Over 60 square dance enthusiasts came from all over the country (and internationally!) to participate in last weekend’s “Dare to Be Square” dance workshop. Dancers came as far as California, Texas, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and New York.

Why all the fuss?

This weekend made square dance history, as five of the nation’s top callers came together to teach and demonstrate five different regional styles of square dance. It’s all part of a project conceived by David Millstone (incoming president of CDSS), and will result in a website about the history of square dancing (www.squaredancehistory.org). Thanks to funding from Country Dance and Song Society, callers Larry Edelman, Bill Litchman, Jim Mayo, and Tony Parkes, and Phil Jamison were brought in as instructors, as well as our own caller extraordinaire, Bob Dalsemer. The instructors covered different styles of square dance from traditional western squares, New England squares, Appalachian squares, and modern western squares.

The musicians were of course, top notch, and were selected based on their versatility and ability to play for all styles. Musicians included Sam Bartlett, Claudio Buchwald, Steve Hickman, and Jim Morrison. The whole weekend was professionally recorded and will be included in the website project’s video archive.

See more photos of the weekend on Flickr.

This week at the Folk School, we have many talented musicians who serenade us on the Dining Hall porch before lunch, and provide incredible live music at contra dances each night. This treat is brought to us by the talented folks participating in Dance Musicians’ Week, an annual class that teaches musicians how to play together for contra and square dances.

Instructors David Kaynor, Peter Siegel, Naomi Morse, and Sue Songer play music for the nightly dances early in the week, and then turn it over to their musical proteges in the latter half of the week.

In conjunction with Little Middle Folk School last week, adults had some fun dance opportunities. The Dance Callers’ class gave callers great instruction and practice in calling contra and square dances. With the small class size, students benefited from plenty of personalized instruction and hands-on practice. Of course a contra dance can’t happen without dancers. Dancers also signed up for the week, to be guinea pigs for practicing callers. Energetic live music by Steve Hickman and John Devine kept everyone in high spirits.

The stories of our lives where dance and song are called for, go back to faraway lands where kings and villagers alike danced for joy.  Dance as a way to express joy that cannot be contained is part of many legends across the globe.  I know that you understand what I am talking about.  The many threads of our Southern Appalachian story can be seen beginning with the Singing Games or Play Party Games, which are a long time part of a vibrant mountain culture.  Almost any occasion where the earliest settlers and pioneers gathered, there was time to sing, clap, laugh,  and stomp in time with the music they created.  Not too different from what we do now, whenever we are together!

Read the rest of Julie’s article on Folk School dance history.

Dancing in the Community Room of Keith House, ca. 1940

Fiddler Magazine, Spring 2011

Music instructor, Bob Buckingham, recently wrote a very complimentary article about his favorite Folk School and submitted it to Fiddler Magazine. Bob is no stranger to the Folk School; he has taught Beginning Old Time Fiddle, Beginning Old Time Banjo, and Playing Music in a Group. Bob’s article, “North Carolina’s John C. Campbell Folk School: Passing on the Traditional Arts”, talks about the historical roots of the Folk School, the range of classes we offer, the tasty, garden-fresh fare you’ll encounter in the Dining Hall, and the unique atmosphere that’s conducive to personal growth. Bob identifies us as “one of those places where you can come to yourself amidst a group of like-minded people.”

Read the 2 page article in Fiddler Magazine.

Thank you, Bob, for spreading the word about the Folk School! (Bob is tentatively scheduled to teach Beginning Clawhammer Banjo in September 2012.) For a list of upcoming music classes open for registration, click here.

At Dance Musicians week it so happens that there are numerous people wandering around with instruments looking to play music.  During the week-long musical “take-over” you can hear music all around campus.  The musicians are put into bands and before long they infiltrate the nightly dances and bump the instructors off stage.  David Kaynor, Susan Songer, Naomi Morse, and Peter Siegel don’t seem to mind, actually I hear that they encourage it.

A band playing on the Keith House stage with Peter looking on

I walked from the Keith House to the Music Studio and low and behold there were more musicians!

Mike Robinson plays the fiddle

I opened the door to a practice room.  Guess what I found?

A band plays in the Music Studio

The bands practice during the week and play for the dances at night.  The dances are free and open to the public.

Here we are at John C. Campbell Folk School for another week of music and dancing.  This is the seventeenth year of this fantastic class, with dancing every night for everyone, and dancing and playing every day for the 21 instructors and students participating in the class.

Monday morning we identified the class goals and began to work toward achieving them, then the students were broken up into pick up bands, given 5 minutes to get a tune together and then play for the dance.  All four bands did well, while the others got to dance.  Unfortunately there is a preponderance of men in the class, so most couples were of the same gender.  On Tuesday we were able to recruit some women from other classes and the community to join in.  We have daily sessions with instructors for the different types of instruments, such as fretted, keyboard, and fiddle, and are permitted to go to whichever session we choose.  Many of the students are competent on multiple instruments.  Bands are formed to play at the community dances, which happen each evening.  Our band consists of two fiddlers, a hammered dulcimer and recorder player, a guitarist and myself, a banjo player.

Tuesday and Wednesday was spent discussing topics related to music for dancing, jamming on tunes, forming bands, playing with others, practicing for the dances we will play for, and working on learning and improving instrument skills.  Students have many options to choose from to meet their personal goals.  Now, time to get to work. Additionally, the instructors and some students play music to entertain the students in other classes as they wait to enter the dining hall.

Is little middle already a memory?  How did it come and go so fast?

When I was a kid I went to Little/Middle every year.  I took all the classes in the book.  Mostly they were along the lines of the adult courses offered – quilting, woodcarving, enameling, pottery, blacksmithing, etc.  This remains to be true – that young people can come here to learn about Appalachian heritage and crafts.  But this year when I was walking around campus it was fun to see that a few other mediums have popped up — like drumming!

Looks like fun to me!

Summer is here and so is Little/Middle Folk School.  While the campus is taken over by kick ball, card games, picnics, and the fire truck that stopped by on Tuesday to spray the kids off – there is still one adult class happening, and that’s Dance Caller’s Week.

Dance Caller's week

You can sign up as a dancer (which is a nice option if your child is in little/middle) or as a dance caller.  During the day the callers pick dances to try out on their class, and each night from 7-9pm, they take turns calling dances for the Little/Middle folks and community members.

Deciding to try dance calling and actually doing so are two different things.  Standing up on the stage, looking out at the dancers, and knowing you have to direct their moves might be a scary thought to you.

For Tony Prince, a glass artist and instructor, calling for dances involves a mixture of fear and excitement.  He says that it’s about accepting these feelings and going for it anyway.  ”I wanted to take Dance Caller’s week but decided to take Dance Musician’s week first.  I thought it would be good idea to get a sense of the dancing from the musician’s perspective as well.  Now I feel more comfortable communicating with the band, ending the dance, and picking tunes.”

“I’m also a craft instructor and learning to call dances, and get comfortable doing so, strengthens my teaching skills.”

All in all it’s the best place to learn – the dancers are very understanding and Steve Hickman and John Devine, the musicians for the week, are masterful and can adapt in seconds.

calling a dance

Morning song at the Folk School is a cherished way of waking up.  We  can slowly get out of bed, walk to the Keith House Community Room, make a cup of coffee or tea, and for thirty minutes before breakfast, blink, yawn, and listen to music.  Depending on who is performing – listeners are invited to sing along, or lean back in their chairs to hear stories.

However, if you don’t make it to morning song (or you don’t know what 6:45-7:15 looks like) there are plenty of opportunities to hear music later in the day.

Monday night, I walked into the Community Room to find David Brose and Martin Sacs singing “The last thing on my mind,” “Farewell, Angelina,” and other great songs.  While the sun was setting , we were singing and enjoying the timelessness of good music – a perfect way to transition into evening.

David Brose and Martin Sacs

Every 2nd Monday night David Brose invites friends to join him for a one hour concert.