23 Jun
2017
23 Jun
'17
7:53 p.m.
Do you love traditional dance and music? Contribute now to support this exciting project.
https://www.hatchfund.org/project/the_dancingmaster
The Dancingmaster is a whimsical musical portrait of the legendary contra dance caller,
Dudley Laufman. Dudley almost single-handedly provided the link between the old days of
rural contradancing in the hamlets of New England, and the vibrant network of dances
taking place every week throughout the United States and beyond. The Dancingmaster tells
his story in his own words, adapted by composer Lawrence Siegel from his interview with
Dudley in 2011. The character “Dudley” is played by the great traditional musician, Keith
Murphy. Becky Tracy and Larry Siegel provide the musical accompaniment. Mary DesRosiers, a
dancingmaster in her own right, creates original choreography performed by a group of
traditional dancers from the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire.
These premiere performances are jointly sponsored by the Monadnock Folklore Society, Next
Stage, and the Brattleboro Music Center. They will appeal to fans of traditional music and
dance and at the same time to audiences for musical theater and classical music.
Note that we are fundraising now ... tickets will be on sale later in the summer for
September 23/24 performances in Peterborough NH and Putney VT.