Volunteer Honor Roll

Thank you past and present volunteers! Here is a list of at-the-dance volunteers from the past (some of whom are present volunteers as well).

Did we miss you? Spell your name wrong? Do you want to be removed from this list? If so, please contact us.

Dance coordination

Joe Aleks, Rob Gardner, Tom Biesanz, Barry White, Roxan MacDougall, Marty Frith, John Redding, Matthew Thornley, Rebecca Zendejas, Don Higgins, Jeff Kidson, Duncan Badine, Bob Mesick, Keith Connes, Ann Paff, Peter Glatz, Ramsey Harris, Jane Leavitt, Rodrigo Soria, Chris Ritter, Laura Ritter, David Lee, Dick Anderson

Greeters

Moira Butler, Marilyn Whitford, William Noack, Jean Olson, Annelie Zeise, Susan McNeil, Heather Babaoye, Christine Loizeaux, Laura Waters, Ann Kidson, Linda Bernson, Leslie Tejada, Lois Holt, Vicki Gardner, Hazel Frosher, Leah Diamond, Jo Wamser, Sammy Ellis, Luci Andrino, Jonnie Lawhon, Tina Fear, Jean Olson, Alice Williams, Anita Hendricks, Jane Leavitt, Patricia Jessup, Jatila Davis, Carol Wade, Justine Sutton, Doris Gordon, Jeanette Love, Simin Rastan, Joann Eisberg, Elaine Miller, Jennifer Tom, Jim Moresi, Carolyn Coleman, Doris Gordon

Refreshments

Steve Spiers, Monica Spiers, Charlotte Gould, Mark Edwards, Tony Marzio

Scheduling

Kelli Butler, Vicki Gardner, Simon Kiefer

Letter of appreciation from Scott Swain

Scott Swain submitted this appreciative letter for the Dance Star that would have come out this month:

Dear Fellow Dancers,

Thank you for honoring me at the dance last September 9. It was a great dance and I appreciate the high attendance on that wonderful evening.

I can't believe how quickly the years have passed since I first started contra dancing, and volunteering shortly afterwards. Helping to keep the dances running has been a satisfying endeavor.

I would like to thank many other "behind the scenes" volunteers who have pitched in to help over the years. Without their help, it would not have been possible for any one person to have kept the dances going. They all deserve our thanks. We all owe a special thanks to Joe Aleks, who has been setting up the contra dances for at least as long as I have been, and has often offered to help even when it was not convenient for him to do so. Our volunteers who have recently pitched in to set up the dances include Rob Gardner, Tom Biesanz, Roxan MacDougall, Barry White, and Marty Frith. A list of previous volunteers can be found here on this weblog.

Finally, a big thank you to Marty Frith for kindly assenting to take over my duties as the Event/Dance Coordinator, and to Moira Butler, who took over the duties of coordinating the front door Greeters a few years ago.

Here's to many more years of dancing for everyone.

Revels: Santa Barbara's New Seasonal Tradition

Santa Barbara Revels launches an exciting holiday tradition this year with "The Christmas Revels: in Celebration of the Winter Solstice." Santa Barbara Revels is the newest of ten Revels companies nation-wide, the first having started in Cambridge, MA, 37 years ago, and each presents fully staged and costumed productions that incorporate traditional music, dance, drama and ritual and commemorate the changing seasons.

This inaugural production of Santa Barbara Revels focuses on the traditions of Medieval and Renaissance England, with vocal performances from SBCC’s Quire of Voyces, conducted by music director Nathan Kreitzer, and from the Revels Children's Chorus, led by Pam McLendon. The newly-formed Revels Morris Men will present a variety of traditional dances, the James Michael Consort will perform musical selections on 15th and 16th Century instruments, and the Revels Brass Ensemble, composed of musicians from the Santa Barbara Symphony, will provide musical accompaniment.

All Revels companies incorporate volunteer and professional performers and are inter-generational, multi-ethnic and non-denominational. All productions contain the hallmark Revels characteristics of audience participation and community celebration.

Susan Keller is Founder/Producer of Santa Barbara Revels and Maggie Mixsell the Stage Director for performances on Thursday, December 6, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (as part of First Thursday) and Sunday, December 9, at 12:30 p.m. Both performances are in the Courtyard of the historic Casa de la Guerra, 15 E. De la Guerra Street. Thursday is a preview performance open to the public; tickets for Sunday’s performance can be purchased at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for children over three. For additional information: www.santabarbararevels.org or call 565-9357.

No Winter Dance Star?

The Dance Star is on hiatus due to lack of a staff.

Contact any of the SBCDS Board members (http://www.sbcds.org/contacts/) for more information on helping with the editorial and/or production aspects of our quarterly newsletter.

In the meantime, this Dance Star Online is alive and well if anyone has any suitable contributions for it.

Also in the meantime, a flyer-schedule combo is being printed in lieu of the Dance Star and is available for download.