Country Dance and Song Society

Celebrating our 75th year at Pinewoods Camp

Community Dance Leaders Course at Pinewoods
July 19 - 26, 2008

As of June 3, this week has spaces available.

Timber Ridge	Pinewoods			Ogontz
English & American Family	Early Music Folk Music Community Dance Leaders Family Teachers	English Dance American Dance & Music Contra Dance Callers	Campers' English & American Square Dance Callers	Family Week 1 Family Week 2 Teachers

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Registration

Community Leaders Course at Pinewoods
July 19 - 26, 2008
Program Director:
Andy Davis

Tentative Class Schedule: [Back to Top]

7:45 - 8:15 Breakfast

8:45 - 9:00 Vocal and Body Warm-ups with Jeanne Morrill

9:00 - 11:15

Community Dance Leaders Seminar Andy Davis

11:15 - 12:15 Swimming, Bookstore staffed

12:15 Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 Class Period 3

Ballads Brian Peters

Fiddle Jeff Davis

Longsword Alistair Brown / John Roberts

Improvisation for Musicians Owen Morrison

Balkan Song and Dance Naomi Morse, Erica Morse, Anna Patton

Songs from Hampshire Tim Radford

2:45 - 3:45 Class Period 4

Songs of the Sea Brian Peters, John Roberts, Jeff Davis

Banjo: Scoop to Nuts Will Fielding

Ensemble Singing Dana Whittle, Claude Méthé

Songs from Further Back in the Attic Colleen Cleveland

Vocal Technique Jeanne Morrill

Dance Session for All Andy Davis / Naomi Morse, Erica Morse, Owen Morrison, Anna Patton

3:45 - 4:15 Refreshments in the Camphouse

4:15 - 5:15 All Camp Gathering in the Camphouse

5:15 - 6:30 Free time, Swimming, Bookstore staffed

6:30 Dinner

8:00 Staff Concert

9:15 Evening Dance Party

11:00 Late night activities

Program Description: [Back to Top]
Look up our Special Programs for some general information; here is more detail about this particular program and staff.

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in leading, organizing, calling for and playing for community dances.

Participants will spend part of the day in the Community Dance Leaders Course and part of the day, and the evenings, as full participants in the classes, dances and other activities of Folk Music Week.

At this week you will have the opportunity to:

Meet other leaders, callers and musicians.

Share materials and collect new dances.

Play for dancing, call dances and dance, dance, dance!

Be restored in a beautiful natural environment.

Take classes in a variety of vocal, instrumental and dance traditions.

You will return home with:

Inspiration to promote traditional dance in your community.

New friends, colleagues and powerful connections in the community dance world.

Pinewoods Camp is a beautiful place, nestled between two ponds, where music and dance have been nurtured for many years. Good food, friends, fresh air, wooden dance floors and a deep tradition of promoting music and dance make Pinewoods a place of inspiration and magic.

This program, held concurrently with Folk Music Week, is designed and led by Andy Davis who plays accordion and calls dances as well as playing banjo and piano. He teaches in the public schools of Dover and Brattleboro, VT, and as a visiting artist-in-residence. He specializes in teaching traditional dance and music. His work with young people led to his participation on two trips to Novosibirsk, Russia in 1988 and 1989. Andy has appeared as a dance musician, teacher and song leader at many well-known traditional music and dance camps throughout the U.S.

Andy’s calling of square and contra dances is often for the benefit of small community dances where dancers of all ages and levels of experience are encouraged to join in. His commitment to promoting traditional dance in schools and communities led him to start New England Dancing Masters (publishers of books, recordings and a video for teachers and recreation leaders) with Peter and Mary Alice Amidon and Mary Cay Brass.

Each December since 1987 Andy performs throughout new England with Nowell Sing We Clear, a concert of mid-winter carols, with Tony Barrand, John Roberts and Fred Breunig. The group specializes in traditional songs, shape-note hymns and instrumental dance music and customs from Christian and pagan traditions.

Class Descriptions: [Back to Top]
The course will include:

What do we mean by "community dance?"

The nuts and bolts of organizing dances... when, where and for whom.

Selecting dances from the rich traditions of play parties, singing games, longways, circles, squares, mixers, contras and folk dances.

Planning dance programs -- "To plan or not to plan..."

Playing music for community dances. Bring instruments!

Teaching for intergenerational groups, teenagers, beginners, schools, camps, weddings, etc.

Registration: [Back to Top]

This course is limited to 12 participants to ensure plenty of opportunity for active participation. The registration deadline is March 17. If it is oversubscribed on the 17th, there will be a lottery. Please clearly indicate on your registration form if you would like to attend Folk Music Week if you do not get into this course. Scholarships are available.