Address
Contra College 2016
c/o David Buesch
109 Murray Court
Redwood City, CA 94061
Email Address
info@ContraCollege.com
Phone Number
650 257 7214
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
© Doug Plummer 2011
Eric Black began contra & square dancing in the mid-1970s while a student at MIT, and after moving to California started calling dances in 1982 in the New England style. Now, after 33+ years, his calling is more “California”, with a touch of Japanese. Eric has written several dozen dances which have entered the repertoire, and has taught and called contras and squares in nearly all 50 states plus Washington DC and the Virgin Islands, as well as several countries including Russia, Ukraine, England, Scotland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan. He is known for his smooth dancing style and easy-going relaxed teaching. Eric has been on the Board of the Bay Area Country Dance Society (BACDS) for most of its 33 year history and founded the Berkeley Wednesday contra in 1982. He was the organizer, programmer, and main caller of the Palo Alto contra from 1983-2009, and has co-managed the American Dance & Music Week for 6 years. Eric was one of the instructors at the 2014 Fall Contra College.
© Sonya Sones 2013
By profession, Susan Petrick is a cognitive psychologist who manages software usability research at Google in the Bay Area. She has been calling for fourteen years, and has been steadily gaining national prominence in the contra dance world. She strives 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 for dance weekends throughout the country, in addition to calling for dances up and down the West Coast.
Susan has been on the staff of Contra College most years since its inception. She will be returning as waltz instructor on Saturday afternoon this year, which is a regular teaching session of Contra College. She will also be leading an independent Callers' Workshop later on Saturday afternoon that will cover issues concerning programming evenings of contra dances, as well as methods for teaching dances more easily. Attendees of the workshop will have the opportunity to be guest callers at the Contra College Grad Dance the next day, where they can get additional calling support and feedback from Susan.
© Scotty Leach 2014
Jim Oakden went to college on a music scholarship, but ended up in grad school as a marine biologist. However, he continued to avidly pursue music, first via Early Music, and then as a dance musician. He continues to perform with many bands in a host of genres on an absurd array of instruments. He is very dedicated to passing on his knowledge at symposia, workshops, and dance and music camps from the East Coast (Pinewoods, etc) to Fairbanks AK to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and many places in between. He runs community and camp bands, does individual and small group instruction, and has been an instructor at Lark Camp for many years. As a dance organizer, he programs dances for the Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz, is the founding Artistic Director for the current BACDS American Week, and has programmed BACDS weekend events and English Week. He appears on 20 or so CDs. Plus, he loves to dance, in many different styles. During Contra College 2013, Jim led the “How to Hear and Dance to Contra Music” session that he will again offer this year.
Ben Schreiber and Jim Oakden are very active dance musicians in a variety of bands, and are known nation-wide for their imaginative and soulful playing. They’ve teamed up for past Contra Colleges, and often play together as members of the Whoots.
Please see description above.
Debra Tayleur was classically trained after begging for piano lessons at age 10. After discovering a love for folk music and singing in various choral groups in the Midwest, she was thrilled to discover the Bay Area music and dance community. When a local fiddler showed her how to "boom chuck" she was inspired to play contras. Debra loves the spirit of the dances and the tunes, striving to put both lilt and drive in piano for contras. She plays in the Contra Dance bands Whimsical and Three Fifths of Scotch, in addition to The Treble Makers. Debra provided music during Contra College 2011.
Anne Goess has been inspiring contra dancers since 2007, when Debra Tayleur recruited her to play with the Repercussions. Since then she and Debra have entertained at charitable benefits, barndances and special events, charming beginning and advanced dancers alike with their mix of Irish and old-timey tunes. Anne also played for many years with the Raggedy Annes (with Charlie Hancock and Andy Eggleston), cultivating a sweet, expressive twin-fiddle sound. A versatile performer, she also plays for Irish and English country dancing and sings with the Christmas Revels.
Chip Curry's grandfather was an Ozark fiddler, his father was a fine singer and guitar picker. Chip grew up following their toe taps playing many stringed instruments with a particular delight for the fiddle and banjo. He performs several hundred shows a year at senior communities in the Bay Area.
The Treble Makers are Anne Goess (fiddle, whistle), Chip Curry (fiddle, mandolin, banjo), and Debra Tayleur (piano). Together they bring New England, Old Time, French Canadian, Contra Chestnuts and other spirited tunes to life with a combination of driving rhythm, soaring improvisations, and just plain fun! Anne is a remarkable musician whose fiddling in the Raggedy Annes has been a special treat for Bay Area dancers. Chip is a multi-instrumentalist who plays in several bands (String Summit, Banjo Twins, the Rascals), and also performs several hundred shows a year for children, seniors and general audiences. Debra loves to find ways to enliven the music through piano, sometimes almost forgetting to play when the dueling fiddles are just too scrumptious!
© Robin Buell 2014
David Buesch began contra dancing in 1997, and tries to make it possible for others to experience the pleasure of dancing. While living in Las Vegas, Nevada, he began to expand his involvement beyond being just a Saturday night dancer by attending dance weekends that increased the exposure to other dancers’ experience and styles, and so there came greater insights into the nuances, intricacies, and enjoyments of the dance. His contributions to the local dance community expanded by playing in (and being the sound person) for one of the local bands, becoming one of the (budding) callers, and serving for several years on the board of the Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra dancers (SNOCD). These experiences helped illuminate the interconnectedness of dancing from turning on the lights, to being a supportive partner to all on the floor, to understanding that the dance only happens when the caller, band, and dancers are there together.
David moved to the Bay Area in 2011, and dances with and supports the Palo Alto Contra Dance community (where he is a dance manager), and has helped with American Dance & Music Week. He enjoys dancing at the variety of venues and one-night, weekend, and week-long events. David attended Contra College in 2012 and 2013 as an experienced dancer, and is a strong supporter of the philosophy of Contra College. He appreciates the opportunities provided by the Contra College experience to enable individuals to expand their abilities and to strengthen the community.