[CB Contra] Halloween weekend dance in High Springs FL

[Celtic Tapestry (Rob Killam)]

For you serious travelling dancers, from Tara Bolker ...


If you are and English dancer who really likes contras you'll love this
weekend. AND, if you are a contra dancer who's willing to try something
just a little bit different, who likes heys and gypsies, intuitive
flowing dances to terrific driving tunes and, of course, the occasional
waltz, then you'll love this weekend too!

This English Infusion weekend, October 30 through November 1, has been
put together with the exuberant contra dancer in mind. These are not
those stuffy or quaint country dances--we've left out anything that's
too fussy, esoteric or sedate for the unconverted. We know you that many
people who come won't have any intention of ever doing ECD again after
the weekend so we're making sure this one time you might is really FUN.

The Big FAQ:
Can I just sign up for Saturday night?
The Big Answer:
No. Partly because of the warm fuzzy community stuff that happens when
you hang around in the woods with the same bunch of people for a few
days; partly because we'll be doing some pretty advanced dances by
Saturday night and it's a whole lot more satisfying when everyone's
already had a chance to work out a few challenging figures together.

Master caller Brad Foster from Amherst, MA is our featured talent. He
has been dancing and teaching English country, contras and squares, and
morris and sword for over 40 years. He is well known for sharing the joy
found in dance, and has taught throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe,
including at Berea, Pinewoods, Mendocino, John C. Campbell Folk School
and Augusta. He is Executive and Artistic Director of the Country Dance
and Song Society, a post he has held for over 25 years. He is also a
founder of the Bay Area Country Dance Society as well as co-founder of
their Mendocino English and American dance weeks.

The music will be hot, cool, funky, spooky, energizing and beautiful.
The various sounds of Full Circle (fiddle, saxophone, whistles, guitar
and bass), Kumquat Kapers (fiddle, guitar, flute and percussion) and
Hogtown Fancy (fiddle, recorder, theorbo and archlute)suit the mood of
each and every dance.

Friday night's dance begins and ends with no-walk-through contras and
has a few well-placed English and crossover dances sandwiched
between--so you can hit the floor dancing and pick up a couple new moves
right away. Saturday night's four-hour costumed ball has a wonderful
assortment of contra and modern English dances--with some I dare you to
tell the difference--along with a singing square and a waltz or two.
(Did you know that there are English dances with swings? Or that things
like gypsies, heys and figure eights came to contra from English in the
80s??) Find out more about the schedule on the website,
www.tarabolker.com/infusion.

The weekend is a bargain! Prices include tasty and substantial meals and
refreshments for the entire weekend. There's a reduced rate for under
21s and there's still a couple of work scholarships available.

Find the details at www.tarabolker.com/infusion.

Hope you can come--it's going to be one heck of a party!
--Tara