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 Sierra Swing 2002 Program Staff


This year's staff is another incredible lineup of multi-talented musicians and dance instructors.  All workshops and dances at Sierra Swing feature live music, and spontaneous staff collaborations are part of the magic of the week.
Beth Molaro
 
 

Beth Molaro : contra and square dance calling

Beth's energtic calling was a big hit at Sierra Swing 1999.  She began calling in 1992 in West Virginia and is known for her quick, no-nonsense walk-throughs and effective teaching. She calls high energy dances, specializing in rip-roaring contras and squares. Dancers who think they don't like squares are often surprised at the fun generated by her fast-paced and souped-up southern style.  Beth is also a skilled flat-foot dancer, and will share some of her clogging skills.
 
 

Mona Wilson w/ Chester Gremillion : zydeco dance

Mona "Zydeco Queen" Wilson is a native of the Creole community of Cade, Louisiana where she learned to zydeco on top of her daddy's feet.  An accomplished dancer, she has won dance competitions and given numberous workshops in basic to advanced Creole/Zydeco dances to enthusiastic students from coast to coast.  With her exciting spark of energy, the Zydeco Queen emphasizes stress-free instruction, which focuses on the rhythm of the music.

Mona's dance partner, Chester Gremillion, hails from Beaumont, Texas. When dancing together, they create new dance steps as the music in the Creole Zydeco dance halls of southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas inspires them. Chester has been Zydeco dancing for over 20 years, and has been working with Mona in her workshops since 1997 at dance festivals around the country.

Mona and Chester will have us dancing contemporary and traditional two-steps, line dances and waltzes in the time it takes to say "laissez les bon temps rouler" -- let the good times roll!


Kalia Kliban

Kalia Kliban : clogging

Kalia returns to Sierra Swing to teach Appalachian clogging and Japanese taiko drumming.  Kalia is well-known for her patient and supportive teaching style, as well as her inexhaustible humor.
 
 



The Lava Lamps
 
 


Laura and the Lava Lamps:
contra dance band

The Lava Lamps astound contra dancers from coast to coast with their unique and powerful primordial groove. They weave an expressive blend of traditional and contemporary tunes, modern rhythms, and a fusion of genres into spontaneous and wildly fun dance music that forms a dynamic and ever-evolving collage of musical styles.
Laura Lengnick (fiddle)
Laura delights dancers with her jazz-inspired improvisations on
dance tunes from the Northern, Southern, and Celtic fiddling traditions.

Dave Wiesler (piano, guitar)
Dave creates dance magic with his sensitive and powerful backup in a wide variety of dance styles.

Ralph Gordon (bass)
Ralph commands varied musical idioms and provides a solid foundation for the trio with his exquisite sense of timing and rhythmic feel.


 
 
 


MotorDude Zydeco:  zydeco band
MotorDude Zydeco
MotorDude Zydeco has been the premier Bay Area Zydeco dance band since 1989, playing hard-driving dance music. Their distinctive blend incorporates rhythm and blues with traditional Louisiana Zydeco two-steps, waltzes and line dances.

Bill Wilson (accordion)
A long-time luminary in many of the Bay Area music scenes, Bill plays button and piano key accordions, Cajun fiddle and guitar. He has performed with noted Cajun musicians Danny Poullard, Dewey Balfa, D.L. Menard, Marc Savoy and John Delafose.  Bill is also accomplished on bass and steel guitar, and will be helping out with swing music at camp.

R.C. Carrier (vocals, rubboard)
Lake Charles, Louisiana native R.C. Carrier sings in Creole French and helps drive the beat on fratoir (rubboard). He has toured with the Zydeco bands of Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Preston Frank, C.J. Chenier and Rockin' Sidney.

Marty Jara (guitar)
A Bay Area Cajun and Zydeco scene veteran, Marty has a unique sound on guitar, fiddle and vocals. He has played regularly with great Louisiana-born accordionists Danny Poullard, Andre Carrier, and Gerard Landry. He has also played with bands such as Frog Legs, California Cajun Orchestra, and Tete Rouge.

Terry Buddingh (bass)
As bassist for Queen Ida since 1986, Terry has performed in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Africa and every major city in the US and Canada. He has also performed and toured with countless other Cajun and Zydeco artists.

David Hymowitz (drums)
Drummer David Hymowitz propels the music. He has had the good fortune to back up some of the top Cajun players, Marc and Ann Savoy, D. L. Menard and Jimmy Breau. In the Bay Area he has played with Danny Poullard and the California Cajun Orchestra, Frog Legs and other Bay Area bands.

with Special Guests :

Ray Bierl : fiddle, vocals

A long-time member of the Hillbillies from Mars, Ray has long favored his listeners with his mellow western-flavored singing and guitar playing, his story telling and his fiddling.
 
 

Alan Senauke : guitar, vocals

Alan has been a student and performer of American traditional music, including cajun, bluegrass and old-time, for more than 35 years.  He has been performing lately with the Bluegrass Intentions, with whom he has recently released a CD "Old as Dirt."
 
 

Peter Langston : stringed instruments & mouth trombone

Peter returns again to Sierra Swing to instigate his special brand of musical mayhem. A brilliant instrumentalist in many styles, his eclectic repertoire and enthusiasm for sharing it always inspires unique collaborations among participants and staff members at camp.
 
 

Daniel Steinberg : keyboards, flute

Daniel is best known as a member of the Hillbillies from Mars, where his polyrhythmic piano/synthesizer backup and dynamic flute playing keep dancers moving and grooving. He is also the director of the World Harmony Chorus, and co-host of the radio talk-show What's for Dinner?
 
 

Laura Light : massage therapist, fiddle, swing vocals

Laura's fiddle and swing vocals are always a big hit at camp, and she returns this year to provide music by night and body work by day.
 
 

Marty Brenneis : sound guy

Marty started contra dancing in 1998. In a former life he was a rock-n-roll sound engineer and it was not long before he started twiddling the knobs on the sound boards for dances.



 
 
 
 

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