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Joyce
Rossbach
Traditional
dance caller
Joyce Rossbach was born and raised in a small farming community in the
hill
country of Upstate South Carolina known as the fertile crescent of
country
music. With rogue wit and southern charm, her winning personality
inspires dancers
of all levels to kick up their heels! |
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Great Bear TrioThe Great Bear Trio is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and talked about contra dance bands in the nation. With a strong and growing fan base in their native northeast, Great Bear is now bringing their unique brand of high-energy folk music to festival stages, concert halls and dance floors across the country. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand are both still in their teens but display a mature and seasoned musicality beyond their years. The core of Great Bear’s instrumentation has always been twin fiddles and piano (ably supplied by mother Kim) but the line up is frequently augmented by mandolins, guitars, banjo and an assortment of percussion including the African djembe and the Australian didgeridoo. Andrew and Noah compose and arrange the majority of Great Bear’s material, drawing heavily on Celtic and Appalachian fiddling traditions for their melodies but with plenty of room for improvisation and an occasional alt-rock or world beat groove creeping into the rhythm section. There are also some new original songs in their repertoire now, a welcome addition to their well-known instrumental skills. |
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Dave Brown
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RiverbendJane Knoeck, Rebecca McCallum, and Tom Santarsiero play a mix of French Canadian, Irish and newly written tunes with rich harmonies and varied rhythmic styles. Jane's
musical beginnings were in
classical piano and voice studies. She entered the instrumental folk
music world
upon discovering the hammered dulcimer. Contra dance bands followed and
she's
been playing for dances ever since on piano and accordion, weaving a
variety of
musical influences into her style. Rebecca grew up playing classical violin, but began to transform from a "violinist" to a "fiddler" shortly after college. In the midst of the driving rhythm and danceability of her fiddling, you can still hear signs of that classical precision and tone. She favors northern styles of music in her contra fiddling. Tom Santarsiero first heard the rhythmic style of southern Appalachian music while learning to build log cabins in West Virginia. He later attended music and dance festivals where he was introduced to New England style music. Influenced by music of both regions, he has an eclectic approach to playing the mandolin, banjo, guitar and foot percussion. |
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Werner
Ceusters Werner, who lived until recently
in Belgium, started
international folk dancing at the age of six. Although he was involved
in
ballroom dancing in the early seventies, and currently also dances
Argentine Tango, his passion is mainly in the traditional dances of
certain regions in Europe such as
Auvergne, Berry, and Brittany in France, and countries
such as Ireland, Germany, and Sweden.
Together with the ballroom dances that were popular at the end of the
nineteenth century (scottish, polka, waltz, mazurka, kadril), many of
these dances became part of what now in Europe
is known as "Bal Folk" and which is hugely popular amongst all ages.
Being one of the descendants of the first wave of Bal folk adepts in
the late seventies, he started teaching when the current boom took off
five years ago.
One of
his favorites is the "bourrée", danced primarily in Berry and
Auvergne.
It is a dance which has certain similarities with the Sevillana, but is
much easier. Interestingly, dance partners are not allowed to touch
each other, yet, is very flirtatious: eye contact is a must ! Werner
will introduce you to the basis steps and figures of the bourrée
Berichonne which is danced in either 3 or 4 beats. If you want to come
with some prior knowledge, visit http://celticbompa.4t.com/Bourree.html
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Travis
Widrick
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Where:Amherst Community Church77 Washington Highway Amherst, NY (just outside Buffalo) Admission:$20 before April 1, 2008$25 after April 1 & at the door Afternoon Session: $12 Evening Session: $15 MapRegister HereContact UsPictures from 2007 |
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