Program: Class Descriptions 2014
For details on the schedule, click here.
Click on the links below for details of the 2014 classes.
Longsword
For dancers of ALL abilities
Judy Erickson with Jon Berger
Learn figures from the Orion dance “Dual Pelican No Bleeper”. This is an 8-person set dance that uses a 12/8 tune (Cam Ye O'er Frae France). The step is a vigorous walking step with a drop. Open to all, no longsword experience necessary. After the first day, dancers must be prepared to commit to their set for the remainder of the class. Wear shoes with a good grip.
(Longsword Choreography
For dancers with some longsword experience
Judy Erickson with Jon Berger
Experience the effect that style, rhythm, and tune have on figures. We will dance a small number of figures in a variety of ways. You should already have some experience with basic longsword figures. Bring both hard-soled 
shoes and shoes with a grip.
English Clog
For dancers of ALL abilities, some step dance experience helpful
Judy Erickson with Brad Foster
Done to a slow jig (the Kerfunken), this more gentle clog dance uses a variety of steps from traditional English waltz clog and Alex Woodcock’s vaudeville steps. This dance is more about timing and rhythm than lots of athletic hopping and can be done either in flat shoes (low heel) or clogs. Step dance experience helpful, but English clog experience not required.
(English Country Dance (Advanced): The Art of Reconstruction
For EXPERIENCED and ACCOMPLISHED dancers
Brad Foster with Rebecca King, Eden MacAdam-Somer, and Mindy Rosenfeld
Learn a wide variety of dances with this survey of English country dance reconstruction from Cecil Sharp to Andrew Shaw, with many stops in between. Cecil Sharp in particular worked with limited information. As the 20th Century progressed, more was been learned about the historical 
meaning of figures and instructions from the old dance books, but much is still guess work. The art of reconstruction is in the choices made to make often incomplete instructions work for today's dancers. Warning - this class will include an occasional modern dance for variety.
English Country Dance: From Both Sides of the the Atlantic
For dancers of ALL abilities
Brad Foster with Anita Anderson, Sande Gillette, and Mindy Rosenfeld
Enjoy modern dance compositions from choreographers in Europe and the Eastern U.S.: dances from Pat Shaw, Colin Hume, Philippe Callens, Gary Roodman, Fried Herman, Victor Skowronski, and many others.
English Country Dance: Heys for Days
For dancers of ALL abilities
Brooke Friendly with Anita Anderson, Dave Bartley, and Sande Gillette
Parallel, mirror, morris, sheepskin, dolphin, Sheltland, shadow, cross-over, interlocking, interrupted, fractional, for three, four, or more, across, on the side, diagonal, circular, and more--there is enough variety to play with heys for days! Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from material from the Impropriety collections by Brooke Friendly and Chris Sackett, we will do just that. We will spend some time on style: how to do heys well and how to get in and out of heys in variety of choreography. And we will have great fun with all sorts of weaving and serpentine figures.
ECD: The Art of the English Country Dance
For dancers of ALL abilities
Gene Murrow with Jon Berger, Rebecca King, and Judy Linsenberg
The best English country dances are a genre of art, where enjoyment is enhanced by knowledge and appreciation. Using carefully chosen examples of the best historical and modern dances, we’ll reveal the elements that combine to make great works: musical structure, melody and harmony, geometric structure, texture, narrative, and more.
English Country Dance: For Those Who Want to Know – Mastering the Classics
For dancers of ALL abilities
Gene Murrow with Anita Anderson
Get a detailed look at some of the dances everyone should know by heart: beginners will learn the basic patterns; intermediate dancers will have a chance to memorize them; advanced dancers may concentrate on the fine points of style. Don’t sit out a FTWK again!
ECD Choreography: An Exploration
Open to ALL
Brooke Friendly
Explore what makes a good dance and examine different approaches to choreography. Play with choreographic ideas and problems through a variety of exercises. And, work collaboratively with a new tune to create a dance during the week. Anybody interested in choreography is welcome. Note: this is not a class to bring existing choreography to try—for testing new dances, go to the choreographers testing session time.
ECD Choreographers Testing Session
Open to ALL
Brooke Friendly with Rebecca King
Join your fellow campers in a working session to test new dances (both new choreography and new reconstructions of old dances) and explore ways to improve them, at the same time honing your choreographic, dancing, and musical skills. Both fledgling and experienced ECD choreographers are welcome. Or come as a dancer - it's loads of fun to be part of the choreographic process and be among the first to dance a new creation. Camper musicians are welcome to join Rebecca to play for this session.
Singing
For singers of ALL abilities
Eden MacAdam-Somer
Sing all kinds of music, from folk songs to madrigals and much more, sometimes learning by ear and sometimes working with written music. We'll work on singing musically as a group, hearing harmonies, and honing in on different styles, but mostly, we'll sing!
Tunesmithing for 21st Century Country Dance
For musicians of ALL abilities
Dave Bartley
Compose tunes in a variety of styles--both collectively and individually. Work on turning ideas into complete tunes. Discuss how to turn an ordinary tune into an extraordinary one.
Musical Improvisation
For musicians of ALL abilities
Eden MacAdam-Somer
Develop your skills as improvisers in the wide and wild world of English Country Dance music. We'll explore ornamentation, harmonies, counterpoint, and on-the-spot arrangements, as well as improvising individual solos. We will work both by ear and with written music. All instruments (including voices) are welcome. Feel free to bring a recording device.
Band Workshop
For EXPERIENCED musicians
Sande Gillette
Learn to play as an ensemble with an emphasis on listening to and watching each other. We will work on tunes old and new, and find ways to enhance and develop them using variations of harmony, rhythm and instrumentation. We will also discuss presentation and performance of music in general and, during the first part of the week, prepare tunes for Camper Night.
Prerequisite: at a minimum you should be familiar enough with your instrument(s) that you can play scales of up to 3 flats and sharps, and you must be able to read music and/or be able to pick up complete melodies by ear.
Music Theory
Open to ALL
Gene Murrow
Learn the rudimentary elements of music theory as they apply to an appreciation of English country dance and music. We’ll cover major, minor, and modal scales; keys and modulations; melodic structure; basic harmony; variations and divisions; counterpoint; and how all these combine to create the music we all love to dance to! Musicians--bring your instruments so that we may play and illustrate numerous examples; dance leaders and interested dancers are also welcome to join the class!
Early Music Ensemble
Intermediate level, for all sizes of recorders and stringed instruments
Judy Linsenberg
Bring your modern string instruments, recorders and more to revel in the beauty of Renaissance consort music. Judy brings this music to life for campers who have early music experience and for those who have always wanted to give it a try.
Watercolor Painting
All experience levels welcome
Sandy Eastoak
We'll explore our visual surroundings and express our personal responses, from the views and the flora to the dancers and musicians. We will cover basic watercolor techniques, as well as drawing and composition. The style, subjects, and techniques will vary with the experience and preferences of our participants.
Photo credits top to bottom: Paul Bestock, Michael Siemon, Michael Siemon, Julie Grieves, Julie Grieves, Julie Grieves, Michael Siemon