Ring in the New Year dancing at the Folk School during Winter Dance Week to the glorious music of NOTORIOUS and FOXFIRE! This year’s all-star staff include dance callers David Millstone and Adina Gordon, group harmony singing by Suzannah Park & Nathan Morrison, partner dancing loveliness by Mathew Duveneck & Anna Gilbert, Morris and Rapper Sword coaching by Carl Dreher and Mathew Duveneck and topped off by a Callers Workshop by our own Bob Dalsemer.
Limited work exchange scholarships are available. Phone the office or email anniefain@folkschool.org to request a scholarship application.
Here’s the tentative schedule for this year’s Winter Dance Week:
8:15-am Breakfast 9:00-10:10 Contras and Squares – Adina & Notorious 10:15 -10:45 Morningsong – Suzannah & Nathan 10:50 -12:00 Couple Dancing – Matthew, Anna & Notorious 10:50 -12:00 Challenging English Country – David &Foxfire 12:15 Lunch 1:20:-2:20 English Country for All – Adina & Foxfire 1:20:-2:20 Rapper Sword – Carl & J.D. 2:30-3:30 Contras and Squares – David & Foxfire 3:40-4:40 Morris Dancing – Matthew & Carl . 3:40-4:40 Singing – Suzannah & Nathan 3:40-4:40 Callers¹ Workshop – Bob 4:50-5:50 Couple Dancing – Matthew, Anna & Notorious 4:50-5:50 Jam Session – J.D. 6:00 pm Supper 7:15 pm Gathering with Suzannah & Nathan 8-11 pm DANCE! (Monday 8:00-10:00) 8-10 pm English Dancing (Friday, Saturday, Sunday only) 11:00 pm Refreshments
Let’s get to know a little bit about our current host, Aurelia!
CP:Where are you from and what do you do there? AE: I am from Virginia, but I work in Forestry and Land Management so I often move around for seasonal work.
CP:How did you hear about the Folk School? AE: My parents took classes here back in the day (1970s/80s), so I grew up with having the catalog around the house. When I was young I would pick out one class every week that I wanted to take. So I guess you could say that being host is a childhood dream come true because now, as host, I get to pick out a class every week!
CP:What is a favorite Folk School memory? AE: I love sitting around with folks in the community, having conversations and crafting.
CP:What are your “silver bullets?” AE: Tinsmithing, Weaving – Celebration Towels, and Clay
CP:What’s your favorite place at the Folk School? AE: The Rivercane Walk – I try to go on a walk there every day.
CP:What is your favorite thing about being host? AE: When you are host, you are so integrated in the community – you get to see all the classes and meet all the instructors. It’s a really neat perspective.
CP:Favorite Dining Hall food? AE: Quiche!
CP:Do you play an instrument? AE: I built a Mountain Dulcimer, but I don’t know how to play it…yet.
CP:If you were a Contra dance move, what Contra dance move would you be? AE: Balance & Swing
CP: If you spent the rest of your life at the Folk School, what house would you stay in and why? AE: Farm house – it has the best front porch.
CP:What’s your favorite thing you’ve made at the Folk School? AE: Pottery bowls in Kevin Crowe’s class.
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Do you have questions that you want to ask a host? Leave your interview question ideas in the comments
The Folk School is going to be featured on Craft in America’s Holiday episode! It will air on PBS December 20th this year… but you don’t have to wait that long! Join us December 5th at 7:00pm in Keith House Living Room or December 10th at 8:30pm in the Keith House Community room to see a special premiere!
Here’s a preview. Can’t see it? Try reloading your browser.
________________________ Thursday, December 5, 2013 7:00 pm Wreath Making Learn to make decorative holiday wreaths for free with supplies provided by the Folk School. The wreaths created will be used to beautify the Folk School during the holiday season. Sign up by calling the main office at 828-837-2775 or sign up on the sheet outside of the main office. Please ask for Tammy or Kim. Limited space available
________________________ Sunday, December 8, 2013 10:00 am-5:00 pm Fireside Sale Enjoy the ambiance of live holiday music and a crackling fire as you shop for artful treasures in our beautifully decorated Keith House and visit the artists in Davidson Hall (next to the Craft Shop). Craftspeople will offer handmade items such as jewelry, weaving, forged iron, photography, quilts and turned wood. You’re sure to find special, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts here!
Also, our Craft Shop will be offering 15% off during the Fireside Sale. The 15% off sale will last from November 28 to December 24. Shop for handmade gifts made by local and regional artists in a variety of media including jewelry, fiber, wood items, forged metal, pottery, and more.
________________________ Monday, December 9, 2013 7:00 pm David Brose Holiday Concert Playing banjo, guitar, mandolin and ukulele, David and family will perform sacred and secular holiday classics, often inviting the audience to participate.
________________________ Wednesday, December 11, 2013 7:00 pm A Christmas Carol Reading with Bob Grove In period costume, Bob Grove will present a dramatic reading of the classic tale, including character voices. In the familiar story, miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future who, in the course of a night, convince him to abandon his “bah, humbug” ways.
________________________ Thursday, December 12, 2013 7:00 pm Smokie Mountain Melodies Concert Smokie Mountain Melodies‘ program of favorite Christmas songs and carols will take you back to joyous holidays you remember. This local ladies’ barbershop chorus sings four part harmony with style, joy and humor that is sure to entertain.
________________________ Friday, December 13, 2013 7:00 pm Brasstown Ringer’s Holiday Concert Brasstown Ringers, the community handbell group of western North Carolina and north Georgia continues to challenge its ringers and its audiences with new and exciting music, as well as old favorites.
________________________ Saturday, December 14, 2013 1:00 pm Holiday Kids Party Saturday December 14, 2013 is the Kids’ Party (1-3pm)! Be sure to come over to the Folk School for the fun. The Holiday Kids’ Party will have music, dancing, activities, a visit from Santa and best of all, home made gingerbread cookies!
8:30 pm Holiday Dance Come celebrate the holidays with us on the dance floor! Free admission! Holiday treats potluck! Bring your favorite refreshment to share. The calling and music will be a splendid array of local talent. Guest callers welcome (let us know in advance). Beginners, couples and singles are welcome.
________________________ Evening Dances During Winter Dance Week Open to our local dance community. There will be a mix of contras, squares and English country dances. (Experienced Contra Dancers Only, Please. These dances coincide with our winter dance week. Thanks for your consideration.)
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 8:00 pm – 1:00 pm New Year’s Eve Dance! Admission $15
December Classes at the Folk School
Join us for our Special Long Weekend December 4-7, 2013 Our after-Thanksgiving schedule allows a once-a-year opportunity—a Long Weekend! One day longer than our traditional weekend, this session features Wednesday afternoon arrivals and Saturday midday departures, giving you plenty of time to learn a new skill, make new friends, and enjoy the Folk School.
Join us for Holiday in the Mountains Week December 8-14, 2013 Experience the Folk School around the most magical time of year. Choose from lots of wonderful classes and enjoy the holiday spirit at the Folk School with a different holiday event each night.
Join us for Winter Dance Week December 26- January 1 The Folk School’s popular year-end folk dance and music celebration will feature American contras and squares, English country dancing, waltz and other couple dances, rapper sword and morris dancing, singing, jam sessions, and more, with glorious live music. The week ends with a gala New Year’s Eve party and New Year’s morning breakfast. Previous contra and/or English country dance experience is highly recommended. Watch the “Dance Events” page of our website in spring 2013 for instructor listing and more information on this annual tradition.
As you may have heard, Jan Davidson, our director, recently took a trip to Los Angeles for A Celebration of the Life & Work of David Rakoff at the New Beverly Cinema. David Rakoff was known for his humor writing which was often featured on the NPR program “This American Life.” He was also a Folk School enthusiast.
David Rakoff weaving baskets at the John C. Campbell Folk School
Jan and David Rakoff became friends when David came to the Folk School for a visit, where he took a basket-weaving class. He later wrote an article about his experience at the Folk School “A Basket Case in North Carolina” which was featured in the New York Times in 2007. Like many of us, David fell in love with the school and spoke about it often to his friends back home.
Last year, David Rakoff completed his last novel, Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, just before his death in August 2012. Normally David would have done a tour to promote his book, but because he wasn’t around, his friends got together and did one for him. Ira Glass, Sarah Thyre, Sarah Vowell and others organized a reading of Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish in New York with lots of David’s friends including Jan. After hearing about the Folk School, Sarah Thyre brought her son to Little Middle Folk School in June this year.
Here’s a photo of Jan with (left to right) Amy Poehler, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and Laura Krafft. Cynthia is a writer (among her credits, Country Living Easy Kitchen Makeovers, and humor) Laura won an Emmy writing the Colbert Report.
Next, Sarah wanted to organize a west coast tour. At the New Beverly Cinema in LA, Sarah hosted about a dozen of David’s friends including actress, comedian, voice artist, producer and writer Amy Poehler, actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer Andy Richter and television host, comedian, writer, producer, and voice actor Conan O’Brien. The group was practically bursting with talent and comedy and included writers from Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, and the David Letterman Show.
Although David had told all of his friends about The John C. Campbell Folk School, not very many audience members knew about it. So they opened up the evening show by treating 300 unsuspecting audience members to Lord Daniel, Folk School Morningsong murder ballad. Lord Daniel was one of the ballads collected by our founder, Olive Campbell in Appalachia, and is one of Jan’s favorite songs to sing at Monday Morningsong.
Jan and Conan O’Brien at the New Beverly Cinema
The next Los Angeles adventure was a premier, concert and question & answer session with Jan Davidson at the Craft in America Study Center run by Carol Sauvion. Craft in America is noted for its television PBS series whose episode, “Holiday” will highlight John C. Campbell Folk School. This episode will air nationwide on December 20th. The program will feature Scandinavian woodcarving instructor Harley Refsal and Folk School student John Balzar. It will also have music by local Brasstown band, The Dog Branch Cats. Click here for a list of other preview screenings of Craft in America’s “Holiday” episode.
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