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fiddlehedz.org

2008 Archives

June 7, 2008	Skowhegan	Kathie and I played for the Skowhegan Contradance which is held at the Fitness Center - Richard called a fun program of dances. The small dance crowd allowed for squares and triplets. Bob and Sarah danced the hambo, giving us direct feedback on tempo! Some of the tunes played were: Long Hot Shower/ Megajig (one of our new favorite sets), Hammbow, Lady Ann Montgomery/ Grumbling & Growling, Out on the Ocean/ Frost is Over. It's hard to remember other tunes but I know there were many!
May 16	Mt Vernon	Richard and I called dances at a 10th anniversary party, to music by John Pranio and Paul D'Alessio. The crowd was mixed level, mostly inexperienced and unfamiliar with contradancing. There were a lot of children and we were prepared to do mostly child-friendly dances but as it turned out, the kids preferred to play out on the lawn. We ended up doing La Bastringue, Galopede, Family Contra, and the Wheel. All were well received and the dancers all seemed to be having a good time, which is the best indication of success.
May 10	Farmington	Kathie and I played tunes for the regular second Saturday contradance in Farmington while Richard called. We all had a good time even though the sound system had some issues!
May 3	Skowhegan	A friend organized a contradance in Skowhegan at a Fitness Club, with promises from many to attend. However, attendance was light. It was still a fun evening though. Kathie and I played some great tunes while Richard called the dances.
April 16	Maranacook Community School Adult Ed	The last evening of the Adult Ed Contra 101. Only a few people showed up, however, so we played some tunes and called it an early evening.
April 9	Maranacook Community School Adult Ed	More tunes and contras at the Maranacook Community School.
April 2	Maranacook Community School Adult Ed	After a brief two week hiatus we resumed the Adult Ed Contra 101 with the entire class returning. Richard called some nice dances as Kathie and I played tunes. Working with beginners is quite rewarding!
March 28 & 29	DownEast Country Dance Festival, Topsham	We participated in many capacities! Richard and I called a beginner's session first thing Saturday morning and had over 30 people successfully contradancing within the 50 minute allotted time! Later during the day, Richard called a block of challenging contras and took part in a medley. I called some a few fun (yet easy) dances with the Festival Orchestra for an appreciative crowd of mixed level dancers (including some from our morning session) including Trip to Lambertville and Mama Loo's.
March 25	Boufy Quimby	Richard and I played for the Senior Luncheon today at the Boufy Quimby Hall in Turner. Kathie is out of town, so it was just the two of us. We got to play a lot of fun tunes to an appreciative audience.
March 12	Maranacook Adult Ed	The first of a four-part series introducing Contra 101 for beginners. A small crowd presented a bit of a challenge, but we did review some history, learned basic formations and figures, learned some of the finer points of style, and danced to great music! The next three classes take place in April, still time to join. Contact the Maranacook Community School Adult Ed Program, or email us for more information!
March 8	Relay Loooong Contradance in N Whitefield	A Relay Looong Contradance Marathon was held to benefit the Brunswick Relay for Life as part of its efforts to contribute to the American Cancer Society. Six bands played for 12 hours! Richard and Pam each called a 2 hour segment, leading the following dances: Richard: Scout House Reel, Belmont Rump, Mary Cay's Reel, Whynot Circle Contra, Top Spin, Head of the Bed and Flutterbys. Pam called: Johnny Appleseed Days, Trip to Lambertville, PB&J, Awesome Double Progression Dance, Carousel, Citronella Morning and Al's Safeway Produce.
February 9	East Wilton	We participated as dancers at the regular Farmington 2nd Saturday contradance, which is held in East Wilton during the winter months. A small crowd provided the opportunity to dance some of the old time chestnuts- we learned a lot and had a great time! We got to do Nine Pin, Hull's Victory, Sackett's Harbor, a Parliament dance, and some triplets to name a few.
February 8	Lewiston	Richard and Pam called the Bates 2nd Friday dance at Chase Hall. The scheduled caller was unable to make it due to inclement weather conditions so we were called to help out. Richard did a great job of putting together a program and we had a really fun time calling to the tunes of Bustopher Jones (with some help from some local student musicians). Some of the dances we called were Al's Safeway Produce and Family Contra.
January 29	Turner	The fiddlehedz were invited to play for a senior luncheon at the Boofy Quimby Hall in Turner. An appreciative audience made for a lovely hour of music!
January 18 & January 25	Wayne	Our idea to bring family folk dancing to our small town didn't get any interest this winter. We had many folks who said they'd come out, but only two people ever showed up (thanks Celina and Brent). What was different from our successful community dance last summer? This time we were without support from the community center, the cold temperatures and slippery conditions kept folks inside, and who knows what else! Small community dances are struggling across the region, and it seems many of them will discontinue due to lack of attendance. Any ideas?
January 12	N Yarmouth	Richard shared calling with Maggie Robinson at the North Yarmouth 2nd Saturday Contradance. Dances called were: Monterey Detour, Firecracker, Wheel, Trip to Lambertville, Delphiniums & Daisies, Devil's Backbone, Citronella Morning, Another Nice Combination, a medley including Forgotten Treasure/ Carousel/ Baby Rose/ All You Can Eat, Stripes & Solids, Butter, and Flutterbys.
January 5	Blue Hill	The calling team of Green & Green traveled to Blue Hill ME for the regular Blue Hill 1st Saturday Contradance featuring The Oakum Bay String Band. A fun evening of contras and waltzes to a mostly experienced crowd of dancers at the beautiful Blue Hill Town Hall. The dances called were: Monterey Detour, Cranky Ingenuity, Circle of Friends, Carousel, Timberlake Jig, Rolling & Tumbling, Another Nice Combination, Maliza's Magical Mystery Motion, Trip to Lambertville, and Mama Loo's.