Staff

Instructors

JoLaine Jones-Pokorney • Dance Instruction

JoLaine Jones-Pokorney has been dancing for over 20 years, and danced at hundreds of weekend festivals and week-long events all over the country and the globe. She began calling about ten years ago on a month-long contra dance trip to New Zealand. In grange halls all over the South Island of NZ, folks who had never contra danced before came out to try this new dance the Americans were bringing to their town. As a cub caller, she played a minor role in the calling of that event, but the idea of incorporating new dancers has fueled her calling ever since. JoLaine has a huge collection of dances appropriate for all skill levels. The goal is keeping it fun, focusing on connection and teamwork. JoLaine looks forward to joining the staff at Contra College 2020.

Alan Winston • Dance, Waltz, and Caller Instruction

Caller, choreographer, and community leader, Alan Winston started country dancing in 1978 and has been calling English and historical dances since 1985, contra since 2006. His clear, cheerful, and witty instruction serve dancers well at regular and gender-free dances and camps (Lark Camp, Heather & Rose Camp, BACDS Family Week and American Week) all over the West Coast, festivals on both coasts, and special venues like science fiction conventions (BayCon, Arisia, Westercon, WorldCon), Romance Writers of America conventions, and Civil War reenactments, introducing many to dancing for the first time. Alan has written popular English dances ("Movement Afoot", "New Decade Waltz)" and contra dances ("Dipping Dots" and "The Lowdown"). He has taught "Intro to waltz" workshops for festivals on both coasts. Long-time chair of the Bay Area Country Dance Society, Alan co-managed BACDS Fall Weekend for over a decade, and has served many years on other camp committees. It is Alan's great happiness to share the joy of community through country dance. Alan instructed during Contra College 2019, and this year will again lead the Waltz session along with Callers’ sessions.

Jim Oakden • Music In Dance Instruction

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 bands, 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 the Santa Cruz contras, 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. Jim led the “How to Hear and Dance to Contra Music” session at Contra College in 2013 and 2016-2019, and will again offer it this year.

Musicians

Kevin Carr • Saturday Musician

Kevin Carr played his first contra dance forty years ago. Since then he has played dances, dance weekends and camps throughout North America, most often with the Hillbillies from Mars. He mostly plays fiddle, but doubles on Quebecois squeezebox, and the bagpipes of several mountainous, green, rainy culturally rich countries. He currently plays in a wide variety of groups, including Wake the Dead, Family Carr, les Tetes de Violon, Orujo, and as a solo storyteller. Kevin played for Contra College 2019, and is returning this year to play with Jim Oakden.

Jim Oakden • Saturday Musician

Please refer to description above.

Back Pocket • Sunday Musicians • Contra College Grad Dance

Photograph of Jess Newman and Will Wheeler as Back Pocket

Back Pocket, with Jess Newman and Will Wheeler, formed about a year ago during a pick-up gig. Jess and Will recognized a common musical bond with a variety of traditional music styles, and especially enjoy playing for dances.

Jess Newman has been playing fiddle and tin whistle in the Scottish music scene for over ten years, and recently landed on the contra dance scene with Bay Area band Pepperjack, and later formed Back Pocket. She came to the fiddle through online lessons and fiddle camps, and found her wheelhouse in playing for dances. Her driving, rhythmic fiddle style draws inspiration from Ben Schreiber, Galen Fraser and her fiddle teacher Ryan McKasson. Jess also enjoys writing original tunes with guitar and mandolin player Mark Price, (see http://jessandmarkmusic.com).

Will Wheeler plays guitar, fiddle, and nyckelharpa. After playing bodhran at California Renaissance Faires, in 1999 at Lark Camp, he was inspired to become proficient in Irish, English, Swedish, New England, and Quebecois music. These days he plays for Irish dances, a local belly-dance troupe, and contra dances with Back Pocket, The Transbay Trio, and The wiNgNuts. He has taught at BACDS family week, and is the director of Lark Traditional Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to education about traditional music, song, and dance.

Scott Jespersen • Musician with Back Pocket on Sunday at Contra College Grad Dance

Scott Jespersen is a pianist, fiddler, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from the Bay Area. After years playing classical violin, he began Irish fiddle lessons from Lee Anne Welch, who introduced him to contra dance. Since then, he has composed and performed in different settings: dance bands, jazz combos, a cappella groups, choirs, worship bands, and symphony orchestras. He plays contras with Pepperjack (with Jess Newman, among others) and Back Pocket, and writes and jams with Nebula (jazz quintet).

Organizer • Chancellor

David Buesch

David Buesch began contra dancing in 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and a few years later he began attending dance weekends. He contributed to the Las Vegas dance community by playing in one of the bands, being the sound person, becoming a (budding) caller, and serving on the board of the Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra dancers. These experiences helped illuminate the interconnectedness of dancing from turning on the lights, to being a supportive partner to all on the floor.

David moved to the bay area in 2011, and enjoys dancing at the variety of venues including one- night, weekend, and week-long events. He supports the Palo Alto and San Jose Contra Dance communities as a dance manager, and has been Co-Manager of American Dance & Music Week 2018-2019. He attended Contra College in 2012 and 2013 as an experienced dancer, and is a strong supporter of the philosophy of and opportunities by the collage experience to enable individuals to expand their abilities and to strengthen the community. David has been Chancellor of Contra College from 2016 to present.

Bay Area Country Dance Society

Promoting Traditional English and American Music and Dance