May052018
Many hands make light work when we all come together to help clean our beloved Guiding Star Grange dance hall. Join us for this once-a-year cleaning event.
Stay tuned for more details on how you can help.
Apr072018
All are welcome to join us for the Annual Meeting to learn more about Friends’ activities.
Meeting Location:
Guiding Star Grange
401 Chapman Street
Greenfield, MA
Mar312018
A blue moon and Greenfield’s 6th annual contra prom, what could be better?
When: Saturday, March 31, 2018 7:30pm to 11:30pm
Where: The Guiding Star Grange, 401 Chapman Street,
Greenfield, MA 01301
Who: Hosted by The Friends of Greenfield Dance
Calling by: Gaye Fifer
Music by: The Cosmic Otters- Eric Schedler, Meg Dedolph, & Jonathan Whitall
Admission is $15.00 ($12.00 Students/Seniors)
* Dessert Potluck at the break, please bring something to share; bring a buck or two to throw in the basket to cover snacks that the organizers are also going to provide
* Portraits by Jessica Schultz and Ryan Carollo
This event is for all ages and no partner is necessary
No dress code, but fancy and fun is strongly encouraged
(Don’t feel fancy? We’d rather see you than not, so feel free to don your daily dance duds)
Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes to protect the floor
Kindly do not wear perfume/cologne or other scented products
Questions? Contact events@friendsofgreenfield
A bit about the talent:
The Cosmic Otters make people dance. Starting with a solid rhythmic foundation of guitar and piano, they add inventive twin fiddle harmonies, and finish with juicy, pulsing accordion playing and tasteful percussion. Their tunes are from the British Isles and its relatives – Ireland, England and Scotland with side trips to Cape Breton and Quebec – but definitely their own, with an unshakable drive and playful improvisations that make dancers smile.
Gaye Fifer has been calling and teaching for many years. Her pleasant style and graceful teaching put dancers at ease and set the stage for a great dance experience. Admission is $15.00 ($12.00 Students/Seniors)
For more info, email us.
Mar172018
New to Hambo? This event is designed for you.
Already know how to Hambo? Great! Experienced dancers are encouraged to come as ringers.
Looking to make a night of it? Why not get some dinner in Greenfield after the workshop and come back for the Moving Violations contra dance!
What is Hambo?
That feeling of spinning, counter-balancing with your partner, at times almost airborn – it just can’t be beat!
It is no wonder that the Hambo is one of the most widely performed dances of Sweden and has long been popular among folk dancers of many nationalities. The Hambo contains two parts – moving forward side by side, inner hands joined, and a closed turn which is a little “tricky” in that the partners execute different, interlocking steps.
Apart from numerous historical versions, differences also exist in versions danced widely today–for example, the version danced in the Swedish Hälsingehambo competition tends to be slow and elegant with a relatively strong svikt (dip and lift) while that danced in American contradance venues is much faster with little svikt.
Challenging? Yes! But once mastered, it’s a joy that lasts a life time! Live music for the workshop will be provided by Van Kaynor!
Admission: $10/person
After the Hambo workshop go have a leisurely dinner then come back and dance to The Moving Violations. At the break they will be playing Hambo tunes so that you can enjoy your new skills.
Who Are Jen and Laine?
Jennifer Brosious and Laine Harris first met as a “tour romance” through a professional folk dance troupe, the AMAN International Folk Ensemble, in Southern California many, many moons ago.
For decades they immersed themselves in Scandinavian dance culture, in particular the dances of Sweden & Norway. Taking advantage of numerous opportunities to study with master teachers and tradition bearers, they attended week-long dance camps on both the East & West Coast of the United States as well as traveling for workshops abroad.
One Summer, Jennifer had the opportunity to participate in the Hälsingehambo competition in Sweden with a Norwegian partner, who also happened to be King’s Medal Winner. Competing with 1500 couples, they were among the few honored with a prize for their dancing.
Closer to home, Laine and Jennifer have taught Scandinavian dances, and the Hambo in particular, throughout New England, including 9 years running at the Dance Flurry held annually in Saratoga Springs.
They are fluid dancers and experienced teachers with a light-hearted sense of humor —you’re sure to enjoy learning from them!
Dec312017
Larry Unger has played guitar, banjo, and bass with many top bands for contra dances including Notorious, Reckless Abandon, Uncle Gizmo, Big Table, and the Reckless Ramblers. He has also accompanied such fiddlers as Elke Baker, Rodney Miller, Alisdair Fraser, Matt Glaser, Ralph Blizard, and Lissa Schneckenburger to name a few. The bands Larry has been a part of might vary in style from Oldtime to New England to Celtic, but they are all lively groups with exciting rhythms and an emphasis on fun. These bands also play some of Larry’s many original tunes.
A talented, multi-instrumentalist and singer, George Wilson’s repertoire samples a wide variety of traditional and folk styles. As a fiddler, he plays over 500 tunes for dancing and listening — tunes from New England, Quebec, Cape Breton, Scotland, Ireland and Shetland. His dynamic fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, has been popular with contra dancers and concert-goers since the late 1970s.
George Marshall is a full-time musician, caller and dance teacher, touring nationally year-round. His specialty is teaching and calling the New England-style contra dances he has collected throughout the country. George is renowned for his knack of matching music to dance and for his smooth, concise teaching and presentation.
Nov182017
That feeling of spinning, counter-balancing with your partner, at times almost airborn – it just can’t be beat!
It is no wonder that the Hambo is one of the most widely performed dances of Sweden and has long been popular among folk dancers of many nationalities. The Hambo contains two parts – moving forward side by side, inner hands joined, and a closed turn which is a little “tricky” in that the partners execute different, interlocking steps.
Apart from numerous historical versions, differences also exist in versions danced widely today–for example, the version danced in the Swedish Hälsingehambo competition tends to be slow and elegant with a relatively strong svikt (dip and lift) while that danced in American contradance venues is much faster with little svikt.
Challenging? Yes! But once mastered, it’s a joy that lasts a life time! Live music for the workshop will be provided by Van Kaynor!
Admission: $10/person
After the Hambo workshop go have a leisurely dinner then come back and dance to The Moving Violations. At the break they will be playing Hambo tunes so that you can enjoy your new skills.
Meet Jen and Laine
Jennifer Brosious and Laine Harris first met as a “tour romance” through a professional folk dance troupe, the AMAN International Folk Ensemble, in Southern California many, many moons ago.
For decades they immersed themselves in Scandinavian dance culture, in particular the dances of Sweden & Norway. Taking advantage of numerous opportunities to study with master teachers and tradition bearers, they attended week-long dance camps on both the East & West Coast of the United States as well as traveling for workshops abroad.
One Summer, Jennifer had the opportunity to participate in the Hälsingehambo competition in Sweden with a Norwegian partner, who also happened to be King’s Medal Winner. Competing with 1500 couples, they were among the few honored with a prize for their dancing.
Closer to home, Laine and Jennifer have taught Scandinavian dances, and the Hambo in particular, throughout New England, including 9 years running at the Dance Flurry held annually in Saratoga Springs.
They are fluid dancers and experienced teachers with a light-hearted sense of humor —you’re sure to enjoy learning from them!
Nov052017
The Fall Frolic is the major FUNdraising event for the Friends of Greenfield Dance, with 8 hours of great music, friends, contra dancing & waltzing!
Jun042017
Special event! Challenging Contras on the afternoon of Sunday June 4. Music by Cedar, Donal and Julie, and calling for us, Bob Isaacs. Cedar Stanistreet on the fiddle, Donal Sheets on cello and guitar, and Julie Vallimont on the piano and accordion. Drawing from New England musical traditions, they delight in creating an exciting, joyous sound that catches both your ear and your feet. We welcome Bob Isaacs’ smart and clear calling.
Challenging Contras are designed for experienced dancers.
“Experienced” means:
• You know how to do a roll away, California twirl, pass through to a wave, contra corners, and the basic moves without being taught
• You know where to be at the start of each dance phrase and how to recover from a lapse
• You assist your partner and neighbor to the next move
• You execute flourishes safely and on time without disturbing others
• You respond to confusion and missteps by others with grace, encouragement and good humor
Admission is $10; $8 for students and seniors
This is a scent-free/substance-free event.
Please wear clean, smooth soled shoes.
This dance is brought to you by the Friends of the Greenfield Dance.
If you are making a weekend of dancing and need help with finding dance hosts, contact Katie Olmstead, moc.l1529300453oa@da1529300453etsml1529300453ODK1529300453. Can’t promise to find you housing but will try.
Jun032017
In place of our April Annual Meeting, the Friends of Greenfield Dance will hold a Special Meeting. All are welcome to join us to hear about the Friends year in review.
The meeting will be held at the Guiding Star Grange, 401 Chapman Street, Greenfield, MA.
May132017
Join the dance community in helping to clean the Grange! Come for an hour, come for several. Many hands make light work!