Address
ContraCollege2011
c/o Joyce Fortune
133 Ortega Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94040
Phone Number
650 704 2647
Email
ContraCollege2011@bacds.org
Sponsored By
Bay Area Country Dance Society
In Collaboration With
North Bay Country Dance Society
Traditional Dancers of the Golden State
Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz
By profession Susan Petrick is a cognitive psychologist who does software usability research for Intuit in Reno, Nevada and in the Bay area. In contra dance circles, she is a local treasure rapidly gaining national prominence who has been calling contra dances for ten years. Her greatest pleasure is to program interesting, varied dances with great flow, and to teach them clearly and concisely. She has enjoyed working with wonderful bands, traveling and calling throughout the country in addition to up and down the West Coast.
Susan was invited to join the staff of Contra College because of her exceptionally clear teaching, expert pacing, and gracious manner. Her efficient guidance makes even complex dances accessible to all. At Contra College 2010, she enjoyed the opportunity of spending a weekend working with new and intermediate dancers. It was rewarding to help others learn dance and fun to watch dancers internalize new forms and express themselves. She also really liked the opportunity to work in a discussion forum model, with questions from dancers driving much of the discussion. Susan also liked the way the small-group setting led to an intimate feeling for the weekend.
Nick Cuccia will be back once more, this year acting as teaching assistant as well as sound technician. Highly regarded by dancers, musicians, and callers for his high-quality sound work, Nick has also been calling contra and English country dances throughout northern and central California for over a decade. An avid contra, English, and square dancer when he has time, Nick dances with two square dance clubs in the Central Valley, and was one of a handful of students in legendary square dance caller Ralph Sweet's singing square dance calling class at Pinewoods American Week in 2011. Nick expects that his enthusiasm for traditional and modern contra and square dances will prove to be infectious.
Joyce Fortune is a Spanish teacher at a local Bay Area high school. She has been dancing for over five years, mostly contra dance, with some occasional English country dancing. She is a regular attendee at Balance the Bay, Contra Carnivale and dance weekends at Monte Toyon. She has become proficient in both gender roles and enjoys working with newcomers and building the contra dance community. Recently, she has become the main organizer at Palo Alto Contra Dance. She is extremely well-organized, analytical and systematic. She is also friendly and committed to creating great dances that are welcoming to all. She is visually-impaired and knits constantly.
Joyce was frustrated when first learning to do Contra dance by the lack of explicit teaching. As a systematic and analytical thinker, she was hoping for more explanation from workshop leaders at weekend dances. She muddled through and learned to dance, but decided last year that she would try to create for others the kind of experience that she wanted when she was new. She was very pleased with Contra College, so much so that she decided to take the time to do it again!
Chris Jong is a multi-talented musician and a strong supporter of the local music and dance community. She has been playing a variety of stringed instruments for contra and square dances for 30 years and is a member of several local bands, including Professor Spicer's Dance Tonic and the Laylows. She thrives on New England, French-Canadian, Irish and Old-time music, with an amazingly varied repertoire and the flexibility to blend her style with that of whatever musicians she is working with. She has been on staff for BACDS and Santa Cruz dance weekends, served on the Santa Cruz/Monterey Dance Board of Directors for 20 years and has been a folkie radio programmer on local community stations for 27 years.
Joe Weed has played fiddle, mandolin and guitar for dances since the 1970s. He has released six albums of his own, produced many projects for independent artists and labels, and does sound tracks for film, TV and museums. Joe recently worked on the PBS film “Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency.”
Debra Tayleur was classically trained after begging for piano lessons at age 10. She has been active in folk and classical choral groups since high school and college in the Midwest. She taught music in elementary schools before moving on to other teaching positions until becoming a psychotherapist. When a local fiddler showed her how to “boom chuck,” she was inspired to play contras. She loves the spirit of the dances and the tunes. She loves to put lilt and drive in piano for contras. She appreciates the fact that there's always room to grow and expand one’s self-expression in contra music and that there are so many wonderful bands in the Bay Area. You might have heard her play piano previously with An Drochaid or Three Fifths of Scotch.
See Friday Night's information for biographies for Joe and Debra.
Michelle Levy has been performing on and exploring the possibilities of the violin/viola for over 20 years. She regularly performs concerts of Medieval music and fiddles for both Contra and English Country dances.
Jim Oakden has gone through a succession of musical stages, from early music to traditional. Jim has been a staff musician at many West Coast camps, both by himself and as part of the Guppies, and is currently active as a musician for English country dances, contras, Irish and Cape Breton sessions and dances from Brittany.
StringFire features four excellent musicians with great reputations in their own right, now together in a new band. This frolicking, high energy group is guaranteed to get your toes tapping and inspire your dance moves. With Michelle Levy on fiddle, Patti Cobb tickling the ivories, Erik Ievins rounding things out on bass and Jim Oakden weaving in and out with winds, strings and percussion, their infectious spirit of fun infiltrates the hearts and feet of musicians and dancers alike. A mixture of classical training and a wide variety of experience yields an out-of-the-ordinary groove you won't want to miss! They draw from Celtic, Klezmer and old-time traditions and always have a few surprises. They pride themselves on having a well-rounded repertoire and working with the caller to plan music that will enhance the quality of the dances.
See Saturday Night's information for biographies on Michelle and Jim.
Three Fifths of Scotch is a strong piano and fiddle band that concentrates on Celtic tunes with lilt and a driving beat. Debra Tayleur is the programmer for the Berkeley Wednesday English series, and plays piano for English and contra dances. Along with Three Fifths of Scotch, you might also have heard her play fiddle with An Drochaid. Eloise Blanchard is an accomplished local fiddle player and member of the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers along with Three Fifths of Scotch. Emily Parsons plays a spunky, sparkling fiddle and switches from solo to backup with style.. She brings a classical background to the group, having started playing when she was 11. She is also a member of the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers. Del Eckels has been playing percussion for nearly 50 years in Celtic groups, symphony orchestras and contra dance bands. His percussion significantly enhances the excitement and danceability of the music played by any group he is a part of. You’ve also heard him play music with An Drochaid. He makes and sells his own bodhrans.