From the Mic is a podcast about North American social dance calling
Through conversations with callers across the continent, host Mary Wesley will explore the world of square, contra, and community dance callers. Why do they do it? How did they learn? What is their role, on stage and off, in shaping our dance communities? What can they tell us about the particular corner of the dance world that they know, and love, the best?
Each episode we’ll hear from a different caller, but they all have something in common – a spark, a desire to lead, to share joy, to invite movement, to stand in that special place between the band and a room full of dancers (or people who don’t yet know that they’re dancers), and from the mic say “Find a partner, let’s dance!”
From the Mic Episode 20 – Susan Kevra January 9, 2024 - I think the caller ideally should be part of the band. Not to upstage the band, but that there should be an effort to think about what you're doing musically. ~ Susan Kevra Mary's guest this month is Susan Kevra, a dance caller, musician, and singer who makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee. Dancers on both sides of the Atlantic appreciate her diverse repertoire of singing squares, Western patter calls, contras, and English country dances. Susan is noted for her warmth, clear teaching, and lovely voice. She has choreographed a number of well-loved contra and square dances, including “Trip to… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 19 – Ben Sachs-Hamilton December 1, 2023 - Seeing the community that exists around this dancing—seeing how much it means to people and looking back and seeing how many of the close friendships and relationships in my life have come from this community—I want to do whatever I can to support it and help it grow and thrive. ~Ben Sachs-Hamilton In this episode Mary is joined by contra dance caller and community organizer Ben Sachs-Hamilton - right in her own living room in Burlington, VT! Ben started contra dancing at 12 and started teaching dances at 15. Since then he has called and organized for dances across the… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 18 – David Smukler November 8, 2023 - How many parts of our lives are all organized around this idea of joyful interaction? When we dance, why are we getting together except to do this beautiful thing that's been around forever and that keeps evolving. ~David Smukler This episode we hear from the most wonderful David Smukler. A dance caller, scholar, organizer, choreographer, teacher, champion of chestnuts…the list goes on. David joined Mary over zoom from his home in Syracuse, New York. Behind him in the background were rows and rows of books about dance, music, and song. He grew up singing folk songs with his mom and… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 17 – Susan Petrick October 6, 2023 - I love treating each night as an experiment, and it really is, everything comes together differently. No two dances, no two evenings of contra dancing are ever exactly the same. You never know what it's going to turn out like, but you know it's going to be unique, never to be exactly duplicated and that's part of the joy of it for dancers and for a caller. ~ Susan Petrick This episode we head to northern California for a conversation with the wonderful Susan Petrick. An avid dancer for many years, Susan started calling for contra dances in 2000 and… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 16 – Catherine Burns August 23, 2023 - Catherine Burns has been at the heart of the Ottawa contra dance scene for decades. Born in Switzerland to Canadian parents Catherine traveled the world in her youth then became the house caller for the Old Sod Folk Music Society when they started a dance in the late 90s. Since then, she’s been a steady presence in the Ottawa dance scene, helping to mentor new callers and shape a warm and welcoming community in her chosen home town. ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 15 – Luke Donforth July 4, 2023 - It's amazing to see that many people just blissed out and dancing and having gotten to help them get there as a collective, as a group of people...and being like, "I helped this." I didn't play an instrument, but I helped them get there together with the music... ~ Luke Donforth This month Mary is joined by longtime friend, collaborator, and fellow Vermont caller Luke Donforth. As a caller, he brings a warm and inviting playfulness to the stage. He calls new compositions and traditional contras at weekly dances, barn dances, weddings, and festivals all over the country. On the local… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 14 – Steve Zakon-Anderson May 30, 2023 - I think what the caller brings is probably different for each person who's there...it's experience, it's confidence, it's preparation, it's knowing your material. But it's all packaged and presented with your personality. ~ Steve Zakon-Anderson In 1980, Steve walked into his first contra dance not knowing how it would change his life! He started calling three years after that and has now danced, called, taught and organized contra dances for over 40 years. In that time, Steve has called and taught at dance events in 43 states, and a number of other countries. Steve is appreciated by dancers for his… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 13 – Louise Siddons May 3, 2023 - In this episode, Mary interviews Louise Siddons about her involvement with communities in Michigan and Oklahoma, and across the pond in the UK. We'll also learn about her work developing and teaching the practice of “positional calling” for social dance, which has recently culminated in a new book, published through CDSS, called Dancing the Whole Dance: Positional Calling for Contra. In the interview Louise shares what it’s been like to step into a leading role in the discussion about positional calling, and how her personal experiences on and off the dance floor have shaped her approach to dance leadership. ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 12 – Wendy Graham March 30, 2023 - My only job is to help people have fun. Fun, F-U-N, three letter word. That's it! ~ Wendy Graham Wendy Graham (Durango, Colorado) is a self-proclaimed “dance maniac.” Her passion for music, song and dance caught fire in 1991 on a Danish-American Exchange (DAE) youth dance tour to Denmark. Today, Wendy leads English and American community folk dances and teaches social couples dance across the country and around the world. She proudly served on the Lloyd Shaw Foundation and Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) boards, and the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award committee. She loves building community and sharing the… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
From the Mic Episode 11 – Will Mentor February 24, 2023 - This episode, Mary talks with Will Mentor, who began his calling career in Fairfield, Iowa, 1995. Since then he has called dances, dance weekends, and weeklong dance camps all over the United States. Canada, and Europe. Now from Northern Vermont, Will is known for his clear teaching, upbeat wit, and relaxed stage presence. He loves to choreograph evenings with a variety of dances and tempos that at times surprise and always delight. All this while keeping intact his guiding principle as a caller: "It's about the dancers!" ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!