Organizers August 2020

organizers@lists.sharedweight.net

9 participants
9 discussions

by Donna Hunt

Hi All:Sorry for the late notice. Mt Airy Contra in Philadelphia has been hosting virtual dances for all and socials for our local folks since April. Tonight we have Phil Jamison who at 8 pm (eastern) will present his book “Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance” . Due to popular demand we were just able to set up a link for a FB feed and we can invite a lot more people than the 100 person limit of zoom. Please join us at https://www.facebook.com/mtairycontra/posts/2464175140548961 Here's more information: The southern Appalachian square dance is a hybrid dance form that developed in the American South during the nineteenth century, and like the Appalachian musical traditions, these dances reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the region. In this Zoom Social we will examine the multicultural roots and historical development of these dances and identify the components of earlier European, African, and Native American dance forms that combined to make them uniquely American. Phil Jamison is nationally known as a dance caller, old-time musician, flatfoot dancer, and scholar of traditional Appalachian dance. A 2017 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, he has called dances, performed, and taught at music festivals and dance events throughout the U.S. and overseas since the early 1970s, including forty years as a member of the Green Grass Cloggers. Over the last thirty years, Jamison has done extensive research in the area of Appalachian dance, and his book Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance (University of Illinois Press, 2015) tells the story behind the square dances, step dances, reels, and other forms of dance practiced in southern Appalachia. He has given numerous presentations on Appalachian dance – from the Smithsonian Institution to Beijing, China – and he teaches Appalachian music and dance at Warren Wilson College, in Asheville, North Carolina, where for twenty-five years, he served as coordinator of the Old-Time Music and Dance Week at the Swannanoa Gathering. http://www.philjamison.com/ For more information about the Mt Airy Contra (Philadelphia) virtual dances and a tip jar for Phil click here If you have trouble getting into the FB feed please email Alex alex(a)thursdaycontra.com Donna Hunt Email: dhuntdancer(a)aol.com Cell: 215-565-6050

5 years

CDSS Community Culture & Safety Survey

by Olivia Barry

Hi, everyone! My name is Olivia Barry. I am a member of the CDSS Community Culture & Safety Task Group (CCSTG). We are a volunteer group of board and community members working to compile a set of resources and examples for folk who are ready to dive in to work on safety of all kinds on the dance floor or music circle. An important element of such an effort is a *Statement of Community Values*. The goal of this statement is to identify core values for a local group. Core values communicate to the outside world what is important to you and what people can expect from your organization or events. In our last strategic planning process, CDSS identified core values for our work and we want to help local groups do the same. To assist groups in creating such a statement, the CCSTG aims to create a clearinghouse of samples for local communities across our constituency, and to synthesize existing examples into a succinct template or writing guide to help groups develop a statement of their own. We are asking our communities to fill out a short survey related to content that has already been developed surrounding your *community's values* to serve as examples. Other topics will be developed as this work unfolds, and we'll be sending additional short surveys as well as progress reports in the coming months. Please take a moment to fill out the survey to help identify who among you has resources on this topic that might be valuable to others: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwSUqM9dNCnMO-yjTawH8vi1Mv_4TuQMQ… Thank you in advance for any and all information you share! We hope this project will reflect and support the greater music, song, and dance community. If you would like to contact us with questions or content, please email CDSS.SafetyTG(a)gmail.com! Have a wonderful weekend, Olivia CDSS CCSTG Community Member

5 years

Re. Phil Jamison talk

by Emily Addison

Hi Donna et all :) I was wondering if Phil's talk is still available on Facebook? I'd love to go back and listen to it but the link that you sent isn't working. Thanks for any tips. Emily in Ottawa <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_cam…> Virus-free. www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_cam…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

5 years

defining "traditional" in music and dance

by slove＠danceflurry.org

This is a question for traditional music/dance organizations around definitions and inclusion-- The DanceFlurry Board is beginning an examination of the types of music and dance forms that fall under our mandate of "supporting traditional music and dance from diverse cultures," with a specific eye to questions of including 20th century African-American forms such as Soul, Funk, and street dance under that umbrella. Some of this music is already included at our swing dances, and featured at our annual Albany Lindy and Blues event (http://www.albanylindyandblues.com). As we consider whether we want to engage in additional programming, collaborations, or outreach around these styles, we find ourselves contemplating the meaning of "traditional," and asking whether our goals of sharing and preserving traditional music and dance should be intentionally broadened to include forms less prominent in our predominantly White dance community. I would love to hear from any communities or organizations that have addressed these kinds of questions themselves, and might have thoughts, experiences, resources, or other information to offer. We are thinking of engaging a scholar of African-American music to educate our Board on the evolution of these forms, and are looking for other ideas on how to approach the question of which music and dance types we want to actively support through our organization, as well as other local organizations (NY) we might look to partner with. If you have any ideas for us, please email me at slove(a)danceflurry.org Many thanks! Shira

5 years

BACDS workshops

by Claire Takemori

Please share! ECD musician workshop virtual mixer for Mac workshop for sound techs fiddling bow & ornaments workshop. ECD musician workshop with Rachel Bell! This Sun 8/30 from 6-715pm ET (3-415pm PT) We'll work on learning the tune and playing it well, with attention to phrasing and articulation. We'll talk a lot about how to make the music danceable-- both how to give attention to fitting the music with the choreography, and how to just make people want to dance! We'll talk about energy and drive as well as beauty and spaciousness. We'll talk about how to build an energy arc over the course of the dance and how to use simple tricks to create elements of excitement and surprise for the dancers. We'll talk about ensemble ideas such as harmonies, chords, and how to create variations on the melody. ****Advanced Registration and Payment required***** Space is limited. Minimum experience level: People should have basic competency on their instruments. That means people should be able to play some tunes they already know with ease and without stopping. Rachel will present strategies for a variety of levels, and people should be prepared to soak up whatever applies to them. *****Register Here ****** 1. Fill out Google Form. https://forms.gle/RtnTEUfjthDexAqK8 <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2FRtnTEUfjthDexAqK8%…> 2. Donate Sliding Scale $15-25 https://paypal.me/pools/c/8ryp7AAyK6 <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpaypal.me%2Fpools%2Fc%2F8ryp7A…> (100% of donations go to Rachel) 3. You will receive an email confirmation with meeting link. https://www.facebook.com/events/732727090894311/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/732727090894311/?__cft__[0]=AZUdiDQdooX0shJ…> Virtual mixer for Mac workshop with Ian Brehm! This Sun from 3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT) Ian Brehm (Phildelphia) Teaches the magic behind the recent contra dance at Glen Echo, where 2 co-located musicians streamed to 3rd musician and caller. This is an ADVANCED workshop for sound technicians. You should understand Source Connect Now and virtual cable already. He will explain Reaper for Mac computers. * FREE. All are welcome! Donations greatly appreciated. paypal.me/ianbrehm <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpaypal.me%2Fianbrehm%3Ffbclid%3…> * The session will be recorded and notes will be available after. * Registration required: (this is NOT a meeting link, you must register at this link first) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoc-GvrjsvGtGwF42FfAc3C65ucGJoYN… <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fre…> You will get an email with a unique meeting access link https://www.facebook.com/events/670914573513071/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/670914573513071/> Beyond the Dots: A Guide to Traditional Bowing and Ornamentation Wednesday, Sep 9 from 7-830pm ET (4-530pm PT) In Contra Dance fiddling, we derive our playing from various genres, including Old Time, Quebecois and Irish. Their traditional bowing and ornamentations really make a tune sound from that particular part of the world. In this class, I will be doing an overview of those genres and what makes those tunes sound the way they do. With more knowledge of bowing and ornamentation, you can use variations of these to make a simple melody more your own. This class will be focused on the fiddle, but all are welcome. Please email audreyLK24(a)gmail.com to sign up and receive the Zoom link. This event is free, but a suggested donation of $20 (or whatever you can afford) would be appreciated. Class will be recorded and you will receive the link if you register. https://www.facebook.com/events/934372433738064 <https://www.facebook.com/events/934372433738064>

5 years

Re: All Hands In

by lsturgen＠aol.com

I am forwarding this to all the organizers of all the Greenfield, MA dances - 9 sets of organizers! - to discuss at the next meeting. Thanks for this great idea! Liz Sturgen On Monday, August 24, 2020 Drew Delaware via Organizers <drew(a)delaware.ca> wrote: Hello! I'm reaching out to contra dance organizers, on behalf of the crew here in Toronto. Trusting you are all keeping well. Toronto has been holding a vibrant online virtual contra dance since May. It has been a lovely way for dancers to connect and keep contra dance, and music, in their lives. While it isn't for everyone, it has certainly brought much joy to many homes over the past several months. And it has been a wonderful way for us to provide financial support to musicians during a challenging time. We know other communities have considered launching online dances of their own, but don't have the resources to do so: paid Zoom accounts, tech know-how, etc. Others have done so but found it to be a lot of work on a few shoulders. And so, we are transforming our Toronto Virtual dance into a new project we are calling "All Hands In" - and we'd like to invite your community to join us. Any community that becomes part of the "All Hands In" initiative will be able to welcome their dancers in a private room before the dance, so your community gets an opportunity to socialize and reconnect; and then all the communities will come together for one big dance, featuring fabulous bands and callers. We'll end the dance with a socializing opportunity in small groups, mixing across communities, so people have a chance to make new friends across the continent. We will ask each community to provide one volunteer on a rotating basis once every 1-2 months, along with a moderator for their community room each dance. If you'd like to participate, please send an email to drew(a)delaware.ca, let me know what community you represent, and we'll be happy to share further details. While we'd all love to be on a dance floor taking real hands four, we hope that All Hands In helps to fill the gap in the meantime, and be something that many will enjoy until we can dance in person again. Let me know if you have any interest in joining us, or any questions. ;) Cheers! Drew_______________________________________________ Organizers mailing list -- organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net

5 years

All Hands In

by Drew Delaware

Hello! I'm reaching out to contra dance organizers, on behalf of the crew here in Toronto. Trusting you are all keeping well. Toronto has been holding a vibrant online virtual contra dance since May. It has been a lovely way for dancers to connect and keep contra dance, and music, in their lives. While it isn't for everyone, it has certainly brought much joy to many homes over the past several months. And it has been a wonderful way for us to provide financial support to musicians during a challenging time. We know other communities have considered launching online dances of their own, but don't have the resources to do so: paid Zoom accounts, tech know-how, etc. Others have done so but found it to be a lot of work on a few shoulders. And so, we are transforming our Toronto Virtual dance into a new project we are calling "All Hands In" - and we'd like to invite your community to join us. Any community that becomes part of the "All Hands In" initiative will be able to welcome their dancers in a private room before the dance, so your community gets an opportunity to socialize and reconnect; and then all the communities will come together for one big dance, featuring fabulous bands and callers. We'll end the dance with a socializing opportunity in small groups, mixing across communities, so people have a chance to make new friends across the continent. We will ask each community to provide one volunteer on a rotating basis once every 1-2 months, along with a moderator for their community room each dance. If you'd like to participate, please send an email to drew(a)delaware.ca, let me know what community you represent, and we'll be happy to share further details. While we'd all love to be on a dance floor taking real hands four, we hope that All Hands In helps to fill the gap in the meantime, and be something that many will enjoy until we can dance in person again. Let me know if you have any interest in joining us, or any questions. ;) Cheers! Drew

5 years

ECD musicians workshop with Rachel Bell August 30th

by Winston, Alan P.

[Claire Takemori asked me to forward this to the organizers list, I guess so you can let bands you work with know.] Rachel Bell (from Alchemy, Peregrine Road, Eloise & Co, etc) famous for her gorgeous compositions and beautiful accordion music, is teaching an ECD musician workshop (all instruments, see event details for minimum experience level) Sunday Aug 30, (3-415pm PT/ 6-715pm ET) Register & donate (sliding scale) to confirm your spot. Please share ! https://www.facebook.com/events/732727090894311/ Google registration https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xhmSTUScRYGlMpnCjzk7m3UFP7kw2IJb1HSxclyKqg… Paypal link $15-25 sliding scale https://paypal.me/pools/c/8ryp7AAyK6 Online meeting sponsored by bacds.org<http://bacds.org/>

5 years, 1 month

Aug 12 panel discussion: When Can We Safely Dance Again?

by slove＠danceflurry.org

Hello Organizers, For those looking to educate their communities, wondering what will be necessary for dances to resume, or considering in-person, socially-distanced events, the DanceFlurry Organization and Flurry Festival are hosting a Zoom conversation this Wednesday, Aug 12. Claire Takemori will interview a panel of experts who will speak to these issues and take questions from the audience. The event is from 8:00-9:30 ET. You can register for the Zoom link and to submit questions at https://www.danceflurry.org/covid-panel/, or watch live on DanceFlurry's Facebook page. Find the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/3028182130605617/ The panel will include: Katy German, Executive Director of CDSS Will Mentor, contra and square dance caller Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, Albany County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Applegate, Clinical Professor in Social Behavior and Community Health at the University at Albany School of Public Health Professor Linda Breslin, Instructor and Ethics Consultant with Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College The early part of the conversation will focus on dancers, but then we'll consider approaches some organizers have tried and ask the experts to weigh in on the relative risks involved. We invite participation and questions from you and your dance communities, so please pass this info on to anyone interested! Thanks, Shira Love (she/her) President, DanceFlurry Organization Albany, NY slove(a)danceflurry.org

5 years, 1 month

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Organizers August 2020