Hey Days Staff
Andrew Shaw (UK) is widely regarded for his detailed knowledge, high standards, wit, and clear instruction with an emphasis on style. A favorite in the US and the UK, he teaches at camps, weekends, festivals, and other courses at home and abroad. His annual dance weekend at Halsway Manor in Somerset was featured in the Fall 2012 issue of CDSS News.
His interest in the dances of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, especially those composed by Nathaniel Kynaston, has resulted in the publication of four dance collections to date: Mr. Kynaston‘s Famous Dance in 2000, The She Favourite in 2002, Emperor of the Moon in 2006 and Farnicle Huggy in 2009. The She Favourite also throws light on the activities of the little-known dancing-master Richard Motley, whilst Farnicle Huggy features dances “Compos’d by a Person of Quality Recommended to Mr. Nathaniel Kynaston”.
The recordings accompanying the first three collections all feature Paul Hutchinson on accordion: the first two in association with Paul Sartin on violin and oboe as Belshazzar’s Feast, and the third in association with John Hymas on violin and viola. The most recent (2009) was recorded in California by the multi-instrumentalists Rebecca King, Jon Berger and Jim Oakden (now known as the band Persons of Quality).
Andrew also edited The Dances of Brian Wedgbury, in memory of this fine dance composer and near-neighbour who died in 2002. The 2004 book and accompanying CD by John and Sue Stapledon on English concertina, keyboards and violin contain the notation and music for all 22 dances written by Brian.
Andrew will lead two ECD classes and teach ECD reconstruction.
Scott Higgs (PA) fell head-over-heels in love with dancing in 1975, taking up English, Scottish, contra, and morris all at once. He has been teaching English dance for over 25 years--delighting novices and experts alike. From Seattle to Antwerp, dancers praise his engaging programs, dynamic presentation, and emphasis on fun. Scott's ten-word business card: playful, spirited, elegant, zesty, joyful contra, English, and couple dancing.
Scott has traveled North America and abroad calling for contras and English country dances. He has been program director or staff member for summer camps at Pinewoods, Buffalo Gap, Mendocino, Ashokan, and Mainewoods Camps and has led dancing at over 100 weekend events. From 2004-2006, CDSS hired Scott to design and lead special intensive courses for English dance callers.
At home, he participates actively in many dance groups as board member of the Germantown Country Dancers, organizer, caller, dancer, and (occasionally) musician. Scott currently serves on the board of the Country Dance and Song Society.
Scott has composed dozens of dances. His booklet of dance compositions, Early One Morning, appeared in 1995. His latest enthusiasm: Renegade Morris, now entering its fifth season of high-energy dancing.
Scott will lead the ECD Callers Course and teach an ECD class.
Kalia Kliban (CA) has been part of the San Francisco Bay Area dance community since the mid-80s, performing and teaching morris, longsword, American clog, English clog, and English country dance. She is well-known for her patient and supportive teaching style, as well as her inexhaustible humor.
Kalia has been on staff for a number of west coast events including the 2007 BACDS Fall Ball, 2009 Mad Robin Ball, 2012 Victoria English Country Dance Society Hands Across the Water weekend, Mendocino English and American Weeks as well as being program director for BACDS Family Week and Fall Frolick. In 2011, Kalia was on staff at CDSS English Week at Pinewoods.
Kalia will teach Longsword and ECD as well as facilitate the open mic session.
Adrienne Simpson (CA) is known for her flexibility and skill in many dance genres, as well as her vibrant enthusiasm. Fueled by a deep desire to express music in a physical form and driven by a passion for history, she loves to share her knowledge of dance forms and make them accessible to others. She has taught Swing Dance at the BACDS Spring Weekend, Provincial French Dance and Galician Dance at Lark Camp, and Couple Dance at Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp. Adrienne also sings in Hesperia, a Renaissance and Baroque quintet.
Adrienne will teach couple dance and lead singing and the gathering.
Sharon Green (CA) simply loves welcoming newcomers to the joys of English country dance. As a novice caller, she worked most closely with Christine Helwig and Fried de Metz Herman. Through CDSS and EFDSS Sharon took a number of dance leadership classes. She has taught at Dance Flurry (NY), Down East Festival (ME), Mainewoods Dance Camp (ME), NEFFA (MA), BACDS Fall Frolick (CA), Lark Camp (CA), Pinewoods English Week (MA), BACDS English Week (CA), and CD*NY's True Brit, Synergy, and Whirligig weekends (NY). She has also been a frequent visiting caller and teacher at dances on both coasts, and has taught at festivals and workshops in Canada, the UK and Japan.
Interested in performance dancing as well as social dance, Sharon helped found the now defunct Harpies Molly team and served, with Paul Ross, as co-director of Christine Helwig's Chelsea English Country Dancers demonstration team, with whom she began dancing in 1990. Sharon also edited the notes on English country dancing for two of Fried de Metz Herman's collections of dances, Ease and Elegance and Fringe Benefits.
Sharon will lead the Beginning Callers Workshop, open to all and teach an ECD class.
Charlie Hancock (CA), pianist and accordionist, is equally adept playing for English country, Scottish country, contras, and display dancing. Performed with brilliance, drive and clarity, his music is infused with jazz, swing, and Irish influences. He has played for BACDS dances, camps, and balls for more than 20 years, with occasional gigs further afield, including Pinewoods and the Portland (OR) English ball. He is a member of Bay Area folk ensemble Euphonia, and has recorded with Sylvia Herold, Holly Tannen, and Cathie Whitesides.
Charlie will play for longsword and ECD.
Wayne Hankin (VT) is a leading artist of period woodwinds--instruments dating before 1750. Over a 25 year career, he has performed over 4000 concerts, played every major city in the US, Canada, and many venues worldwide. Although his discipline focuses on early music, Wayne has also played with several notable jazz figures, done music direction for theatre, worked in film and television, and toured with Cirque du Soleil. He has composed more than 300 works for period instruments. Wayne is a favorite at several national camps, including BACDS weeks, Lark Camp, and Pinewoods, playing music for English country dance.
Wayne will play for ECD and teach a recorderand voice class.
Childgrove features Debbie Jackson on piano, Anne Ogren on violin and viola, and Martha Stokely on oboe, pennywhistle, and recorder. Drawing on backgrounds in classical, Celtic, Klezmer and other styles, the trio brings a fluid, eclectic approach to the elegant and compelling melodies of English country dance. The always spirited and completely danceable effects are captured on the band's two CD's, Early Instincts (2004) and Wanderlust (2008), which feature traditional and original English country dance tunes.
The band will play for an ECD class.
Debbie Jackson (MI) is a versatile pianist, singer, and event organizer who has been playing regularly for contra and English country dancing for over 20 years. As a happy music collaborator, she enjoys composing, improvising with chording, and interpreting music to connect with dancers. She also plays in various swing, folk, and couple dance ensembles throughout the Midwest. Debbie has performed in Denmark, Austria, Turkey, France, Ukraine, and the Slovak Republic. Along with playing regularly with the band Childgrove, she is producing a solo piano project for a 2013 release.
Debbie will play for ECD and couple dance.
Anne Ogren (MI) got hooked on playing music in a group when she joined the Des Moines Symphony, at the age of 13. Since that time she has played in many orchestras in the US, Norway, France, and Scotland. Over the years, she has performed with innumerable soloists, from Van Cliburn to Tony Bennett and PDQ Bach.
Now retired from teaching orchestra in the public schools, Anne enjoys a flexible schedule and keeps busy giving private lessons, playing chamber music, performing with Childgrove, and traveling. Recently, she has twice been to Meru, Kenya to team teach a violin program at a primary school.
Anne will play for ECD.
Martha Stokely (MI) is a reformed classical musician who now has much more fun. Her past musical experiences include playing with Ars Musica, the Sarasota Opera Festival, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Sao Paulo State Symphony in Brazil, a shawm & sackbut ensemble, a Scandinavian fiddle circle, and the Mantovani Orchestra. After dancing for many years, she finally decided to give playing with the band a try on the premise that it is really fun to play for people who are not just sitting around. After Childgrove's trip to the Loire Valley in 2006, she was inspired to begin composing English country dance tunes.
Martha will play for ECD and teach a band workshop.
Persons of Quality features Jon Berger on fiddle, viola, and melodeon, Rebecca King on piano and woodwinds, and multi-instrumentalist Jim Oakden. Their first recording (before they decided on a band name) is Farnicle Huggy, an album for Andrew Shaw's book of reconstructions of 18th century English country dances by the same name. And, hot off the press, is Next of Kynaston, a compilation of tunes from Andrew Shaw's first three collections of dances.
Says Andrew Shaw, "Brilliantly inventive arrangements that will delight the listener and impel the dancer in equal measure. Quality assured!"
The band will play for Andrew's advanced ECD class.
Jon Berger (CA) has played for morris, sword, English country, and contra dance in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976. Formerly with Berkeley Morris, he now plays for Apple Tree Morris in Sebastopol. Jon also plays in Flashpoint, a Santa Rosa-based contra dance band. He is well known for his powerful music, and, while playing for morris, his ability to maintain a connection between the music, the dancers and the dance. His recordings include two albums with Persons of Quality. Jon is also a former member of Tempest, a Celtic rock band that plays for an entirely different style of dancing.
Jon will play for ECD and lead a slow jam class.
Rebecca King (CA), our 2013 program director, is a versatile dance pianist, conductor, and composer, whose strong classical training and love of jazz show in her rhythmic and lyric piano accompaniments. Rebecca plays for English and contra dance in the greater San Francisco Bay area and has been on staff at west coast dance camps, weekends, and balls and at Pinewoods. By day, she teaches music in the Sonoma Valley schools. Rebecca can be heard on Cowboy Dancing by Ray Bierl, on BACDS' CD Swinging On The Gate in which she was executive producer, and Farnicle Huggy and Next of Kynaston with Persons of Quality.
Rebecca will play for ECD as well as lead the musicians open mic band.
Jim Oakden (CA) started playing piano and clarinet at an early age and stumbled into early music from the classical music scene. After six years performing early music, he discovered the world of traditional and ethnic music. Having diverse tastes, he has played in many bands and performs on an absurd number of instruments, including accordion, mandolin, several styles of bagpipes, recorders, whistle and zurna (to name but a few). A dancer himself, he specializes in playing for dancers in a bunch of bands for ECD, contra, morris, Irish, Breton/French, Greek, and Bulgarian. He has been on staff at myriad dance camps throughout the country. His recordings include two albums with Persons of Quality and four volumes of Impropriety with the band Roguery.
Jim will play for ECD and teach a class on playing harmony.
David Newitt (CA) is our sound engineer for
the week. His expertise at the soundboard is enhanced by his experience as a musician (fiddle and concertina), dancer, and dance leader for ECD, Scottish, display dance and contra.
Paul Bestock (WA) has loved taking pictures for over 50 years. His interests range from portraits to landscapes. Paul has published photos in the Seattle Times, the Seattle PI, Seattle's Child, and the Washington Trails Association Magazine. He has held (minor) exhibitions of his work and been the resident photographer for Seattle Public Theater. An avid dancer, Paul has taken many photos at dance events all along the west coast. To check out some of his work, visit his website.
Paul will teach a photography workshop.