Staff: |
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| The Playford Ball - Dancing
master David Newitt, with music by the Guppies (Kathrine Gardner, Craig
Johnson, Jim Oakden) and special guest Danny Carnahan |
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David Newitt arrived at Swarthmore College
in the fall of 1976 and was shocked to discover that this pillar of higher education had a
two year physical education requirement. Faced with the alternatives of being smashed to
pieces on the football field and going to "folk and square
dancing," the choice was clear, and he has been dancing ever since. Starting
with international folk dancing, he was soon dragged into the local Scottish Country Dance
group, the college morris and rapper sword team, and, when it started in 1978, the
Kingsessing Morris
team of Philadelphia. After a couple years in Colorado working for HP and teaching folk
dancing, he came to Berkeley in 1982 to work on a Ph.D. in physics and to do country and
display dancing. He has concentrated on country dancing in the Bay Area, teaching and
playing music for regular Scottish and English dances, and calling contras and the
occasional square dance. |
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The Guppies ("Geographically Unsuited
Players") have been playing together since 1981, and it shows! Named as a pun
on a then-brand new term, yuppie, it reflected a collective 6-hour commute for them to get
together and rehearse. The band jumps effortlessly and shamelessly between English
country, contradance, southern tunes and Celtic music of various flavors, as well as
mining rich veins of dance music throughout Europe. They've played countless
weddings, been at BACDS' Mendocino English Week and Fall Weekend, and are a regular
fixture in the schedules of community dance in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.
There's lot more information at
their website. |
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| 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
including Fall Weekend, 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. Jim is a board member
of the Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz, led the band for the 2000
Playford Ball, and programmed the 2001 and 2002 BACDS Fall Weekends.
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Danny
Carnahan is one of the Bay Area's best-known Celtic musicians,
and plays for English dancing as well. He's been performing, producing,
and recording Celtic music for over 25 years, playing octave mandolin,
guitar, fiddle, cello, and singing. He toured extensively and has a
20-year discography of releases with other artists (Chris Caswell, Robin
Petrie, Wake the Dead, and many more). Originally trained as a classical
cellist, he has in recent years gone back to his roots and begun playing
in dance bands and baroque ensembles when not pursuing his Celtic career.
Danny current teaches studio recording at Diablo Valley College, writes
for Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin Magazine, and performs with his 7-piece
band Wake the Dead, combining Celtic music with the song of the Frateful
Dead. You can find out more at
his website. |
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East Bay Workshop - Caller Bruce Hamilton,
music by Charlie Hancock and Avis Minger
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Bruce Hamilton
has been doing English Dancing, both country and Morris, since 1967, and
calling since 1971. He started the San Jose (now Peninsula) English dance
and founded the Deer Creek Morris Men. He's taught week-long workshops at
Mendocino, Pinewoods and Buffalo Gap, and weekend workshops all over North
America, as well as being the "house caller" for country-dance tours of
England. He's also put together and run a semester-long caller's class.
He's also been Scottish Country Dancing and teaching for the same length
of time ("I love them both!", he says.) Bruce and his wife Jo share a
weekly class, and have also trained Scottish dance teachers. By day,
Bruce is a computer scientist at Agilent Technologies. "I don't have any
hobbies besides dancing -- not enough nights in the week!" |
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Besides being the programmer for the BACDS Wednesday Night English Country Dance series,
Charlie Hancock has done it all. His piano
and accordion are familiar sounds at BACDS dances and camps. He plays for
English, contra, and Scottish country dancing, and plays a bit of jazz for fun.
Often seen with the Contrabandits, he has appeared at numerous camps and
festivals playing piano and accordion. His infusion of high energy and equal
facility in accompanying English Country, contras, and ritual dancing, make him
a special addition to any event. He also suffers from being an incredible
friendly and nice guy. |
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Avis Minger is not only the musical anchor
for Emperor Norton's Fire Brigade and Hose Company #2 (a local longsword team),
but you can find her at all kinds of dance events. Equally proficient in
both Renaissance Faire and contemporary English Country Dance styles, Avis is a
perennial favorite and has been featured at both the Fall Ball band and the Playford Ball. |
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Peninsula Workshop -
Caller Bob Fraley, music by Bill Jensen, Stan and Susan Kramer |
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| Bob Fraley is
best-known in BACDS as the long-time caller of the Palo Alto English
dance, and a favorite dancing master at both the Fall Ball and Playford
Ball's in years part. He also has a national reputation as a leader
of Scandinavian couple-dancing, and has been featured for his hambo
workshops at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival. |
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Ball Rehearsal -
A cavalcade of callers, music by Ruth Anne Fraley, Shira Kammen, Erin Vang |
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Shira Kammen is
fiddling extraordinaire. A hit at English Week in 1999 and 2000, the
Playford Ball in 2000, and Fall Weekend in 2002, she's been a highlight of
many San Francisco Christmas Revels shows. She has a degree in music from
UC Berkeley and is a member of Ensembles Alcatraz, Project Ars Nova, and
Medieval Strings. She has performed and taught around the US and the
world, and is at home in many musical genres, including English and
Breton. |
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A native of Montana, Erin Vang
holds degrees in horn performance from St. Olaf College and Northwestern
University and has studied with Boris Rybka, Kendall Betts, and Dale
Clevenger. She freelanced in the Chicago area for seven years; highlights
include Le Cid and Die Walküre with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, tours of
Korea and Germany with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and performances
with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Symphony II, and Symphony of the
Shores. Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, she has been
performing with the San Jose Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Festival
Opera, Sacramento Philharmonic, Monterey Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Napa
Valley Symphony, Women's Philharmonic, and the Foghorn Quartet. Erin and
various beasts from the brass family have also been showing up at Bay Area
English and morris events (Bufflehead Northwest
Morris team having suffered a particularly acute infestation). Most
importantly, you can find out about the motorcycle she's selling at
her
website. |
