Keith Murphy

http://www.blackislemusic.com/

Becky Tracy

Becky Tracy grew up dancing to her father's calling and scratchy 78s of Don Messer's fiddle playing. She has fiddled with the bands Nightingale and Wild Asparagus for the last 15 years and has played in many, many lovely places including Hawaii and France. Becky has a distinctive clarity of tone, a rhythmic attack owing much to French-Canadian playing and the melodic quality of Irish music. Her unmistakable sound has made her a defining presence among dance musicians.

http://www.amidonmusic.com/

Staff

Peter Amidon

Peter Amidon fell into the world of traditional music in 1975 and has never turned back. He is thrilled to now be able to make a living as a freelance musician/educator/publisher: telling stories to all age groups, leading harmony singing with adults and teaching and leading dance with children, teachers and families.

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.

English & American Dance Week at Pinewoods

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Sam Bartlett

Sam Bartlett is an irrepressible mandolin, banjo and guitar player, known to dancers across the country for his fine musicianship and philosophy of stuntology. His original music has been profiled by NPR's All Things Considered and Sing Out! magazine declared him a member of “the rhythm players hall of fame.” The inventor and most distinguished practitioner of stuntology, Sam will amaze and delight us with his latest discoveries. Sam's community art projects bring the whole camp into the creative process. Mr. Bartlett has made large scale paper sculptures and puppets for more than 30 years, from the hills of West Virginia to the public school in Gustavus, Alaska.

http://www.sambartlett.com/

http://www.luicollins.com/

CDSS at Timber Ridge

Lui Collins

Lui Collins has been performing, writing and recording since the 1970s, earning international recognition for her music and releasing several highly-acclaimed recordings. In 2003, after training with the international early-childhood music program Music Together, she founded the educational branch of her work, now called Lui Collins’ Upside-Up Music. Along with teaching Music Together and her own curriculum for older children, Kids’ Jam, Lui’s current focus is on adapting this 8-season traditional music based curriculum for use by home-schooling families - and others - with lower elementary-aged children.

http://www.dancingmasters.com/andydavis.html

Andy Davis

Andy Davis is a music educator in three Vermont public schools, dance musician, caller, storyteller and singer. Andy plays piano, accordion and banjo. He leads community contra and square dances, performs with Nowell Sing We Clear, and is a member of the New England Dancing Masters - publishers of books and recordings for teachers of traditional dance.

Robin Davis

Robin Davis has been participating in community folk music and dance activities much of her life, including healthy doses of Cotswold and Northwest clog morris. A retired professional baker, Robin now teaches preschool. She enjoys gathering children and adults together to DO ART, such as modular origami, Ukranian egg dying, bookbinding, printing and paper collage. She sings with the River Singers, a large multi-cultural choir, and a hospice singing group called Hallowell. She has led children's classes at Pinewoods, Ogontz and Lady of the Lake family weeks.

http://www.susankevra.com/

Susan Kevra

Susan Kevra began calling in New England in the early '90s and quickly became known for her warmth, clear teaching and diverse repertoire of singing squares, Western patter calls, contras and English country dances. In 2000-2001, Susan lived in France where she toured throughout Western Europe calling dances, many en français, introducing eager French dancers to American dance and song. Susan teaches French and American Studies at Vanderbilt University, where she has developed a new course, American Social History through Dance.

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

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.

English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Abby Ladin

Abby Ladin grew up immersed in the traditional folk music revival of the ‘70s on the East coast. She was clogging by the age of six, performing with her sister Evie by age 10 and touring nationally at 18 with the renowned dance and music company Rhythm in Shoes. 20 years later she continues to teach the fundamentals and possibilities of clogging to all who crave rhythm in their feet.

CDSS at Timber Ridge

Lily Kruskal Leahy

Lily Leahy grew up dancing and singing at Family Week at Pinewoods and is very excited to be returning after a long hiatus. She has taught longsword, morris dancing, and other traditional songs and dances to children for both Revels Education Programs and at the Wellesley Community Children’s Center After School Programs, where she worked full time up until having her first daughter 4 years ago. Since then she has been busy being a mother of two. Lily also danced on Boston-area based Orion Longsword for 14 years. She currently resides in the Cork area of Ireland with her husband and two daughters and enjoys singing in the local choir and dancing around her living room with her girls.

http://www.notoriousfolk.com

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.

Family Week at Pinewoods , CDSS at Timber Ridge

American Dance Musicians Course , English Dance Week at Pinewoods

Emily Troll

Emily Troll plays fiddle and accordion at dances around New England and is a proud member of the all-girl band Anadama. She recently graduated from Wesleyan University and has started a community music program in Middletown, CT, where she makes her home.

Bettie Zakon-Anderson

Bettie Zakon-Anderson has been dancing most of her life and enjoys sharing the fun of music and dance with people of all ages. She has taught a variety of couples dances, from hambo and waltz to swing and Zydeco, at camps and weekends throughout the U.S. She can often be found in the classrooms at her children's school teaching and leading songs as part of their all-school sings and the arts enrichment program she helps coordinate.

Steve Zakon-Anderson

Steve Zakon-Anderson has been calling contras, leading workshops for callers and teaching couples dance for over 25 years. He has performed at dance camps and festivals in 36 states, including Pinewoods, Ogontz, Buffalo Gap, Lady of the Lake, Augusta and Brasstown. His own dance compositions are well known to dancers and other callers. Steve's clear teaching, energetic calling and sense of humor have made him a favorite of dancers of all ages and abilities.