English Dance Week

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

August 25 - September 1, 2012

Program Director

Brad Foster, from Amherst, MA, has been dancing and teaching English country, contras and squares, and morris and sword for over 40 years. He is well known for sharing the joy found in dance, and has taught throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, including at Berea, Pinewoods, Mendocino, John C. Campbell Folk School and Augusta. He is Executive and Artistic Director Emeritus of the Country Dance and Song Society, after 28 years as Director. He is also a founder of the Bay Area Country Dance Society as well as co-founder of their Mendocino English and American dance weeks.

Harmony of Song & Dance at Pinewoods

English Dance Leaders Course

Family Week at Ogontz

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Staff

Laurie Andres

Laurie Andres, from Seattle, WA, has delighted dancers all over the U.S., Canada and Europe with his irrepressible drive, rhythm and fervor on accordion and piano. He plays for English country, contra, square, morris and clog dancing and also plays klezmer and classical music. He has been a frequent staff member at one Pinewoods session or another for over 30 years and has been calling and playing at a monthly English country dance in Seattle for 28 years.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Karen Axelrod

Karen Axelrod is highly regarded for her creative piano playing at English, American and Scottish dance events around the country. She also plays accordion for Orion Longsword. When not playing music, Karen spends her time managing her dog walking business and coming in last in marathons.

Family Week at Pinewoods

Harmony of Song & Dance at Pinewoods

Family Week at Ogontz

English & American Dance Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Jeremy Carter-Gordon

Jeremy Carter-Gordon grew up singing and dancing at Pinewoods. He studied Ethnomusicology at Bard College, where he also taught rapper dancing and shape-note singing and called contras. During 2011-12, Jeremy traveled around Europe on a Watson Fellowship, studying different forms of sword dancing (starofswords.wordpress.com). He sings with Renewal, a small world music ensemble, and is known for his powerful bass voice and constant smile. His joyous enthusiasm for singing and dancing is infectious!

Campers' Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Harry Cowgill

Harry Cowgill is a step dancer from Lancashire, the protege of the late great step dancer Sam Sherry. Sam started dancing with his brothers on the vaudeville, variety and music hall stage in the late 1920s while still a boy. Commencing at the advanced age of 19, Harry immersed himself in the Sherry family steps and style, and having been totally inspired by Sam, now aims to pass this inspiration on to all in his dancing and by his teaching. A three-time Lancashire & Cheshire clog champion, Harry has been on staff at English Week and danced for the New York Revels in 2000.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Nikki Herbst

Nikki Herbst is a well-known dance gypsy who spends at least as much time on the road as she does at her home in Iowa City, Nikki has led English country dancing and dance leader workshops at numerous festivals and camps and at community dances across the map. Her teaching style blends dance instructions with the presentation of historical information, demonstrations, style tips, memory aids, and cheerleading, all in the hope of inspiring dancers to have the most meaningful dance experience possible. Her enthusiasm for dance is extraordinary, and she loves to share it with dancers of all ability levels. Nikki has been helping Andrew Shaw convert his hand-written reconstructions to book-ready copy, which has led to considerable detail-wrangling in an exchange of spirited emails, snail mail posts, and transatlantic telephone calls. She is eager to share reconstructions from Andrew’s four published books as well as those being prepared for the next book.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Jonathan Jensen

Jonathan Jensen is an inspired pianist in musical styles ranging from English country and contra to ragtime and jazz. Jon is a composer of brilliant dance tunes and waltzes, a frequent performer at dance events and a bassist with the Baltimore Symphony. When not playing piano at camp he is often filling in on whistle, recorder, ocarina or mandolin and offering his original songs, both silly and serious.

http://www.bsomusic.org/main.taf?p=4,4,1,1&id=JonathanJensen

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Tom Kruskal

Tom Kruskal plays Anglo concertina for the Pinewoods Morris Men and Orion Sword. His playing for display dance is strong, driving, rhythmic and attentive to the needs of the dancers and the dance. Tom has been inspiring young people to dance English ritual since 1990 when he started Hop Brook Morris and Sword. This group of 10-13 year olds continues today. In 1996 he started a high school-aged rapper team, Velocirapper, which rapidly exploded into Great Meadows Morris and Sword - a consortium of teen rapper teams - including Candyrapper, Beside the Point, Scrambled Six, Pocketflyers etc. Tom is the founder of Dance America Rapper Tournament, CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award recipient, and a past board member for both CDSS and Pinewoods Camp.

http://www.cdss.org/tom-kruskal-tribute.html

Family Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Judith Linsenberg

Judith Linsenberg, recorder/whistle, is one of the leading exponents of the recorder in the U.S. She has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, including solo appearances at the Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Center; and has been featured with such leading American ensembles as the San Francisco Symphony, the SF and Los Angeles Operas, Philharmonia Baroque, American Bach Soloists, the Portland and Seattle Baroque Orchestras, the Oregon and Carmel Bach Festivals, and others. She is Artistic Director of the Baroque ensemble, Musica Pacifica, whose performances and eight recordings on the Virgin Classics, Dorian and Solimar labels have received international acclaim. She has also recorded for harmonia mundi usa, Koch International, Reference Recordings, Musical Heritage Society, Drag City Records, and Hännsler Classics. She was introduced to English country dance music when she was first on staff at Pinewoods Early Music Week in 1993, and has been in love with it, playing for dances and balls in the San Francisco Bay Area, ever since. This passion led her to include a set of English country dances on her ensemble’s most recent CD, Dancing in the Isles. Peter Barnes is one of her idols.

http://www.linsenberg.com/

www.musicapacifica.org

Early Music Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Eden MacAdam-Somer

Eden MacAdam-Somer is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians performing and teaching today. Her music transcends genre. She has been a featured soloist with symphony and chamber orchestras, jazz and swing bands, and Eastern European and American folk ensembles. She has been an artist at the Aspen and Beijing International Music Festivals, and, with her contemporary folk duo, NotoriousFolk, has traveled across the continental U.S., and visited Alaska, Hawaii, India, Iceland, the U.K., and Afghanistan. In 2009, Eden was accepted as the first doctoral student of the groundbreaking Contemporary Improvisation department of the New England Conservatory of Music. There, she has pursued explorations of composition and improvisation across genres, including works for solo performer on violin, voice, and dance. In between studies, performances and teaching, Eden maintains an active recording career and continues to tour, beguiling audiences with a style that is truly her own.

http://www.notoriousfolk.com

Family Week at Pinewoods , CDSS at Timber Ridge

American Dance Musicians Course , English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Gene Murrow

Gene Murrow has been an English country dancer and musician since 1965 and has taught and called since 1988 at clubs, workshops, festivals and balls throughout the U.S. as well as Britain, Europe and Japan. In 1996, he organized the Amherst Assembly, a week-long conference devoted to a scholarly and practical look at the origins and evolution of the country dance. Sought out for his deep understanding of both music and dance and for his exceptional clarity when teaching, Gene has written a resource guide and training curriculum on musicianship for English country dance leaders. He has also performed on four recordings as a member of MGM, produced the CDS Boston English Country Dance series featuring Bare Necessities and served on the Board of Directors of CDSS and Early Music America. Gene is the Executive Director and Founder of Gotham Early Music Scene.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Anna Patton

Anna Patton plays dance tunes on the clarinet with great verve, clarity and harmonic whim. Besides English and contra dance tunes, her repertoire includes Balkan dance tunes, Brazilian choros and early jazz. Based in Brattleboro, VT she has spent much of her young life on tour around the U.S. and abroad, singing and playing for dancers, concert goers and pedestrians. She also enjoys teaching music to kids and adults and writing arrangements.

http://www.annapatton.com/

Harmony of Song & Dance at Pinewoods

American Dance & Music Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Gary Roodman

Gary Roodman has been English country dancing for more than 35 years, and in 1982, he began writing English and American country dances. There are now nine books in his Calculated Figures series, with a tenth one in process, and four CDs of music for his dances (the most recent one with Bare Necessities). In his non-dance life, Gary is a retired college professor who taught, among other subjects, Statistics and Applied Mathematics. Some people have said that his analytical orientation influences the dances he writes.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Cynthia Whear

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Paul Woodiel

Leonard Bernstein described Paul Woodiel as "a first-class performer - one who combines spirituality with intellect". A busy purveyor of a broad range of violin/fiddle music, he has appeared as soloist at music festivals from Bard College in New York to the red rocks of Moab, Utah. A three-time New England Fiddle Contest champion, he is a noted exponent of traditional fiddle styles, and teaches traditional fiddle at Wesleyan University. In this vein, he performs across the US and abroad with the Scottish dance band Local Hero. As a studio player, his fiddling appears in myriad controversial contexts including Woody Allen films, Dixie Chicks releases, and advertisements for weight-loss medications. He has been on staff at Pinewoods in the past for the English/Scottish and Scottish programs.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Tentative Schedule

7:45-8:15	Hot Breakfast served cafeteria style
8:15-8:45	Cold Breakfast Coffee/Tea available
9:00-10:15	The Jolly Company: Reconstructions of Andrew Shaw: Nikki Herbst The Jolly Company: Reconstructions of Andrew Shaw: Nikki Herbst Music by: Karen Axelrod, Paul Woodiel This session will be devoted to Andrew Shaw’s interpretations of late 17^th and early 18^th century English country dances, drawn from Andrew’s four published collections (Mr. Kynaston’s Favourite Dance, The She Favourite, Emperor of the Moon, and Farnicle Huggy) and with special emphasis on some of the dances that will appear in Andrew’s next book. The dances vary in tempo, mood, and level of difficulty. All dancers are welcome to attend this class, though minimal time will be spent teaching basic figures such as set and turn single, leading, casting, figure 8s, and simple heys. Please come and dance these fun and beautiful dances set to lively and gorgeous music! English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Rapper (for all): Jeremy Carter-Gordon Rapper (for all): Jeremy Carter-Gordon Music by: Tom Kruskal Rapper originally came from the mining villages of Northern England, a dance that combines intense team-work, a fast-pace, interspersed with stepping breaks. In this workshop you will learn figures, create a routine and develop teamwork. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Choreographers Workshop (for all): Gene Murrow Choreographers Workshop (for all): Gene Murrow Music by: Eden MacAdam-Somer An opportunity for established and aspiring choreographers to try out new dances and share constructive commentary. The week begins with an analysis of what makes a good dance; these criteria then serve to focus our critical discussions. Time will also be reserved for discussion of specific topics of particular interest to those who register for the workshop. Dancers are welcome to join as body testers, critics and sources of inspiration! English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Recorder: Judith Linsenberg Recorder: Judith Linsenberg This class is open to intermediate and advanced recorder players. The focus will be on traditional repertory and sacred music, plus some modern material. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
10:30-11:45	Don't Try This At Home (Advanced): Gene Murrow Don't Try This At Home (Advanced): Gene Murrow Music by: Karen Axelrod, Anna Patton, Eden MacAdam-Somer A week devoted to challenging, beautiful and delightful dances that reward time spent on internalizing the patterns, understanding and interpreting the music clearly, and moving with style. These are the dances that aren’t appropriate for the typical weekly or monthly dance party, but that flourish in a setting like Pinewoods. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Calculated Figures (Advanced): Gary Roodman Calculated Figures (Advanced): Gary Roodman Music by: Jonathan Jensen, Judith Linsenberg Gary will teach a mix of old and new dances from his repertoire, with emphasis on dances from his forthcoming book, A Group of Calculated Figures. Gary’s dances are always easy–once you figure them out, but the dances in this class will probably take more figuring than most. The class will be best suited to folks who are quite familiar with basic English country dance movement and style. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	The Joy of Dance (For All): Brad Foster The Joy of Dance (For All): Brad Foster Music by: Laurie Andres, Paul Woodiel Brad’s first teacher, Mary Judson, taught him one key thing – to feel the joy in the dance. Brad has spent his life since then trying to share that joy with others. This class will include a wide range of dances, from the classics to the recently composed, with a focus on learning the beauty and joy of each dance. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Clog: Sam Sherry's Schottische (Advanced): Harry Cowgill Clog: Sam Sherry's Schottische (Advanced): Harry Cowgill Music by: Tom Kruskal Sam Sherry's Schottische is one of the most accessible of his advanced routines. It is a tap-like routine featuring a mix of static and moving steps. This is a real dancers dance, being light and airy yet demanding precision and control. English Dance Week
11:45-12:30	Swimming, Bookstore staffed
12:30	Lunch
1:45-2:45	Lancashire Social Dance: Harry Cowgill Lancashire Social Dance: Harry Cowgill Music by: Laurie Andres, Eden MacAdam-Somer Country dancing, particularly in Lancashire, used to be done with improvised stepping during some dance figures and the breaks between figures. A wide variety of stepping was used, from the quiet and subdued to the energetic and flashy. Harry will teach you where in the dance you can add stepping and show you how to improvise from a set of standard steps. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Open Mic / Open Band: Brad Foster, Jonathan Jensen Open Mic / Open Band: Brad Foster, Jonathan Jensen A chance for you to call and/or play, under the constructive guidance of Brad (coordinating callers) and Jonathan (coordinating musicians); plus another opportunity to dance, to the calling and music of your peers. Level: for All English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Border Morris: Tom Kruskal Border Morris: Tom Kruskal Music by: Anna Patton Tom will teach several dances from the style of the Shropshire Bedlams plus one written by the Wicket Brood Morris titled the Worcestershire Monkey. This dance recently swept the Border scene in England, and will be introduced to the U.S. this summer. All the dances have exciting stick clashing and interesting figures. Level: for All English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Harmony Singing: Jeremy Carter-Gordon Harmony Singing: Jeremy Carter-Gordon This workshop will explore three- and four-part choral arrangements of songs, including West Gallery and other English folksong, Sacred Harp, Gospel, South African, Balkan and more. Lift up your voice, and join the choir. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Bodywork for Dancers: Cynthia Whear Bodywork for Dancers: Cynthia Whear Stretches and exercises selected for the needs of country and display dancers of all ages, including injury prevention techniques, solutions for common injuries, and exercises to improve balance and prevent falls. Each session will start with warm ups. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
3:00-4:00	A Meter A Day (For All): Gene Murrow A Meter A Day (For All): Gene Murrow Music by: Jonathan Jensen, Anna Patton The music of England's social/folk dance tradition is unusual in its embrace of a wide variety of musical forms. Considering rhythmic structure alone, these include “duple” meter jigs, reels, hornpipes and marches; “triple” meter minuets, waltzes of several varieties, and slip jigs; and some eccentric forms that are “none of the above.” We'll explore examples of the several metrical varieties, and how to move appropriately and gracefully to each while having good fun with a wide variety of dances. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Clog: Sam Sherry’s Hornpipe (For All): Harry Cowgill Clog: Sam Sherry’s Hornpipe (For All): Harry Cowgill Music by: Laurie Andres Sam Sherry, legendary English clog dancer, performed on the Music Hall stage as one of the famous ‘Five Sherry Brothers.’ Harry became Sham’s protégé in order to learn Sam’s routines, to preserve them and to pass them on to others. The Hornpipe is a classic choreographed routine. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Callers Workshop (Intermediate & Advanced): Brad Foster Callers Workshop (Intermediate & Advanced): Brad Foster Music by: Judy Linsenberg A period to discuss the problems facing callers today, from difficult situations to helping dancers improve their style and technique. Calling is often like steering a ship through choppy water, with the tide flowing one way and the wind another. This course will help you focus on the essentials and reach your goal. Best if combined with the Open Mic, for calling practice. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
	Dance Band (at dance tempo): Paul Woodiel Dance Band (at dance tempo): Paul Woodiel What makes a tune great? How can you build on its strengths? And how do you play together to bring out the best? These are all topics that will be covered in this class. Level: for musicians able to play up to dance tempo English Dance Week at Pinewoods
4:00-4:45	Tea, Swimming, Bookstore staffed
4:45-5:15	Gathering: Jeremy Carter-Gordon Gathering: Jeremy Carter-Gordon Come join us after tea for an all-camp gathering of songs, stories, history, comedy improv, music and dance performances, and yes, announcements too. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
5:30-6:15	One-Shots, Camper-Initiated Parties One-Shots, Camper-Initiated Parties At the end of the afternoon there will be time for one-day classes. If you have something you’d like to offer, please let us know; if you play an instrument, we’ll come looking for you to round out the band. And the longstanding tradition of afternoon parties lives on. If you would like to host one, or would like to lead a one-shot class, please let us know on the class preference questionnaire sent later to all registrants. English Dance Week at Pinewoods
6:30	Dinner
8:00-10:45	Evening Dance Party (starting with For Those Who Know)
11:00	After-dance Activities

August 25 - September 1, 2012

Is there still room?
For up-to-date info about availability and wait lists,
see our main Dance & Music Camps page.

Program Description

Photo by Stewart Dean

Come and join us for a wonderful week of English dancing in the magical setting of Pinewoods Camp. Share the tremendous variety of English country and display dance, with wonderful teachers and superb musicians, in a fantastic place!

The country dance classes will include a wonderful mixture of modern compositions and reconstructions and old classics, plus style to show how to get the best enjoyment from each dance, all with fabulous music. Teachers include Gene Murrow, the well-know and well-loved teacher and musician from New York City; Gary Roodman, one of the best composers of modern English country dance, from Leeds (near Northampton), MA; Nikki Herbst, the peripatetic dancer and teacher from Iowa City, IA; Harry Cowgill, champion clog dancer from England, who will teach country dances with optional stepping, and myself, Brad Foster, Emeritus Director of CDSS.

For Display Dance this year we offer two graded classes in clog dancing from the repertoire of the legendary Sam Sherry, both taught by Harry Cowgill, plus the fast paced Rapper short-sword dance taught by Jeremy Carter-Gordon on his return home from a year abroad, and fascinating new Border Morris dances taught by Tom Kruskal, who will also play concertina for sword and clog.

Our Musicians offer a wide variety of styles and textures covering the full spectrum of current English music in America, from classically strong phrasing and dynamic rhythms to cutting edge lyrical and flowing countermelodies. Musicians include Laurie Andres from Seattle, WA, on accordion and piano; Karen Axelrod from Northampton, MA, on piano and accordion; Jonathan Jensen from Baltimore, MD, on piano and many other things; Tom Kruskal from Sudbury, MA, on Anglo concertina; Judith Linsenberg from Berkeley, CA, on recorder; Eden MacAdam-Somer from Jamaica Plain, MA, on fiddle; Anna Patton from Brattleboro, VT, on clarinet; and Paul Woodiel from South Orange, NJ, on fiddle. The musicians are fantastic; come and dance to their wonderful music!

We offer you a variety of singing, music and other workshops this year. Jeremy Carter-Gordon will teach Harmony Singing with songs from around the world in three- and four-part choral arrangements and will lead the all camp Gathering, with singing, music and dance performances, comedy improve, dance history lessons, announcement, and more. Judy Linsenberg, a frequent instructor at Early Music Week, will teach recorder. Paul Woodiel will lead a band workshop focused on selecting and arranging tunes to bring out their beauty and power. Cynthia Whear will help get the kinks out and prepare us for more injury-free dancing. In addition, we’ve set aside time for staff and camper lead One-Shot Workshops plus the traditional English week all-camp parties.

Evening dances will feature a wide range of both favorite and about-to-be favorite English country dances, plus a nightly dance "For Those Who Know," with all the wonderful country dance musicians and callers on staff. Afterwards, you'll have ample opportunities to make good things happen, with possible late night singing, a ceilidh dance and pub sing, a talent show and the annual fun and fundraising auction to support camp scholarships and special projects.

-- Brad Foster, Program Director

Photo by Michael Siemon