Offering concurrent programs!
Camp opens on Saturday, July 4, with registration and settling in to your cabin starting at 4:00p.m. If you are coming from the San Francisco Bay area, plan on a 4 hour drive. Dinner that night will be served at 6:00 p.m., dancing will begin at 7:30 p.m., and an informative gathering along with staff introductions and brief class descriptions will be held at 9:00 p.m. Since it will be much easier to settle into your cabin for the first time before dark, you may want to arrive at the Mendocino Woodlands before 5:30 and bring a flashlight.
Our 2009 daily schedule offers a rich combination of classes expertly taught by staff members as well as opportunities to share skills during camper-led workshops. Dance day and night or balance your schedule with music, singing, storytelling, and crafts, or simply relax, laugh and philosophize around the campfire.
Warm-up & Stretch gently each morning, stroll through the towering redwoods, or commune with other early risers while sipping a freshly brewed latte prepared at the Balance & Sip Cafe.
Contra Dance day and night! Callers Lisa Greenleaf, Linda Leslie and Chris Bischoff will feature lyrical, flowing contras, lively squares, challenging new dances and old favorites - clear, concise teaching, unflagging good humor, and charmingly dry wit guaranteed!
Matthew Duveneck will concentrate on couples’ dancing. Explore the beautiful and sensuous Argentine Tango and have fun playing with partner-based Honky-Tonk Swing styles from the dance halls of the American West.
Pack your clogs or hard-soled shoes and join Chris Bischoff for Appalachian Flat-Footing. Bring your favorite Tall-Tales for Trade for Chris’ supportive storytelling workshop.
Share your hidden talents: sing, dance, play, or recite for the entertainment of your Woodlands community during the daily Gathering at the Back Porch.
The Contra Callers’ Mini-Course intensive workshop, designed and led by Lisa Greenleaf and taught for the past three years at Pinewoods Camp in Massachusetts, is for advanced-beginner through intermediate callers. Lisa will focus on two particular topics: teaching skills (understanding choreography and crafting concise teaching vocabulary) and stage presence (becoming comfortable behind the mic, learning how to handle mistakes or unexpected situations, and working with musicians). Lynn Ackerson will oversee additional practice during the afternoon Open Mic sessions. Attendance at the Contra Callers’ Mini-Course is limited to six students and requires a separate application.
Grab Bag, class time scheduled for spur-of-the-moment camper-led workshops and one-day intensives, is for sharing talents. Master engineer Marty Brenneis, decoder of all of those knobs and buttons, will unveil the Magical Mysteries of Manipulating Sound. Sam Bartlett will add to the fun with his riotous stunts and tricks. Perhaps he’ll reveal coveted secrets of how to reproduce them yourself?
Each afternoon, Expect the Unexpected: parties, swimming, or exploring with a Woodlands naturalist. Nurture your imagination and creative spirit during community art workshops, luxuriate with a massage, peruse the well-stocked 24/7 Bookstore, and scour The Grande Marche’ clothing boutique.
Under the Light of the Silvery Moon, stop in at the Rock’n Roadhouse, preen for themed evening parties, vie with other gamesters, and swap stories and old-time tunes by the flickering campfire.
The week will end after breakfast on Saturday, July 11, and campers should plan to leave the Woodlands by mid-morning. You may want to join your new friends for a walk along the ocean cliffs and lunch in the friendly town of Mendocino before heading for home or a leisurely drive along the coast.
