 Jerry Allen (CA) co-founded BACDS Family Week in 1992, and has led Pied Piper every year of camp. He is a singer, songwriter, storyteller, caller, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. This year he’s co-managing camp, along with Rhonda Cayford. We’re delighted that he’s joining us again in 2012.
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| David Brown (CA) is a versatile instrumentalist, playing banjo, guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. He’s been at the heart of the Bay Area old-time music community for over 30 years, and also has a deep love for Quebecois, English country dance (Playford Clawhammer, anyone?), string ragtime, and many other types of music. David is in the band “Uncle Dave” with Kathrine Gardner and Dave Courchaine.
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| Randall Cayford (CA) has been dancing and teaching various English ritual dance styles for over 25 years. His repertoire includes morris dancing, longsword, rapper sword, Northwest clog, English clog, English country, and contra. He is foreman of Berkeley Morris and founder of two ritual dance teams–Swords of Gridlock (rapper sword) and Bombastic Border. Randall is both an observer and a promoter of the evolution of ritual dance as it adapts from the nineteenth century collected material to fit modern sensibilities of performers and audiences. An active choreographer of new dances and adapter of old dances, he strives to teach dancers and teams how to make the material their own while still keeping a connection to the tradition.
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 Stan Fowler (DC) returns as our lifeguard, and we couldn’t be happier. In the past, he’s been our morris fool, contortionist, and camp archivist, when he’s not on duty keeping the waters safe and fun for all.
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| Kathrine Gardner (CA) has delighted contra, square, and English dancers with her fiddle and piano playing since the mid-80s. She flirts with the banjo and accordion and likes to sing Broadway musicals and parodies. This year she is Programmer for Family Week.
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 Julie James (CA) was an international folk dancer in her youth. She later found English country dance, then morris, and never looked back. In 2000 Julie formed Wild Wood Border Morris, where she focuses on teaching complex, fun dances with an emphasis on both precision and exuberance.
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 Craig Johnson (CA) has been on staff of many BACDS weekends and weeks, playing piano, guitar, and accordion and leading song. He’s been to all but two of the Family Weeks, and looks forward to many more.
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 Annie Johnstone (MD) has used poetry, story, art, play, authentic movement and sound to invite people little and big to express their creativity in community for over twenty years. Her heart’s food & best inspiration come from Nature and the Humor of Four-year-olds.
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 Norm and Jan Kidder (CA) Naturalists Jan Southworth-Kidder and Norm Kidder retired after 30+ years with the East Bay Regional Park District where they were known for their hands-on approach to learning. They taught extensively about Monarch Butterflies, Habitat Gardening, Stone-age Living Skills, Ohlone Indian Culture and Historical Interpretation. They staged four voyages across the Bay in Ohlone style reed boats, built replica Ohlone Indian villages and the Coyote Hills Regional Park Nectar Garden.
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 Kalia Kliban (CA) has been part of the Bay Area dance community since the mid-80s, performing and teaching morris, longsword, American clog, English clog, contra, and English country dance. Among her other useful talents are the making of excellent pipe-cleaner sculptures and the juggling of a wide variety of supermarket produce. Her clear and humorous teaching style has gotten feet tapping at camps and gatherings in California and beyond, and she’s been part of the Family Week community since 1996.
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| Lorraine Kostka (CA) has been hosting tie-dye events for adults and children in the south bay for the past eight years. In addition to tie-dye, Lorraine would love to share workshops in batik (with low melt soy wax, which washes out with soap) and heliographic fabric dye (sun-printing). Having hosted tie-dye events, Lorraine is familiar with the logistics of walking a group of up to 40 people through a tie-dye project within 30-60 minutes. A mother of four kids, Lorraine has worked in her children’s preschool for the past eight years. Lorraine likes working with kids and looks forward to sharing fabric arts.
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| Susan Michaels (CA) is a teacher and a caller of traditional American dancing, especially contra dancing and square dancing. Susan has called and taught dances for 25 years at local evenings, dance weekends, and week-long adult and family camps throughout the U.S. and Canada. Susan is also a full time dance instructor at Pasadena Waldorf School for grades 3-8. Her “calling” in life, she believes, is to teach people how to hold hands in a circle and have fun!
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| Kit Nelson (CA) has played electric bass and guitar professionally for over 4 decades. Also has played with wife Kathrine Gardner in the popular Contra Bandits, and has been pianist for Honolulu’s house contra band. He is known for leading rousing Beatles sing-alongs wherever he goes.
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 Bobbi Nikles (CA) is founder and director of Fiddlekids. A versatile musician with a special interest in Appalachian, Celtic, and jazz fiddle styles, Bobbi performs with the Black Brothers, Douce Ambiance, and Curlew. She has performed with Melanie O’Reilly, Wake the Dead, and many contradance bands. She inspires with her warm and creative teaching style, melodic playing, and her infectious love for the fiddle.” For more about Bobbi, go to www.bobbinikles.com
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| Bob Reid (CA) has performed thousands of concerts, school assemblies, and workshops and has gained a national reputation for quality work with children. His songs are sung by musicians, children, parents, and teachers throughout the country. He has been a California Arts Council Artist in Residence and has recorded three highly acclaimed collections of music for children, Bob Reid with Abracadab, Marz Barz, and We Are The Children. For three years, he hosted PBS-TV station KTEH’s “Kid’s Clubhouse.”
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