to the variety of classes and evening dance parties, there will be time in the schedule to relax or join in singing together, and to gather as a community for sharing and presentations.

Some of the country dance classes will focus on the historical background of the dances we do. Philippe Callens, always a favorite teacher at Pinewoods, will teach a session of early Playford dances, with a look at his own reconstructions of them. Carol Marsh, noted dance historian and expert in stepping used for country dances in the 17th- and 18th-centuries, will teach a class using those steps in dances from the period. She will also lead a session on reconstruction of dances with sources contemporary to Playford.

Not all country dancing will be from centuries past! -- we'll have a variety from modern and traditional sources as well. Philippe will lead a session of his own dances and also share the secrets of elegant dancing in a style and technique session. One of Barbara Finney's classes will focus on dances composed by Americans and the other will cover the wide variety existing in the English country dance repertoire.

We are excited to have Andra Horton returning to English Week this year to share her considerable expertise in clogging and molly dancing. The popular Meg Ryan will spread the excitement of Northwest morris and Steve Howe, usually seen in the office at camp, will share his time and energy to teach a longsword class for experienced dancers. New to the English Week staff this year is Alisa Dodson, who will share her wealth of experience by teaching Cotswold-type morris and longsword. Some of the classes will be aimed at those new to ritual/display dancing and some will be for those with experience, so everyone can join in the fun.

For leaders and those who want to try their hand at leading country dances, we have Bruce Hamilton's expertise for a Leaders class each day.

If you want to intersperse your dancing with making music, bring your instrument and join in the open band for one of the afternoon classes, or join the singing session led by Tom and Anne Siess each afternoon.

Enhancing the experience of the week will be an English Dance Musicians Course led by Jacqueline Schwab for a limited number of separate registrants. -- Barbara Finney, Program Director

Staff: [Back to Top]

Lise Brown, a talented performer and arranger, originally hails from New York City where she played with lots of high powered swing and salsa bands at venues including Radio City Music Hall and The Village Gate. She recorded on Folkways and other independent labels with The New Song Quintet and The Harp Band. When she moved to New England and found herself surrounded by fiddlers, Lise introduced an exciting new perspective to traditional music. Lise is the founder and chief arranger for Big Bandemonium, and has been on staff at Pinewoods, Buffalo Gap, Swannanoa, Dance Flurry, Old Songs Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and many more. She currently performs with Big Bandemonium, Dark Carnival and the Blue Ox Swing Band.

Philippe Callens is internationally known as a dance leader of English country dancing and other styles. A native of Belgium, he has been active in the dance community for more than 25 years, teaching, publishing, calling and composing, and has called all over the U.S. for the last ten years. He combines high quality dancing with enjoyment. He has authored numerous publications including three volumes of English country dances and a CD recording in collaboration with the bands A Joyful Noise and Hold the Mustard.

Alisa Dodson has been dancing for 25 years and teaching English country dance, longsword, morris and mummers for the last 15. She is a founding member and past foreman of Mayfield Morris & Sword and has danced with Bufflehead, Ring Of Cold Steel, Boar's Tooth Sword and the Dead Ringers. She founded the Christmas Mummer's play in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been on staff at Mendocino, Buffalo Gap and various dance weekends.

Allen Dodson

Barbara Finney has been calling dances for more than 20 years. An acclaimed dance leader, she teaches in Boston and at other regional dances, and has been on staff for workshops on both coasts and in Canada. Her dance background is varied and includes dancing with Ring o'Bells Morris, Ha'penny Morris and Half Moon Sword. She is currently a member of Still River Sword.

Bruce Hamilton 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 at Mendocino, Pinewoods and Buffalo Gap, and various events all over North America and across the ocean and has been active in Scottish and Morris dancing as well.

Andra Herzbrun Horton is a founding member, teacher and dancer/musician for Marlboro Morris and Sword and has been a teacher at numerous CDSS events and summer camps since 1980. She has taught music in elementary schools for 10 years and is currently an elementary school librarian.

Steve Howe, when not in the CDSS office, dances with and leads practices for That Long Tall Sword and the Marlboro Morris Men (of MA).

Lydia Ievins lives in Montague, MA and plays fiddle regularly for English, contra, and couple dancing with her bands the Further Adventures and Rose Tree. She often appears as a guest musician with the Greenfield Dance Band, the Moving Violations, Yankee Ingenuity and Pleasures of the Town; and with many other combinations of talented folk.

Atossa Kramer, from Berea, KY, is a multi-talented musician who has accompanied country dancing for more than 30 years playing clarinet, piano, recorder and accordion. She is a member of the music faculty of Berea College teaching several courses and many private lessons. She plays regularly for the English dance group in Berea and is a long-term staff musician for the Christmas Country Dance School as well as the Fall and Spring Dance weekends at the John C. Campbell Folk School. In addition, Atossa plays and performs with Musick's Company, an early music group, and is a clarinetist with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tom Kruskal is currently musician for the Pinewoods Morris Men and leader / founder of high school/youth teams Velocirapper, Candyrapper, Great Meadows Morris and Sword and Hop Brook Morris. 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 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 is a member of the nationally-known bands Bare Necessities and Yankee Ingenuity, as well as Crazy Quilt, Dark Carnival and Paradiso. 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.

Carol Marsh began studying Baroque dance in the 1970s, hoping to gain a greater understanding of the music she was performing. Her enchantment with the dance led to a Ph.D. dissertation on the sources of English Baroque dance. She has continued to be an active scholar, and has taught classes in Baroque dance and English country dance at the Amherst Early Music Institute, the Stanford Baroque Dance Workshop, The University of Salzburg, and at her own institution, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she is a Professor in the School of Music.

Bill Peek has been playing piano for English country dancing for many years. He also plays with the contra dance band Grand Picnic, has played guitar and banjo with several old-time bands, and can be heard on several recordings. He works as a music teacher, choral director and organist in the New York metropolitan area.

Bruce Rosen is an accomplished display dance accordionist (and a stellar contra dance pianist). Long involved in the Boston music and dance scene, Bruce performs with any number of different bands. You'll discover how his accordion playing promotes higher jumps and capers!

Meg Ryan is a wonderful teacher of Northwest clog and a founding member of Guiding Star Clog Morris. She is also an outstanding performer and teacher of both English and Anglo-American clog dance styles. A member of The New Dancing Marleys, Meg has performed in England, Canada and the U.S.

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 ten 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.

Tom and Anne Siess have been mainstays of the London, Ontario, folk music scene for more than 20 years. Tom was chair of the Home County Folk Festival for 10 years and Anne was volunteer coordinator for many of those years.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods Tentative Schedule:
7:45 - 8:15 Breakfast
9:00 - 10:10
Early Playford Dances	Philippe Callens
Leaders Workshop	Bruce Hamilton
Longsword for All	Alisa Dodson
10:25 - 11:35
English Country Dance Style and Technique	Philippe Callens
Mostly American	Barbara Finney
Cotswold Morris for All	Alisa Dodson
Advanced Clog	Andra Herzbrun Horton
11:35 - 12:15 Swimming, Bookstore staffed
12:15 Lunch
1:45 - 2:15
Gathering	TBA
2:30 - 3:30
English for All / Open Band	Barbara Finney / Mary Lea
Baroque Dance Steps in English Country Dances	Carol Marsh
Experienced Longsword	Steve Howe
Beginning / Intermediate Clog	Andra Herzbrun Horton
3:35 - 4:25
Singing	Tom and Anne Siess
4:00 - 4:25 Tea
4:30 - 5:30
His Own Dances	Philippe Callens
ECD on the Continent: Reconstructions from 18th-Century Sources	Carol Marsh
Molly Dancing for All	Andra Herzbrun Horton
5:30 - 6:15 Swimming, Bookstore staffed
6:30 Dinner
8:00
Couple Dancing
8:15
Evening Dance Party
11:00
Optional After-dance Activities

Class Descriptions: [Back to Top]

English Country Dance:

Early Playford Dances -- Philippe Callens / Bill Peek, Mary Lea, Lise Brown
This class will concentrate on the repertoire from the seven editions (1651-1686) of The Dancing Master published by John Playford and from a few contemporary manuscript sources. Philippe will show you some not so usual looks at the dances and will include some lesser taught dances thus trying to reassess the repertoire of that period. The class will include some looking at the originals, too. All are welcome.

English Country Dance Style and Technique -- Philippe Callens / Bill Peek, Lydia Ievins, Lise Brown
This class will focus on how we dance. We won't worry about complex figures, but will explore ways to increase elegance and enjoyment. Whether you're a new dancer, or want to concentrate on improving, come and enjoy.

Mostly American -- Barbara Finney / Atossa Kramer, Mary Lea
This class will focus on English country style dances written on this continent. We'll look at the more complicated ones, so the class will be for advanced dancers.

English Country Dance on the Continent: Reconstructions from 18th-Century Sources -- Carol Marsh / Lydia Ievins
The popularity of English country dance throughout eighteenth-century Europe is demonstrated by the large number of surviving printed and manuscript collections, most of which are unknown to dancers today. In this class we will look at country dances chosen from among Austrian, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish sources, deciphering the dance notation and fitting the dance to the music. Class participants will have the opportunity to try out their own reconstructions.

English for All / Open Band -- Barbara Finney / Mary Lea
Bring an instrument and join the band, or bring your dance shoes and join in the dance. Come and enjoy the variety of the English country dance tradition from old to new, elegant to lively, fast to slow, serious to silly. All are welcome.

Using Baroque Dance Steps in English Country Dances -- Carol Marsh / Atossa Kramer, Lydia Ievins
"If the Company Can Do It": In this class we will work on some of the Baroque steps that were used in 17th- and 18th-century country dances, including the minuet step, the courante step, and the pas de rigaudon. Several important questions will be addressed: determining a "danceable" tempo; choosing the appropriate steps for the music; and altering the choreography to accommodate the steps.

His Own Dances -- Philippe Callens / Bill Peek, Lise Brown
We've all been delighted by Philippe's choreography. Come and enjoy a full class of it every day. All are welcome.

Leaders Class:

Leaders Workshop -- Bruce Hamilton / Atossa Kramer
For those interested in leading English country dances, Bruce will use his considerable expertise to help you learn or improve the skills involved in leading, and provide a chance for practice calling. All levels of experience are welcome.

Ritual/Display Dance Classes:

Longsword for All -- Alisa Dodson / Allen Dodson
Alisa will teach the sword dance from Greatham. All are welcome

Lichfield Morris for All-- Alisa Dodson / Bruce Rosen
The Lichfield morris tradition comes from Staffordshire, in the center of England, rather than from the Cotswolds. The shape and style of figures have much in common with Northwest clog morris, but you still get to wear bells on your legs! All are welcome.

Advanced Clog -- Andra Herzbrun Horton / Tom Kruskal
For dancers with experience, who are up for a challenge.

Experienced Longsword -- Steve Howe / Bruce Rosen
For experienced dancers, this class will explore trickier variations of some figures and aim for speed.

Beginner / Intermediate Clog -- Andra Herzbrun Horton / Tom Kruskal
Andra will pace this class so that new cloggers will be comfortable and those with some experience will have plenty to learn.

Molly Dancing for All-- Andra Herzbrun Horton / Tom Kruskal
Andra will teach dances from the Marlboro repertoire and from traditional sources. All are welcome.

Music:

Singing -- Tom and Anne Siess
Tom and Anne Siess will lead a sing each afternoon during tea time. Come to lead a song, join in on the chorus, or listen. All are welcome.

Open Band -- Mary Lea
Mary will lead an open band for the English for All session. Bring your instrument and join in.

Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule Top

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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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