Dance Star Online

Jude's Journal Issue 2009-1

2009-02-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Jude’s Journal

by Jude Conroy

WHERE ARE THEY?

Bon Voyage to our Toni Charbonneau. She’s part of a sailing crew moving a boat from Panama to Florida! Fair winds to ya Toni!

Donnalyn just came back from Mallorca, Spain where she was visiting her son and his family. I am anxious to hear all about your adventure Donnalyn .

Correction: Bill Ossa. He’s in Africa, not China. Good thing, we don’t want him getting into anything made with melamine! He’s teaching at the Morogora Teacher College. Go Bill! Teach the folks how to contra, spread the word and dance steps!

Ellen ~ we miss you gal! Ellen is looking after her dad up in c o l d Wisconsin. The day I received her e-mail it was MINUS 20! Burrrrrrrrrrr!

APPLAUSE & HURRAH

Kudos to the wonderful music Simon Kiefer has been booking on our dancing behalf! Music and callers have been outstanding. Lots of good dances being called on our S.B. wonderful sprung floor! How lucky we are!

More kudos to our regular dancers, who in the course of an evening help out our newcomers (potential continuous community dancers). Steering a newcomer in the correct direction with your hand movement, eye direction and body language is very helpful.

I remember being a newcomer. Wow, it was confusing for a long time and I really appreciated those of you who took a little time out to help my direction along the way. Sometimes I still need direction! HA! (No comments from the peanut gallery thank you very much.)

Our New Year's Dance in Ojai was just wonderful. Kudos to Karin Dron for all the work you do to make our Ojai dance possible. Our dancing friends from L.A., S.B., and Riverside helped fill the hall with smiles, laughter, warmth, fun, twirls and synchronized stomping. What a wonderful way to bring in the New Year! YES!

Dance Floor Courtesy: Please, no perfume, heavy scented lotions or aftershaves.

Many thanks to the persons who change their shirts/blouses during the course of an exuberant evening of fun dancing .

DANCING PROTOCOL

One of the most noticeable and attractive points of contra dancing is eye contact. Some of us have a problem with eye contact but eyebrow, nose or forehead eye contact is ok too! Just check out how eye contact on the popular TV program “Dancing With the Stars” looks. Could you ever imagine them not looking at each other!

Eye, eyebrow or nose eye contact also keeps one from getting dizzy!

CONTRA CORNERS: When I first had to do this complex move, oh my gosh! Confusing, you betchya. Little hint: if you were to put your arms out into a ‘V” shape, you would be heading to the person across from your right arm, go around this person and meet your partner in the middle, half turn with your partner then off to the person you pointed to with your left arm, then back to your partner. Congratulate yourself and dance on with a smile .

PASS THROUGH: Ok, which shoulder of the person across from you do you pass? Right or left? Explore this with your fellow dancers ~ Gary or Donnalyn will teach or answer this question on the dance floor.

CONTRA CARNIVALE was held in San Luis Obispo (SLO) January 16-18. What a wonderful weekend of music, dancing, making new and reacquainting with friends from all parts of the USA. The weather was delightful, hall was beautiful and our hosts did a fabulous job of hosting. Kudos SLO chapter . One of the best parts of a dance weekend is getting to know people better. I haven’t been disappointed yet!

Some up and coming dances are Fiddling Frog in Pasadena, Monte Toyon near Santa Cruz, Balance the Bay, May Madness in Prescott, AZ, Labor Day Dance Away in Julian, Dance in the Desert outside Tucson (November).

Want to know about many local and away dances? Contact louise-danceinfo [at] earthlink [dot] net. Tell Louise you would like to be added to the mailing roster. Tell Louise you are a part of the SBCDS (Santa Barbara Country Dance Society) community.

Another source of info is on a corner of the SBCDS website: http://www.sbcds.org/festivals/

Want to become part of the SBCDS Group on line community goings on notices? E-mail Gary Shapiro at:

garys [at] sbcds [dot] org

Contra Community Artistic Members Showings:

Mary Thompson’s Sculptures in Faulkner Gallery at

the SB Library, 40 W. Anapamu St, SB ~ now,

until 2/28

Let Jude know your comings/goings/celebrations. This column is for this dance community. Respond to cloud-merlin [at] roadrunner [dot] com.

Ojai's Still the Place!

2008-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Join us once again on Dec. 31 for an intimate New Year's Eve Dance in beautiful OJAI!

SUSAN MICHAELS will be calling, bringing her wonderful sense of humor, and ability to elevate the level of dancing to fit her flowing, synchronistic repertoire. BONFIRE will set your feet on fire with their unique configuration of the traditional.

Bonfire is: BONNIE INSULL on flute, pennywhistle, and foot percussion sparking the band with her passion for traditional, classical, and improvisational music, RICHARD SCHER playing keyboard & percussion, and bringing his extensive background in jazz, popular, and world music and FRANK HOPPE, who has been delighting dancers with his rhythmic fiddling for longer than he cares to remember.

The evening starts at 7:30 with an introductory lesson and hors d'oeuvres (potluck dish is optional) followed by live music & dancing from 8 PM till midnight, with special entertainment & refreshments planned for the break.

Ojai Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St.
Admission $15, teens $10.

For further information, please call Karin @ (805) 933-0660, or e-mail her at karincontra [at-sign] juno [period] com.

Join the 'Barn Dance Project'

2008-11-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

by Scott Williams

In an effort to attract new dancers to contra dancing and introduce Santa Barbara and our neighboring towns to the pleasures of the dance floor, a dedicated group of our dancers have formed The Barn Dance Project.

The organizers (Jude Conroy, Scott Williams, Donnalyn & Elliott Karpeles and Gary Shapiro) are enrolling interested & committed contra dancers to participate in an outreach program within our extended community. The Barn Dance Project offers to put on a Barn Dance, as a free group participation event at any business or community gathering of 30 or more people, anywhere in the Tri-County area. The band, caller and experienced dancers are supplied for free!

The first ever SBCDS "Barn Dance" was held at the World Fest 2008 on October 18 at Earl Warren Show Grounds. 25 eager and enthusiastic dancers showed up, along with a full band, dubbed The Pick Up Artists, and Elliott Karpeles did the calling. The dance was a tremendous success and was even briefly covered by KEYT, so we even wound up on the evening news. We ended the performance by handing out SBCDS dance schedules and a free coupon to their first dance. The turnout and interest in this event was very encouraging. Getting people to dance was as easy as asking. The World Fest organizers were so impressed that we were asked back to next year’s event and also want us to participate at the much bigger S.B. Fair and Expo in April 2009.

What the Barn Dance Project offers is a simple community building event whose objective is to expand our contra dancing community by exposing hundreds of potential dancers to what we do. We’re committed to seeing our community outreach make a real difference in our community, and we invite you to join us by adding your name to our data base of possible dancers at these events. We want to do Barn Dance Introductions throughout the Tri-County, so if you live in Santa Maria, Ventura, etc. please let us know if you could possibly participate. To help with the driving we will help organize carpooling. Attendance is never mandatory, but if we have a large pool of possible’s it will be easier and more fun to make each event a success.

To be added to the contact list please contact Scott at 805-451-9300 or scott [at-sign] scottwilliams [period] com. Also if you have a suggestion or can think of a business that might like to put on a Barn Dance event, contact us to determine if it would be suitable.

Our next Barn Dance Event is coming up on February 22. The local organization Santa Barbara Newcomers will be bringing 20-40 first time dancers to our regular Sunday night dance. There will be a special lesson starting at 5;30 so we’ll need extra men that night.

One last special thanks to everyone who made the first event such successful fun. It was wonderful to see what is possible when we work together for the community.

Jude's Journal Issue 2008-1

2008-11-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

by Jude Conroy

Happy trails to Bill Ossa! Bill will be with the Peace Corps for three years in China. We’ll miss your silly and fun antics Bill!

DANCING WITH OUR SENIOR SENIORS They are such an inspiration to me and I am sure to most dancers. We’d want to be able to have the desire AND the get up ‘n go to attend a dance AND dance! KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU! Let us all “Keep it Grounded” for them by acknowledging our strengths and exuberance by transferring these gifts into gentleness and fun with them !!!

DANCING PROTOCOL:

THE WAVE: Unless told differently by the caller, while holding hands, four across, stomp and look at the dancer to your RIGHT, then stomp and look at dancer on the LEFT. If wave is quickly repeated, (unless told differently by caller) stomp and look to the dancer on the LEFT, then RIGHT.

EXCITING NEWS!!! Simon Kiefer has joined the SBCDS board. For the past year he has been scheduling the talent for our weekly dances and is responsible for all the wonderful bands and callers we’ve been so delighted in having on our stage.

WHERE ARE THEY Now? Local dancer Nancy Breslin and her partner Tom Smith will be residing temporarily in Berkeley as they await the arrival of Nancy's first grandchild and setting herself up to be the loving, caring, cooing grandparent she's so excited to be! We will miss both your faces, so delight in your forthcoming wonderful event and hope to see you both 'on the dance floor' in SB whenever you get the chance.

Call, tell or email Jude about your travels, anniversaries or birthdays to be included in a future "Jude’s Journal." Email 9jude6odie [at-sign] roadrunner [period] com.

[ We're trying to figure out how to put clickable email addresses here without exposing them to spambots. ]

Upcoming Dance Camps

2008-11-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

Contra Carnivale January 16-18 in San Luis Obispo CA.
Bands: The Groovemongers, Crowfoot & Notorious. Callers: Nils Friedland, Rick Mohr and Susan Petrick. www.cccds.org/carnivale

Fiddling Frog February 27 - March 1 in Pasadena, CA.
Band: Contrazz and The Lissa Schneckenburger Band. Caller: Kathy Anderson www.caldancecoop.org/cgi/frogdriver.cgi

BACDS Spring Weekend March 13-15 at Monte Toyon camp near Santa Cruz, CA.
Bands: The Raggedy Annes, The Guppies, and The Rhythm Rollers.
Callers: Bob Isaacs and Linda Leslie. www.bacds.org/camps/springweekend

Dance Awakening April 10-12 at Harbin Hot Springs, Middletown CA.
Band: The Figments. Caller: Rick Mohr. www.danceawakening.com

May Madness ContraFest May 15-17 in Prescott Az.
Bands: Groovemongers and the Privy Tippers. Callers: Beth Molaro and Kari Usher. www.folkhappens.org

Also see the SBCDS web site's festival page.

Ojai Concert Series

2008-11-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

The Ojai Concert Series

The Ojai Concert Series provides a valuable service for traveling contra bands and a treat for music lovers. About once a month the OCS brings an evening of wonderful music to Ojai. The main focus is Celtic and Folk with lots of Contra and Roots Music from around the world. They often feature bands that are on a contra dance tour. Jamie Laval, Ashley Broder, Notorious’ Larry Unger & Eden MacAden-Somer plus members of Crowfoot are a few of the artist you might remember dancing to. These concerts are held in downtown Ojai at the beautiful, 100 year old, Ojai Valley Woman’s Club meeting hall and all profit goes to the artists.

OCS is run by local dancers Shane & Kelli Butler with help from Barbara Briggs and Joe Aleks. So come on out to Ojai for dinner then stay for a wonderful concert and help support live music.

Upcoming Shows

Dec. 22nd: Irish Christmas Show

with Cul-An-Ti a unique Japanese/Celtic fusion band from Portland and featuring local step dancers Elizabeth & Deirdre Wood of Celtic Spring.

Jan 14th: Crowfoot

Appalachian/Quebecois fusion Trio sensation (they are also a featured band at this year’s Contra Carnivale)

Feb. 6th: Tom Chapin

Three time Grammy-winning Folk Singer and the brother of 70’s folk legend Harry Chapin

For directions, carpooling or ticket info or to get on their mailing list go to www.ojaiconcertseries.com or call Shane at 805-665-8852.

submitted by Shane Butler

A History of Contra Dancing, Part One

2008-11-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

by William Noack

Humans have always danced - it seems to be a part of our nature to express joy, reverence, fellowship, as well as individuality through movement, especially to music. And among the forms which developed in the 1500’s and 1600’s in England were the roots of our present contras. These country dances – as opposed to the formal courtly dances where a misstep might elicit a beheading (OK, I exaggerate) – were enjoyed by the common folk – by everyone of all classes, adults and children. Even Queen Elizabeth enjoyed Country Dancing.

In 1651 the first collection of English country dances was published, which introduced country dancing to the wealthy and city dwellers where it also became popular. The longways set, which we now use, gradually over the decades of the 1600’s became the most prevalent and enjoyed formation in country dancing. As it is also human nature to be intrigued by the foreign, these English country dances were avidly adapted on the Continent, especially in France where they were called contredanses, a corruption of the term country dances.

Publication in England, while preserving and popularizing country dances among the gentry, also unfortunately caused the dance forms to lose much original spontaneity, joy, and simplicity. Standardized folk tunes would be attached to each particular dance, and there would be proper polite ways to perform each movement, with some variations.

Meanwhile, on the Continent, lively new music for the contradance evolved alongside the dance form, much based on the folk tunes. In 1699 seventeen contredanses anglaises were published, then Mozart wrote a number, and Beethoven wrote 12 contredances for orchestra, from one of which he developed the finale of the Eroica Symphony. (This contradance music is eminently danceable, and for variety it would be fun to have an evening sometimes with 18th century music!)

Country Dancing was brought to Colonial New England in the late 17th and 18th centuries where common folk as well as the gentry danced to the jigs and reels. One favorite dance of George Washington became known as the Virginia Reel. But America, being the land of immigrants, soon had waves of rural Englishmen and Scots settling and bringing their less pretentious forms of country dancing to its shores. The spontaneity and energy of rural English country dancing returned and evolved in New England.

Contra Dances were taught from New Hampshire to Charleston, and by the time of the American Revolution country dancing, mostly contra dances, were being done in both cities and rural areas. Some dances were the traditional ones which had been published over a century earlier, but others were new contra dances, created to commemorate the American Revolution and its heroes. With French influence helping us acquire our independence from Britain, as well as an anti-British sentiment in the colonies, the French term, contredanse, became the popular term for our type of dancing. And contra dancing, being democratic in nature, was a perfect activity for the sons and daughters of the American Revolution.

Fiddle the Day Away

2008-09-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise is pleased to announce that on October 5, 2008, the 37th Annual Old-Time Fiddler's Convention and Festival returns to the historic Stow House in Goleta.

This event celebrates and preserves the distinctly unique "Old Timey music" originating in the Appalachian region, the birthplace of American Folk music. It's a day of family entertainment with contestants competing for prizes.

The Performance Stage will offer a great line-up of acoustic bands, which in past years has included the Gap Tooth Mountain Ramblers, J.T. and the Zydeco Zippers, and Molly's Revenge.

This year they will be offering a special commemorative T-Shirt in memory of Oakie Adams, a well know fiddler and banjo maker who passed away this past year. Kick back and enjoy the music with a cold drink and some fine food under a weeping willow tree.

Next year the program will expand to include square dancing and contra dancing in the newly refurbished dance hall. For more info please visit: http://fiddlersconvention.org.

Dancing with the Little Ones

2008-09-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

By Shane Butler

In my 22 years of contra dancing, I have gone from being a Romeorouge lothario of the dance floor to a loving husband and doting daddy of two dancing daughters. This evolution of perspective has given me tremendous insight into the difference between dancing with women of my own age to dancing with new-to-the-dance-floor preteens.

In the younger generation we have the future of contra dancing and it is dependant on us to make their dancing experience as positive and nurturing as possible. With this in mind I want to pass along a few things I’ve learned that could help make dancing with kids fun for you and a helpful learning experience for them.

Keep it grounded: We know you’re very strong and also how much fun it is to swing kids around and around without their feet touching the ground. But this teaches them nothing and makes some of them very nervous. It takes away their sense of control and their connection with the dance as a whole. Imagine yourself being flung around willy-nilly by a stranger and being too shy to ask them to stop. Let’s leave the airtwirls for their own daddys to do!

Personal space: An adult may enjoy being cuddled or squeezed close during a swing, plus they can definitely let you know when they don’t. But a child is not always going to be as comfortable in this situation or as forthcoming enough to let you know when they are not. The whole dance environment is intimidating enough for young beginners without somebody getting a little too close for comfort.

Flirting: Let’s keep it age appropriate! Amorous advances, regardless of how playfully intended should only be directed at adults and preferable to the ones you already know.

Most of all make it fun: This is all new to them, instruction and guidance can be useful, but most of all we want them to thoroughly enjoy their dancing experience and be eager to return.

A good rule of thumb is to treat all young dancers as you would want a child of your own to be treated.

Remember: How a child, or anybody for that matter, feels about themselves when they get home will determine if they want to come back.

Don't Miss 'Lefty Lucy'

2008-09-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

We have a new band in town. Mark your calendar for Sept. 16th for the debut of Lefty Lucy, This local, all-girl, stringband plays Celtic and old-time music. This exciting young band includes Barbara Taylor, on lead fiddler, Nicola Gordon on second fiddle, Nancy Cohen on guitar, and Donna Lynn Caskey on banjo. Their repertoire of lively hoedowns and gritty, romantic old-time waltzes is drawn from the traditional music of the Carolinas, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This is sure to be a fun evening with many new dancers following them down from UCSB.

Ojai's the Place!

2008-09-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

The lovely Ojai Art Center has been sponsoring contra dances for almost 22 years. Along with a playhouse theater they provide a cozy, art-filled space with a vintage 1930’s wooden dance floor, lively acoustics and a charming patio. The hall is just a couple of minutes walking distance from downtown for those who wish to come early and have dinner in one of Ojai’s fine restaurants.

Coming up Saturday, November 29, from 7:30- 10:30 pm the Ojai contra dance community welcomes Susan Petrick, from Northern California, to call the Thanksgiving Weekend Dance. Joining her will be The Michael Mendelson Trio, featuring Michael on fiddle & guitar, Kurt MacInnis on mandolin & guitar and Bill Flores on banjo, fiddle, saxophone & dobro.

Please contact Karin Dron at (805) 933-0660 or e-mail her at karincontra [at] juno.com for car-pool or overnight housing information. Come alone, or bring friends and family, to enjoy this community-oriented dance! Admission $9 Art Center members $8.

Watch for details in the winter edition of the Dance Star for a NEW YEAR'S EVE DANCE featuring Susan Michaels & Bonfire with Frank Hoppe.

The Dance Star Is Back!

2008-09-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

After a couple of years vacation, the Dance Star has returned. Under the watchful eye of its new editor, Shane Butler, it will bring you stories of local interest and relevant articles cribbed from other publications. The focus will be on upcoming events that our dance community may want to know about, and it will be a forum for ideas and discussions on relevant topics.

The paper will only be distributed locally and will be available online. We are looking for written contributions, and an artist who works in pencil or pen who would like to help with an occasional drawing.

We encourage and greatly appreciate contributions from the community.

Articles can be reprinted with permission. For more info please contact Shane at: 805-665-8852 or send email.

Free Halloween Costume Dance

2008-08-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Free Halloween Costume Dance

on November 2, 2008

in celebration of

Bettine and Lawrence Wallin's

40th wedding anniversary.

Please come and celebrate Bettine and Lawrence's 40th anniversary. The Wallin's have been supportive of and sharing with the dance community for many years. This dance is being sponsored in recognition of and thanks for their contribution to the Santa Barbara contradance community as well as their still being newlyweds after 40 years!

Please, no gifts. Your presence is enough. Cards, letters or other expressions of delight are welcome.

If you are interested in helping with the dance planning, food, or decorations. Please contact Paul Hartloff or Linda Wise at 648-5858.

–from the Dance Star, Fall 2008

A Bountiful Harvest Moon

2008-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

by Shane Butler

Fall is fast upon us. Days are getting shorter, leaves are turning color, there is a chill in the evening air, and all thoughts in Santa Barbara are turning towards…

HARVEST MOON!

This September marks the 26th Anniversary of SBCDS’s Harvest Moon Dance Festival. With an unprecedented 210 dancers registered, we are looking forward to one of the most exciting dance weekends in Santa Barbara’s history. As you most likely know, this year we have two stellar bands for our dancing pleasure. The weekend kicks off on Sept 26th with the legendary Airdance and will close on Sunday evening with the outstanding Lift Ticket. These two great bands will be raising the roof all weekend long to the accompaniment of one of the countries most renowned callers, Cis Hinkle. This incredible lineup, combined with the most celebrated dance hall on the west coast, is going to be a weekend long remembered and hard to top.

A great dance camp like this doesn’t just happen. It takes a dedicated, enthusiastic and energetic team to plan, coordinate, and organize an undertaking of this magnitude. Heading up this team, and the newest member of the SBCDS Board of Directors, is Kelli Butler. With over 15 years of contra dancing experience, co-organizing (with her husband Shane) the popular Dance Awakening Dance Camp, and having attended up to 10 dance camps a year, Kelli brings a wealth of insight and experience to the task of making Harvest Moon a truly memorable event.

But no (wo)man is an island, and Kelli has amassed a wonderful committee to handle all the different aspects that make the weekend so delightful. The first thing you will notice on Friday evening will be the decorations in the Carrillo Ballroom. Thanks to Mark Edwards, the hall will be absolutely beautiful. From the thousands of twinkling lights, many of which will be covered with origami paper lanterns he made by hand, to the floral garlands throughout, Mark and his crew, will turn the ballroom into a wonderland of delights. Walking out onto the garden patio you will be astounded at the transformation that they have managed with hay bales, blankets and festive lighting. You just might have to keep reminding yourself that you are still in the Carrillo Ballroom.

After a few hugs and hello’s you may find yourself in the Baylor Room looking for a snack. But what you will find will knock your socks off. Spread out before you will be a cornucopia of edible delights. Under the expert guidance of Denise Shesler, a delectable bounty of finger foods will await your culinary pleasure. The yummies won’t stop there, for Denise and her crew will have many more surprises in store throughout the weekend. From a delicious catered lunch on Saturday, to the 3 foot high fountain of melted chocolate later that evening, you will always find a smile and something delicious waiting for you whenever you get the munchies. Enjoy a plate full of treats while swinging in one of the rockers on the patio. Ahhh heaven!

Continue on past the Baylor Room and you will find yourself in The Moon Lounge. This inviting oasis of calm is the creation of Barbara Briggs. She is going to conjure up a homey relaxed environment where you can put up your feet, join in an impromptu music jam, have a quiet chat, or browse the many interesting items that will be raffled on Sunday afternoon.

One of the least obvious, but all too important, magic trick that makes Harvest Moon run so smoothly is the juggling act performed b by Donnalyn Karpeles. Singlehandedly (and it without a net), she c o coordinates the shared housing. By matching up local dancers who have room for guests with out-of-towners in need of a cozy and welcoming place to sleep for the weekend, she makes many a dancer’s week end that much more enjoyable. Donnalyn’s impressive act of prestidigitation is the result of performing this delicate task for many years and could easily qualify her for consideration in Cirque du Soleil.

This is just a sampling of what’s in store and who’s behind some of the magic. There are still many others who will help make this camp memorable, with none less important than the next. So if you are coming to Harvest Moon, and find yourself unexpectedly grinning from ear to ear, you might want to take a moment to thank one of these selfless folks for making your weekend so wonderful!

SBCDS Calendar in your Calendar or PIM program

2008-02-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

You can embed the SBCDS calendar into your own Personal Information Manager (PIM) or calendar program if it supports the iCalendar format. Copy and use this address to subscribe (right-click, Mac ctrl-click).

Here is a list of applications with iCalendar support.

Ventura ECD Experiment Quite the Success

2008-02-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Way back in January 2007, we began an English Country Dance series in Ventura on the First Monday of each month.

It drew many curiosity-seekers, and a respectable crowd when we had live music and a caller from England, Colin Hume. Other than that, most of our ECD fans in Ventura County found it difficult to attend, and most dances lost a small amount of money.

One of our biggest Ventura fans, Susan Pineda, located another site for us that we could use on Sunday afternoon, and has a padded floor. So on September 16, we tried a Third Sunday afternoon dance.

We had great attendance, and not just curiosity-seekers. As the dance ended, I asked if people felt we should start up a Sunday series in January. This was unacceptable! All wanted to just keep going, which meant starting in earnest on the next Third Sunday, October 21. That dance, too, was well attended. Enough to rent the hall, pay the caller, and some left over for the sponsoring group (three homeschool groups).

The November dance would have been the same date as our Pre-Thanksgiving Event, which included an English Country Dance in the afternoon, so the November Ventura dance was canceled.

The December dance came around, but the three of us driving down there started encountering serious smoke in Ventura County. This was the day of the big fires in Southern California. That dance was canceled, both because the air was unhealthy and most folks were wise enough to stay home.

In January, the SBCDS began sponsoring the dance, which moved to First Sundays, to avoid the kind of problem we enountered in November. (There can never be an afternoon dance on First Sundays at the Ballroom because the Tea Dance is in the Ballroom on First Sunday afternoons.)

Both the January and February dances (the latter featuring guest caller Ben Rotenberg) were successful, such that the rent could be paid, the caller paid, and some left over toward SBCDS expenses.

Maybe we'll see you there on one or more first Sundays!

Dance Star Editor: Your Name Here

2008-02-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

Keith Connes was the volunteer editor and producer of the Dance Star for several years. He has had much experience in this field, and has done a fantastic job with the Dance Star, the articles and the biographies.

Unfortunately, Keith has not been able to continue. Anyone interested, please contact Gary Shapiro at 805 682-5523 or via email or better yet, in person. Note that this doesn’t have to be a job for just one person.

And ask about the perks!

Sprung Floor Dance Festival: 2x the Fun

2008-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

Two times the dancing in a festival environment on Memorial Day Weekend.

Two (2) fun callers! Two (2) fun bands! One (1) low price ($15)! A festive potluck in between. On our favorite sprung floor. Sunday, May 25, from 2:30 till 10:00 p.m.

Details at www.sbcds.org/sf/.

New Calendar Online

2008-02-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Now, in addition to the Dance Star schedule and the online contra and English Country Dance schedules, there’s a new way to keep up with what’s gong on: the SBCDS Calendar. Just go to our website and click on Calendar. Once there, you can view the calendar in various ways: the default “agenda” view, or by the month or week. The calendar also lists the time and place of our Board meetings.

You can also subscribe to the calendar using a calendar program on your own computer.

Harvest Moon To Shine Brightly

2008-02-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Get ready for another great Harvest Moon Dance Festival, the 25th annual! On September 26-28, 2008, the fabulous bands, Airdance and Lift Ticket, are coming to the Carrillo Ballroom all weekend. Don’t miss two of the best contra bands in the country, along with the enthusiastic calling of Cis Hinkle from Atlanta, GA.

Early bird registration is $120, and this is sure to be a sell-out! Check out the website for more info: www.sbcds.org/hm/.

Volunteer Honor Roll

2007-11-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-11-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

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.

Debuting Band #3: Dannsair

2007-08-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Flutist Suzanne Duffy writes in and tells us she is…

bring[ing] in another band to the contradance community, the Santa Barbara-based Celtic band, Dannsair, led by guitarist Russell Doherty. Dannsair has had longstanding performance engagements at two much-loved Irish pubs in Santa Barbara, Sunday evenings at the James Joyce and Thursday evenings at Dargan's. And for some time, contradancers have stopped by for a listen and encouraged the band to consider performing for a contradance. So here we go! We're delighted and honored to be partnered with caller Susan Petrick from the Bay area for our debut dance. Hope you'll come close out your Thanksgiving holiday weekend with us on Sunday, November 25th.

We'd also like to apologize for misspelling the band's name in the Dance Star. If you download it now, though, it's been corrected.