Fall Frolick 2012 Class Descriptions

 

Joanna’s classes:

Making it Your Own (For All)

Experiment with learning ECD standards and new, unfamiliar dances in various ways. This workshop will explore different learning styles and dancing from a talk-through to help you become less reliant on the caller, and more confident in your own ability to dance even the most complex patterns.  

 

Fun With Phrasing (For All)

One of the wonderful things about English country dancing is the opportunity to dance the same figures in different ways depending on the style and meter of the dance. This workshop will explore how our movement must be affected by the meter, style and tempo of the music, the number of people in the hall, and how our fellow dancers are moving.

 

Dovetail & Friends - the complexity of Gary Roodman's dances (For experienced dancers)

Gary Roodman has written a number of complex, wonderful dances that are rarely seen on social dance programs. This session for advanced dancers will cover both the geography and nuances of some these gems including Dovetail, Playing (in) the Field, and more, as time permits.

 

David’s classes:

The Art of the Hey (For All)

It’s got to be the most versatile figure in ECD. Done for 3,4,6,8 or n; done straight, square or round; done handed or not; done as promenades and dolphins; done horizontal or vertical! OK, I admit we probably won’t get to the vertical hey, but will see how many ways we can cover in one workshop that dance choreographers have come up with over the 400 years for 3 or more people to weave in and out.

 

Shut up [teacher], and Dance! (For experienced dancers)

After a long day of WORKshops, time to just laze back and dance! A session of fun, familiar (hopefully) dances with minimal teaching! We’ll see how far we can get with truly “let the music tell you what to do”! Some dances in this session will not be called.

 

Playford Classics (For All)

It seems doubtful that John Playford could have guessed that “The English Dancing Master: or Plain and easy Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune for each Dance” (1651) would form the basis for an international revival of English Country Dance a quarter of a millennia later. A century later still, while inundated in gorgeous modern compositions, we continue to find delight in many of these old classics. In this workshop we’ll dance a bunch of them, some easy, some challenging, and look at how to combine one’s personal dancing style with the teamwork inherent in a community dance to generate a sublime dance experience for all.

 

Scott’s Classes:

Sublime Moments ... (and/or Deeper into Dancing) (For All)

Exploring dances, transitions, and connections that lead us toward rich and memorable dance moments

The Leading Edge (For All)

The last 30 years have seen explosive growth in English dance choreography and reconstruction. We'll look at dances from the early stages, and compare them with the latest offerings of today's composers.

 

Callers' Seminar  (For All)
From neophyte to touring pro, all callers can improve their skills and polish their presentations. Teaching smoothly, adding repertoire, planning programs, collaborating with musicians, coping with crises, shaping dancer expectations ... we'll identify a few key themes of greatest interest to the group, and make sure that everyone has something useful to take home.

 

Many Moods of Contra (For All)

Hard-driving and energetic, smooth flowing and romantic, percussive, fluid, playful, time-tested, brand-new, off-the-wall (!) ... we'll explore a wide range of delightful contras, with tips to ensure that you (and your partners) enjoy all the opportunities for magic and connection.

 

Jan’s classes:

Longsword -- Happy Jack 1
For experienced dancers and those comfortable with a fast pace. Over two sessions we'll explore a unusual dance for five, adapted from a traditional Manx dance by the Vineyard Swordfish of Cape Cod, MA. The music ranges from stately to swift, and the figures from simple to complex, with a climactic jumping figure and a unique lock.

Longsword -- Happy Jack 2
A continuation of Happy Jack 1, with emphasis on style and musicality.

Border Morris -- Brimfield
For all who have energy! We will learn several stick dances invented or adapted by Rogue Morris of Oxford, England. Steps are basic but energetic, the figures are exciting, and the sticking is boisterous and satisfying.

 

Randall’s Classes:

Bacca Pipes 1

Bacca pipes is the English version of Scottish sword dancing, only they  use clay pipes instead of swords and are much more casual about it. Bouncy, energetic and loads of fun - hopscotch for adults with bells on.

No experience, or even vague familiarity, necessary.

 

Bacca Pipes 2

A continuation of Bacca Pipes 1, with more figures.

 

Rebecca’s Class:

Slow Jam (For All)

Come and play beautiful slow and moderate tunes from Barnes 1 and 2.  Bring your books if you have them.  Advanced players can use this time to improvise harmonies.  All musicians are welcome.

 

Shira’s Classes:

Messing With The Melody
We'll focus on melody (rather than harmonizing) in this class, exploring different ways to play with it, ornament it, steal from it, turn it upside down and sideways, replace bits of it and many more ways of varying it.

 

Jim’s class:

Stupid Band Tricks

How to make your pickup band sound like you've actually practiced together...real-time on-stage communication, on-the-fly chordal changes, seat-of-the-pants arrangements...amaze the dancers and impress the caller with a minimum of advanced planning.

 

Sylvia’s classes:

GuitarArtistry for Folk Singers

Learn chords and techniques to give your guitar accompaniment more sophistication and variety. Practice right-hand drills and get acquainted with "power chords" and color tones. In the process, learn a folksong or two to put it into practice.

 

Chorus Songs

Build your repertoire of songs that encourage group participation: drinking songs, sea shanties, bawdy and tender love songs. Lyric sheets provided. We'll listen to source material, sing the songs and work up harmonies.

After the evening dance, sing by the fire!

Drinking songs, sea songs, chorus songs, folk songs, songs of love, adventure, humor, cowboys, songs you learned at camp or from family members: All are fair game in this relaxed flow of ideas and themes. Instead of published collections like /Rise Up Singing, /bring your personal songbooks. Bone up on a few of your favorites before coming to camp. Songs with sing-able choruses are always well-received.

 

Kalia’s class:

 

Future classics (For All)

One of the biggest challenges that dance choreographers face is getting feedback on their creations, and that’s what this session is all about.  Kalia will be calling a number of new dances submitted ahead of time by camper choreographers, and after each one we’ll take a minute or two to give feedback to the choreographers.  Then we’ll move on to the next dance.  We will not be re-working the dances in this session.  This is feedback only.