Teaching Staff Bios
Brooke Friendly
Brooke Friendly is known for her warm yet commanding personality, her clear and concise teaching, her creativity, and her sense of whimsy. She has a strong sense of what makes for a good community and she makes the learning experience fun and relaxing. Brooke has been on staff at camps, weekends, festivals, balls, and workshops throughout North America, England, and Australia. She has taught dance using global/positional language and strategies since 1981 and as a result of the pandemic now teaches a variety of online workshops for callers. With partner Chris Sackett she has choreographed hundreds of dances, producing six books with accompanying CDs that feature the band Roguery.
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Kalia Kliban
Kalia Kliban has been part of the California Bay Area traditional dance scene since the mid-80s, performing and teaching in a wide range of styles. At dance camps and festivals across the country she has taught morris, longsword, English and American clogging, English country dance and contra, and she's a regular contra and English caller in the vibrant Bay Area dance community. Her welcoming and relaxed teaching style has helped dancers of all levels experience the joy of traditional dance. Kalia and Sharon are co–programmers for Fall Frolick this year.
Kalia will teach ECD and Contra.back to top
Sharon Green
Sharon Green has been calling and choreographing English country dances since 1993. Since the pandemic, her current major dance activity has been co-leading (with Kalia Kliban) the Oddly Even Sundays English dance on Zoom, as well as calling for BACDS's virtual Fall Frolick, Hey Days, and Family Week. The original program director of Fall Frolick in 2008, she has been involved with the weekend in one way or another since its inception. Sharon and Kalia are co–programmers for Fall Frolick this year.
Sharon will call for ECD live and online.back to top
Adrienne Simpson
Known for her infectious sense of fun and clarity of instruction, Adrienne Simpson has a well-rounded dance background ranging from English Country dance and contra to Argentine tango. She has taught French, Galician, and Breton dance, couple dancing, and other forms of social dance for over ten years.
Adrienne will teach Balfolk and Couple Dancing.back to top
Music/Sound Staff Bios
Audrey Knuth Jaber
Audrey Jaber hails from Honolulu. She moved to Boston in 2008 to attend Berklee College of Music and to explore the thriving New England folk scene. After graduating, Audrey has made a name for herself in the music community, as a dance fiddler specializing in English dance, New England, Celtic, and Old Time tunes, and as an audio engineer. With her bands, The Free Raisins, The Gaslight Tinkers, Audacious (with Larry Unger) and Wake Up Robin, she has travelled across the US and Europe, playing for dances and concerts. She's equally adept at teaching workshops, and has been on staff at various camps including CDSS English week at Pinewoods, Ashokan Northern Week, BACDS American Week, and Halsway Manor. Audrey's fiddle playing is rhythmically lively and spontaneous; she's guaranteed to get you up and dancing. You will find more information at audreyknuth.com.
Audrey will play for ECD.back to top
Persons of Quality
Persons of Quality features Jon Berger on fiddle, viola, and melodeon, Rebecca King on piano and woodwinds, and multi-instrumentalist Jim Oakden. Their first recording (before they decided on a band name) is Farnicle Huggy, an album for reconstructions of 18th century English country dances by the same name. Next of Kynaston is a compilation of tunes from earlier collections of dances. The Elephant Stairs album accompanies a dance book by the same name.
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Jon Berger
Jon Berger has played for morris, sword, English country, and contra dance in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976. He is well known for his powerful music, and, while playing for morris, his ability to maintain a connection between the music, the dancers and the dance. His recordings include three albums with Persons of Quality. Jon is also a former member of Tempest, a Celtic rock band that plays for an entirely different style of dancing.
Jon will play for ECD.back to top
Rebecca King
Rebecca King's classical piano training took a detour when she began playing for folk dances. She found that English Country Dance music was the perfect combination of classical chamber music with the improvisation of jazz. She plays for dances throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and has played in England, Italy, and throughout the US. She has recorded 3 albums with the trio Persons of Quality, including Farnicle Huggy for Andrew Shaw, played on Dances from the Greenery for Sharon Green, and released a solo piano CD and book of her own compositions titled Nearer & Farther. Listen at rebeccakingmusic.com.
Rebecca will play for ECD.back to top
Jim Oakden
Jim Oakden started playing piano and clarinet at an early age and stumbled into early music from the classical music scene. After six years performing early music, he discovered the world of traditional and ethnic music. Having diverse tastes, he has played in many bands and performs on an absurd number of instruments, including accordion, mandolin, several styles of bagpipes, recorders, whistle and zurna (to name but a few). A dancer himself, he specializes in playing for dancers in a bunch of bands for ECD, contra, morris, Irish, Breton/French, Greek, and Bulgarian. He has been on staff at myriad dance camps throughout the country. In addition to the Persons of Quality CDs, his recordings include 7 albums with Roguery.
Jim will play for ECD, BalFolk, and couple dancing.back to top
Jeffrey Spero
Jeffrey Spero has been playing piano and singing since he was five years old. At a young age he discovered an affinity for popular music and developed his style emulating musicians like James Taylor, Elton John, and Bruce Hornsby. In his 30s, he brought his rhythmic style to American and Celtic folk and dance music and now travels around the country playing dances, concerts, and festivals with bands such as Syncopaths and Rhythm Raptors. In addition to editing and music, Jeffrey is a contradance caller and choreographer whose dances have been enjoyed all across this country and overseas.
Jeffrey will play for ECD.back to top
Christopher Jacoby
Christopher Jacoby (he/him) plays accordion, mandolin and guitar for Contras, English, and Scottish country dancing. He has performed in many bands and combinations over the years[1], but you might have seen him with: Audrey Knuth Jaber (and others), Wind Weavers, Ground Lift, Switching Protocols, Phoenix, and Last Exit. He can be heard on "Last Exit's Greatest Hits (by Last Exit)" [2], and on the recently released [3] "Remember Restaurants...?" by Audrey & Christopher.
[1] frequent conversation with his wife: "How many bands are you in?" "How do you define a band exactly? How many gigs do you need to play to be a band?"
[2] Only on CD! Contact Christopher for copies. You don't want to miss out, it's a great record.
[3] Technically not actually released yet
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Sande Gillette
Sande Gillette has both feet firmly in the two worlds of dance and classical music, combining technical skill and raw talent with an all-consuming passion for fiddling. As a dance musician she plays inventive English country dance and contra fiddle with Tricky Brits and Bag o' Tricks. As a classical musician she played violin in the Seattle Symphony. Her dual lives provide lucky dancers with superb fiddling music. Sande embodies her band's split personality - one moment her instrument sings through an intricate melody in perfect intonation, while a minute later she's sawing through an old-timey classic.
Sande will play for ECDback to top
Alan Roberts
Alan Robert is our fabulous sound engineer. A regular sound engineer at dance events in the Northwest and at CDSS weeks at Pinewoods, he is also a fiddle player and dancer. Aware of the nuances that make us happy, he is able to provide a great experience for callers, band members, and dancers.
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