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Contra Dance in Jonesborough!

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will hold a contra dance on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Admission to the dance is $7, $5 for HJDS members and $4 for 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 8:30pm waltz break, again 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 Contraversial consisting of Cailen Campbell and David Brown from Asheville. The caller is Connie Carringer from Boone, NC. The dance time for the dance on Saturday July 17th will be from 7:30-10:30pm.

Cailen Campbell has been thrilling contra dancers all over the southeast and around the country for over a decade. His innovative, highly improvisational, lyrical fiddling has been heard in numerous acclaimed regional dance bands, including The Atomic City Rhythm Rascals, The String Beings, The Rocket Boys, The Gypsy Hicks, in addition to a dynamic duo with renowned Asheville area guitarist and banjo virtuoso David Brown. Campbell recently played with the Greasy Beans on behalf of the North Carolina Dance Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Connie Carringer, a recent master’s degree graduate at Appalachian State University in the Community Counseling/Expressive Arts Therapy program, is relatively new to contra dance calling but has shown great progress in her second career. Part of her training was the “Callers Week” at the John C. Campbell Folk School last summer. She also plays old time banjo, sings and writes songs.

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 423-913-3246 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org and the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK

Jonesborough “Days of Dance”

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will present three days of dance during the annual Jonesborough Days Celebration on July 2ndt- 4th at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. This year’s event will be sponsored by Mountain States Health Alliance. Admission to the dance can be attained by purchasing a $5 wristband each day allowing dancers to come and go during the day and enjoy the many activities associated with the festival. There will be a variety of dances and workshops offered during the event which will include family dance, square, contra, waltz and swing dance.

The callers will be Beth Molaro, Charley Harvey and Laurie Fisher.

Event organizer, David Wiley states “Being a part of Jonesborough Days gives us a chance to showcase our dance program to everyone in the region. Our dancers come to enjoy the traditional music and dance, get some exercise and to be a part of a dance community that is intergenerational and family oriented. We are very fortunate this year to be sponsored by Mountain States Health Alliance.” Ed Herbert, vice-president of marketing for MSHA states “Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) offers comprehensive wellness programs to many businesses which help them lower their healthcare costs while improving the quality of lives for their employees. The Town of Jonesborough employees are one of the success stories in the MSHA wellness program. We also offer a wellness program to our own 9,000 Team Members. Why are we so committed to this wellness initiative? Our region is too obese, suffering from type 2 diabetes and many times the answer is simple; we need to get more active and eat healthier! Through contra dancing, the Dance Society offers an alcohol free, tobacco free and family-friendly event which inspires people to be active through the dance. Come experience contra dancing. MSHA invites the region, but especially our Team Members, to come out and enjoy (name of event). Get moving, get health and have a lot fun in the process.”

The kickoff dance will be Friday night July 2nd at 7:30pm with Toss the Possum playing contra dance and waltz tunes called by Asheville’s Beth Molaro. Toss the Possum is mostly a family band from Radford, VA. The band has written and published, under the direction of Mother Possum, Laura Zisette, a book of 42 original waltzes, jigs and reels. Their book called Possum Tunes will be available at the dance.

The remainder of the Possum band is made up of oldest son Chas on bass. Chas will attend Radford University in January. Rob graduated from Radford High School, plays fiddle and will attend Virginia Tech in fall to major in physics. Sam Athanas is the Possum percussionists. Joining Toss the Possum for the first time will be National Flat-picking Champion guitarist Scott Fore also from Radford, Virginia. Of course, Laura Zisette, band director, is the featured on keyboards.

Cat Fight members are very well known in this area. The band is made up of fiddler/caller Laurie Fisher, Karen Gaughan on Keyboard, Nic Coker on rhythm guitar and Jono Altizer on mandolin.

Rounding out the music lineup will be the Artnoc String Band from Florida. They are actually the same band called Jubal’s Kin who will be performing at the Jonesborough Days main stage at 4pm on Sunday. This manifestation includes 2009 Tennessee Fiddle champion, Gailanne Amundsen, brother Roger Amundsen on guitar, Ninian Bell on banjo and Scarlett Amundsen on bass. Their contra dance set will be on Sunday from 12:00-2:00pm.


Here is the schedule:

Friday July 2
07:30pm-10:30pm Contras & Squares w/Beth Molaro & Toss the Possum

Saturday July 3
09:00am-10:00am Waltz Workshop w/Charley Harvey
10:00am-11:00am Open Waltz w/Toss the Possum
11:15am-12:45pm Advanced Contra w/Charley Harvey & TTPoss
12:45pm-02:15pm Lunch Break
01:00pm-02:00pm Family Dance at Children’s Stage
02:15pm-03:45pm Contra Dance w/Charley Harvey & Cat Fight
04:00pm-04:45pm Swing Dance Workshop
04:45pm-06:00pm Swing Dance w/Screechowl Serenade
06:00pm-07:00pm Dinner Break
07:00pm-07:30pm Beginners Contra Dance Workshop
07:30pm-10:30pm Contra Dance w/Charley Harvey & Cat Fight

Sunday July 4
10:00am-11:30am Open Waltz w/Toss the Possum
12:00pm-2:00pm Contra Dance w/Laurie Fisher & Artnoc String
02:30pm-5:30pm Contra Dance w/Charley Harvey & Cat Fight
05:30pm-07:00pm Dinner Break
07:00pm-9:30pm Contra Dance w/Toss the Cat (both) & Charley
10:00pm Fireworks

Contra Dance in Jonesborough!

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will hold a contra dance on Saturday, June 19, 2010,at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Admission to the dance is $7, $5 for HJDS members and $4 for 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! Open waltzing to recorded music will again be offered from 6-7pm.

At the 9:00pm waltz break, we will have the first “Berry Cookoff”. We are asking all comers to bring their favorite fresh berry recipe using seasonal berries such as blueberry and strawberry. Prizes will be awarded to the best dishes.
Performing for this event will be the Hungry Monks from Charleston, SC. The caller will be Tim Klein from Knoxville. Tim will conduct a class for beginners at 7:00pm where beginners and experienced dancers alike will learn the basic steps, formations and flow of contra dance.

The Hungry Monks are an acoustic group whose instrumentation includes voice, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass, and percussion. Based around thr creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko, The Hungry Monks have played concerts, clubs, festivals, and private events. The Monks play a variety of traditional musics as well as their own original songs (Hazel's) and instrumentals (John's). As a band and as individuals, we have played rock, folk, Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, Renaissance and Medieval music. Somehow, all of that makes its way into our sets. We have been working with John Kennedy on bass for many years now and he shares our love for everything from Machaut to Jerry Garcia. The Monks wear out fiddle players pretty quickly. The latest in our long line of fiddlers is Bob Culver, who also plays guitar and mandolin and sings (mostly, highly inappropriate material). The Hungry Monks have recorded 2 CD's. Our first CD is called "Organic Tangerines" and features traditional Irish and original music. We also have a Celtic Christmas CD called "All Through The Night". The Hungry Monks fearlessly perform at any venue that will have them, including Charleston's Music Farm, The Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Charleston First Night, The St. Joseph International Guitar Festival, The Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center, and Tommy Condon's Irish Pub. Our recordings have been heard on radio stations throughout the US and we have appeared on TV at morning times when no self-respecting musician would be found awake (unless they had not yet actually gone to bed).

Tim Klein will be coming to the Tri-Cities to call for the first time. Tim has been calling contra dances for community events, parties, and hard-core dance groups in East Tennessee for more than 15 years. He is known for selecting a mix of easy and challenging dances and presenting them with clear directions and enthusiasm.

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 423-913-3246 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org and Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.

“The Best Two-Person Contra Dance Band in the Nation!”

On Saturday, June 5, 2010, the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will hold its first
Community contra dance of the Summer season. Guest caller, Jeff Petrovich, joins two friends from Maine who call themselves Perpetual e-Motion, . The dance begins at 7:30 P.M. in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 117 Boone Street. At 7:00 P.M. prior to each dance, the caller conducts a class for beginners where basics of contra dance are taught to new and experienced dancers alike. Admission to the dance is only $7, $5 for HJDS members and $4 for students. All dances are smoke and alcohol free. No partner is necessary.

Perpetual e-Motion brings the surreal sounds of electric fiddle, swirling didgeridoo, driving guitar and foot percussion. This power duo, perched at the convergence of electronic and traditional dance music, is solely the bi-product of two musicians who love to groove and inspire movement.

Perpetual e-Motion begins with the simple statement of traditional, often recognizable dance tunes from Europe and Americas, and proceed to notch it up into a thrilling composition of complex poly-rhythms, melody and counter melody scaffolding exotic and lush chord structures into an amazingly satisfying musical performance drawing from Celtic, bluegrass, jazz and electronic influences. The duo is highly regarded throughout New England for their ability to provide hours of driving, pulsating music for contra dances, which rely on traditional dance tunes as a backdrop.

Born into a musical family, Ed Howe started playing fiddle at the age of 4, learning Suzuki method. His musical interests cover a wide spectrum from Bluegrass to Celtic and beyond and he has been a regular instructor for Maine Fiddle Camp since 2003. Howe has an extensive electronics background, and took an interest in the electric violin. He plays a 5-string NS Designs electronic violin and is a featured artist on the NS designs artist page. Ed makes extensive use of the BOSS RC-50 loop station to layer and orchestrate a variety of sounds from his instrument and watching him play bare footed and operating complex electronic equipment with his feet is a sight to behold.

John Coté is a well-known accompanist for many Maine and New England fiddlers and is very active as a private teacher and at Maine Fiddle Camp. Coté attended the Berklee College of music both for a five week music program in high school and for two years after high school to study film scoring. He later transferred to the University of Maine at Augusta's jazz program and earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz performance. At 22 he took an interest in traditional dance music teaching himself the mandolin and fiddle and helped found the Celtic/world band Wake the Neighbors that has endured to this day. In this duo, Coté plays a Godin acoustic electric guitar connected into synthesizer module adding a wide palette of sounds to the music. Aside from his duties on guitar, Coté simultaneously plays the didgeridoo (an Australian aboriginal instrument) and foot percussion. The result is a very lush and complex orchestration of music that defies what one would expect from just two people.

Perpetual e-Motion toured the Southern Appalachian region back in March and took
the contra dance scene by surprise. Event organizer, David Wiley, states “I really could not believe what I was hearing on stage. These two guys are so incredibly talented. Our dancers will be in for an unforgettable treat”.

Contra dance is a form of American folk dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines that run the length of the hall. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves and steps that ends with the couples having progressed one position up or down the set.

Many of the basic moves resemble square dancing—swings, allemandes, do-si-dos—but contra dancing is more a sort of amusement park ride that the dancers make for themselves. A square dance set is compromised of only four couples, whereas the length of the hall only limits the number of couples in a contra dance set. To join a set, only a partner and soft-soled shoes are necessary. All that is left is to have fun dancing.

For more information about community contra dance, please contact event organizer, David Wiley, at 423-913-3246 or visit www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org and Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on FACEBOOK.

Contrathon VII is ready to commence on Sunday at 10AM. There are still openings for more dancers. Please arrive early if you have not pre-registerede.

The dance is held at the Mountain Music Jamboree in Glendale Springs, NC about 20 miles East of Boone, NC adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Any questions: 423-534-8879

See you all there!