The Flying Shoes Radio Hour is a podcast featuring music and conversation with contra dance musicians
The Flying Shoes Radio Hour was created to highlight the roots and branches of the contra dance music we love, the musicians who play it with and for others, and the dancers of all ages that it inspires. The weekly show on WBFY Belfast Maine’s low power community radio station, usually features music from the station’s digital library. Sometimes the show features an in-studio interview with musicians, and this podcast is born from those live programs. In each episode, show host Chrissy Fowler welcomes contra dance musicians to an informal recording session, where we get to hear their sound up close and personal, as well as stories about their history and approach to playing.
Chrissy Fowler (host) was raised in the Katahdin Region of Maine, went to her first contra dance in Blue Hill in the 1980s, and returned to college thinking what a quirky thing they did down there on the coast. A few years later, when living in the NH seacoast, she dove in deep, embracing the tradition in all its quirkiness. She danced all over New England, co-organized a monthly contra dance, and learned to call with encouragement from a friend and mentor. When Chrissy moved back to Maine in 2004, she co-founded a monthly dance series, Belfast Flying Shoes. BFS is now a robust and multi-faceted arts nonprofit with many programs, including the Flying Shoes Radio Hour! Trained as a teacher, Chrissy makes her home in Belfast, where she’s a parent, a self-employed educator, and a nonprofit executive director. She loves contra dance music, in all its varied styles, moods, and instrumentation.
Ben Williams (producer) works for the Country Dance and Song Society, managing the digital and print publications as well as wearing various other hats. He works with Chrissy on the long-term planning and direction of the podcast, as well as handling the technical side of the website and hosting. Ben is an avid singer, contra and English dancer, as well as podcast lover!