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Jon Berger (fiddle, concertina) has played music for Morris, English country, and contra dances since 1976. A former musician for Berkeley Morris, he now plays for Apple Tree Morris in Sebastopol, and in the dance bands Flashpoint and Midnight Smorgasbord. He is well-known for his powerful music, and, while playing for Morris, for his ability to maintain a connection between the music, the dancers and the dance. A regular musician at Bay Area and North Bay English country dances, Jon is also a former member of Tempest, a Celtic rock band that plays for an entirely different style of dancing.
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Noel
CraggNoel Cragg has been playing for Mayfield Morris and Sword since 2000, and all who've heard him know he is an excellent display dance musician. A man of many musical talents, he studied music at Oberlin Conservatory and participated in many early music and baroque ensembles. Noel has degrees in Musicology (Music History) and Computer Science (to some perhaps an odd combination, but not to us!). Before that Noel wasted his youth playing the oboe and piano. At camp he'll be playing for display dance classes and making wonderful espresso at breakfast time.
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Daron DouglasDaron Douglas makes her Mendocino double debut this summer, playing fiddle at both American and English dance weeks. A veteran dance musician with a traditional Appalachian upbringing, she has been on the staff at CDSS camps, at Ashokan, and at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C. Daron formerly played with the Knoxville Early Music Project and the Hominy Mamas. Now living in New Orleans, she currently plays with the contra dance band Misbehavin' and with Dave Wiesler and Paul Oorts in Goldcrest. She thanks her mountain grandmother for her ballads and also for her preoccupation with gardening. (Photo by Ted Crane)
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Ruth
Anne FraleyRuth Anne Fraley has been playing piano and accordion for English country dancing for over 20 years. She started playing for Scandinavian and international folk dancing when she was on staff at Wisconsin's Folklore Village during the 1970's, and still plays accordion with Nattergal Scandinavian Ensemble. A regular pianist at Bay Area English dances, Ruth Anne also composes splendid tunes, including the haunting Star of David, which she wrote at Mendocino.
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Earl
GaddisEarl Gaddis is a full-time dance musician, having played fiddle and viola for a mixture of English, Scottish, American and international dancing for nearly 40 years at dance camps, workshops and balls throughout the U.S. and abroad. As a member of Bare Necessities, he keeps busy recording the favorite dances of the Boston Centre, which are quickly becoming the favorites of dance groups around the world.
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Wayne
HankinWayne Hankin, whose Singing Technique class was such a hit at camp last summer, is again taking leave from Cirque du Soleil to join us at English Dance Week. Wayne specializes in wind instruments and has performed and recorded with early music groups such as New York's Ensemble for Early Music and Piffaro, The Renaissance Band. He is also an internationally renowned performer on the jaw harp.
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Jonathan
JensenJonathan Jensen is an inspired pianist in a wealth of musical styles from English country and contra to ragtime and jazz. He is a composer of brilliant English country dance tunes and waltzes, performer with Reunion, and bassist with the Baltimore Symphony. When not filling the piano chair at camp, he often rounds out the ensemble on whistle, recorder, ocarina or mandolin.
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Craig
Johnson Craig Johnson has been a staff member at local dance weeks and weekends for nearly 20 years, playing piano, accordion and guitar for English country, contra and display dance, and even leading singing on occasion. Over the years he's also been an embedded accompanist at dance events in the Northwest, Boston and the former USSR. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.
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