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Next Dance:

Saturday May 18, 2013

Spring Chickens with Laurie Fisher calling
Beginners: 7:00pm
Dance: 7:30-10:30pm
No Family Dance

Celtic Contra Dance in Jonesborough!

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will hold a contra dance on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 7:30pm at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Performing for the dance will be Joseph Sobol and Trae McMaken. The caller is Charlotte Crittenden from Brasstown, NC. A class for beginners will be held at 7:00pm. Every dancer is encouraged to attend the class to become familiar with dance steps, formations, and flow. Klondike Bars, the official frozen treat of the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society, will be served at the 9:00pm waltz break. This event is open to all.

Admission to the dance is $7 for (yet-to-be members), $5 for HJDS members. Full time Students get in for $5. A Family Package has been instituted for members that allows parents and as many children in their core family to get in for only $15.

Charlotte Crittenden is fast becoming a popular regional caller who has recently called at River Falls, Grey Eagle and Sautee, GA and the Old Farmers Ball... Her enthusiasm is contagious!

Storyteller, musician, folklorist, and author, Joseph Daniel Sobol is an artist of wide-ranging accomplishments. An artist-in-residence for many years in North and South Carolina, he received a Masters in Folklore from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. He toured the country from 1994 through 1999 with his award-winning musical theatre piece In the Deep Heart's Core based on the works of Irish poet W. B. Yeats. His book on the American storytelling revival, The Storytellers' Journey, was published in 1999 by the University of Illinois Press. In addition he has released a cassette and three CDs of music and stories, alone and with his group Kiltartan Road. His most recent recording, Citternalia: Celtic Music for Cittern was honored with a "Homegrown CD Award" by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, which called the album "a watershed project--dazzling speed and precision." After eleven years in Chicago, Illinois, doing folklore residencies with high school ESL and multilingual programs and performing regularly with some of America's top Irish traditional musicians, he is proud to have been named Director of the Graduate Program in Storytelling at East Tennessee State University.

Having grown up on the Michigan-Ontario border, from a young age Trae McMaken imbibed varied styles of fiddle playing including Irish, Scottish, Quebecois, Ontario Old Time, and Michigan Old Time. Trae can not only switch between these stylistic accents, he melds them into a dynamic creolized language of fiddling that reflects the diverse traditional heritage of his home region.

Trae's 2011 album For the Long Winter Nights takes a vivifying look at the fiddle and song traditions of Michigan and the Great Lakes and also incorporates some of his original numbers. His love for the folk cultures and music of the Great Lakes led Trae to found MichiganFiddle.com as a resource for centralizing historical collections of Michigan fiddling and for promoting this often neglected tradition. Not many people play the old Michigan tunes any longer, but Trae studies the playing of the old fiddlers from Michigan and the Great Lakes region in order to carry on the wonderful music of the lumbercamps and the windjammers, the fur trade and the farm.

While pursuing a master’s degree focusing on storytelling, traditional music, and regional studies at East Tennessee State University, Trae actively performed Appalachian music both in Appalachia and also during a short tour with the ETSU Old Time Pride Band to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2011 where he performed on fiddle and claw-hammer banjo. He recently performed with the same group on the PBS concert series, “Song of the Mountains.” Trae is a singer, songwriter, storyteller, and multi-instrumentalist who love opportunities to share his passion for traditional arts and the blending of music and story.

Since receiving his degree, Trae has started teaching old time fiddle and banjo as an adjunct professor in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Program.

“Joseph and Trae will dazzle us with their Celtic and Old Time tunes. The jigs and reels will be great fun to dance to. We are all very lucky to have them in the area. Now and then, Joseph will drop by for a dance or to jam with the hired band for the night” adds Wiley. Both Sobol and McMaken will have numerous CD recordings that will be offered to contra dance crowd.

For more information, contact event organizer David Wiley at 423-534-8879 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org and Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.

“Expresso” Plays for Contra in Jonesborough!

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society welcomes Asheville band “Expresso” and caller Lindsey Morris to the next contra
on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. There will be a class for beginners at 7:00pm followed by the dance from 7:30-10:30pm. There will be a short waltz break at 9:00pm at which time Klondike Bars will be offered to all comers.Admission to the dance is $7, $5 for HJDS members and $5 for full time students.

"Expresso" is made up of Paul Moore on keyboard, Jeff Baker on fiddle, Steve Kemble on percussion.

For more information, contact David Wiley, event organizer at 423-534-8879 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org or Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will hold a contra dance on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Admission to the dance is $7, $5 for HJDS members and $5 for full time students. A family package allows parents to bring all of their own children for a total of $15. All dances are smoke and alcohol free. No partner is necessary. Families and children are welcome! A half hour contra dance workshop will be offered at 7pm.

At the 9:00pm waltz break, Klondike Ice Cream Bars, the official frozen treat of the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society, will be offered to all dancers courtesy of the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society.

Performing for this event will be the band STEAM! The caller is Dean Snipes from Charlotte, NC. The dance on will run from 7:30-10:30pm.

A new contra dance band featuring flying fiddle & mandolin harmonies with solid foot-happy drive comes to Jonesborough from Arizona. Offering a diverse repertoire based on years of playing, they imbue each dance with a unique feel, slink jigs, driving reels with a knack for pouncing on the balances and flowing on the heys. Happy playing Irish, old-time, French Canadian, New England, and modern tunes, each evening is filled with variety and spice. STEAM! is Dave Firestine, Alice Boyle, Robert Rosenberg, and Claire Zucker.

Although these four long-time friends have each played in their own bands for years, they have taken a leap into this new cross-continental venture combining their music and energy to fill dance halls from coast to coast. Since forming in the fall of 2010, STEAM! has played to dancers and audiences in the Southwest ("Dance in the Desert" dance camp, Phoenix contra dance, Tucson Celtic Festival), in the Northeast (Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom and advanced Sunday dances, Baltimore, Richmond VA), Colorado (Black Rose Acoustic Music Society, Denver Zesty contra), and the Bay area (Palo Alto, Hayward, and San Francisco). STEAM! has enjoyed working with some wonderful callers including Lisa Greenleaf, Bob Isaacs, Eric Hoffman, and Tina Fields. Steam members have produced 10 CDs with various bands. Dave and Claire perform as a duo called Púca, but also enjoy playing reunion gigs with bands Round the House, the Privy Tippers, and New Potatoes. Alice and Robert also perform as a duo called the Dire Ducks, and make appearances with several Celtic, folk, and dance bands, separately and together. Veteran performers, STEAM! members have been hired as staff for various camps and to teach workshops at festivals. They were recently chosen to perform at the 2013 Catapult Dance Weekend in Atlanta.

Contra dancing is a traditional form of American folk dance that evolved from the long ways country dances popular in English society centuries ago. Contra dance communities now thrive all over the country. There are websites that can direct you to contra dances in most states. The modern contra dances provide dancers of all ages and experience levels with the opportunity to smile, move, connect, flirt and create an evening of dance nirvana with each other. No previous dance experience is necessary. No fancy footwork is required. If you can walk and count to eight, you can contra dance!

Contra dances are community events. At almost any contra you will find people of all ages and all dance skill levels, from young to old, beginner to expert. Contra dancers form a very open and welcoming group of people. You can come alone or with others since it is a tradition to dance with a variety of partners throughout the night. It is perfectly acceptable for either a man or a woman to ask someone to dance. It’s a great way to make friends with someone they haven’t met before. You will find contra dancing a great way to make new friends.

For more information, contact event organizer, David Wiley, at 423-534-8879 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org and the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.

Jonesborough Contra Dance St.Patrick Style!

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will host the next Contra Dance of the season on Saturday March 16, 2013 at the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 117 Boone Street at 7:30 PM. There will be a community open band this year led by ETSU Professor, Lee Bidgood. Hank Morris will do the calling. Admission is $7, $5 for HJDS members and $5 for full time students. A special family package for members is now offered for a total of $15. Parents and all of their own children under age 18 can gain admission for one price.

The evening begins with a family dance led by Asheville’s Katy Tater German. The family event runs from 5:30-6:45pm.

Come as you are; wear soft flexible shoes for dancing. Being St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is encouraged to wear GREEN. Forget to wear green on St. Patty’s Day? Don’t be surprised if you get pinched. No surprise, it’s an entirely American tradition that probably started in the early 1700s. St. Patrick’s revelers thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see (anyone not wearing green). People began pinching those who didn’t wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers. Not Irish? Not too worry. Everyone can be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

The caller will teach a class for beginners at 7:00 PM and the dance will run from 7:30-10:30 PM with a waltz and Klondike Bar break at 9:00 PM. Come to dance or come to listen. No partner is necessary. It is customary at contra dances to change partners after each dance. As always, our dances are smoke, alcohol and fragrance free. Families, students and singles are welcome. All dances are taught by the caller. No previous dance experience is necessary.

For more information, contact David Wiley at 423-534-8879, or email to david@historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org. Also visit the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.