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Jamboree Workshop Leaders & Dance Callers - 2006
+ Tom Amesse [Dance Caller, English Country Dance Workshop]
You may have seen Tom calling an English Country Dance in one of many venues –
from Smithtown, Long Island to New York, New York to Ridgewood, New Jersey and
even as far away as Washington DC. His clarity and easy-going style
has helped him become a favorite among a large group of dancers in the New
York/New Jersey area. Tom has studied ECD with Scott Higgs, Beverly Francis,
Paul Ross and Gene Murrow. He is proud to have started a brand new ECD group in
his native Staten Island.
+ Alixe Dancer [Dance Caller, English Country Dance Workshop]
Alixe Dancer became serious about English Country Dance and Historical Dance in
1980 while working in the Green Show at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival under
the direction of Carl Wittman. When at home, Alixe calls in Roseburg, Oregon and
is the artistic director of the Roseburg Country Dancers.
Currently transplanted back to her native Bronx, Alixe dances at NY area groups.
In the recent past she has called at LITMA, The Lavender Country Dancers’ Camp,
Whirligig and at CDNY during a one-year internship. A Registered Dance/Movement
Therapist with a M.A. in dance, Alixe likes to remind us that, "dance is a
metaphor for life." Her most current
accomplishment: she is certified as a Master Composter.
+ John Gallagher [Dance Caller, Waltz Workshop]
John Gallagher, is a Licensed Architect who currently works as Code & Zoning
Specialist for the Brooklyn office of the New York City Department of Buildings.
He has been a LITMA member for 13 years and has served on the Board, as
Treasurer, for the past 4 years. A love of Mid-19th C. American history led him
to learn period dance before he discovered modern Contradancing. This interest
naturally led to English Country Dancing which he regularly calls for LITMA. He
is half (with Marilyn Jordan) of yet another LITMA couple.
+ Chart Guthrie [Dance Caller, Contradance Workshop]
Chart Guthrie has been calling dances fifteen years and dancing much longer than
that. He has called dances from Maine to Washington DC, but calls primarily on
Long Island. His easygoing style and clear teaching technique gets even
beginners up dancing before they know it. Chart calls flowing contradances with
plenty of swinging. Teaching is kept to a minimum, but every effort is made to
include both beginners and experienced dancers in all of the dances.
+ Elinor Horvath [Music Theory]
Elinor Horvath came to LITMA from a classical background. After an education at
the Manhattan School of Music and having performed professionally as a
freelancer in the New York area, she now gives private violin and viola lessons
to children and adults. Elinor presently leads the LITMA English Country Dance
Ensemble and is a member of the LITMA Contradance Orchestra. She¹ll put all
those harmony and music theory classes to use and share her skills with you.
+ Peter Kingsley [Dance Caller]
Peter began contradancing in New Hampshire in 1970, and has called contradances
since1975 in Ithaca, NY; St. Paul, MN; and Memphis, TN. He came to his first
LITMA dance a week after he moved to Long Island in1996 and has been actively
involved with house sings, contradances, and special events like the Fiddle
Festival and the winter solstice party. He has been a LITMA Board member since
2003.
+ Herb Lape [Contradance Workshop]
Most of us know Herb as a past president of LITMA. Herb has been contradancing
for twenty five years and is known throughout LITMA for his percussive foot
stomping and dance energy. He's been playing flute for many years and
traditional flute for the last six years. He plays with the LITMA Orchestra, the
Huntingtones, and the LITMA English Ensemble.
+ Maureen & Charlie Mooney [O'Carolan Workshop - Celtic Harp, Whistles]
Maureen and Charlie need no introduction to the LITMA audience. They have played
at many LITMA Members' Concerts, as well as at other LITMA activities, such as
Burns' Night and the Fiddle Festival. They regularly perform traditional
nineteenth century Irish music at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.
Additionally, they have played at The Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Huntington
Folk Music Society, and numerous other venues such as public libraries and Irish
cultural societies. They have also performed on WUSB, Stony Brook University
Radio, and have appeared on Channel 12 and 21.
Charlie also plays in the LITMA Contradance Orchestra and the Bob Morris Irish
Band. Maureen has participated in numerous folk harp workshops and sung with
many choirs and choruses.
+ Jim Robinson [Dance Caller]
Six years ago or so, Jim went to the Dance Flurry and says he tried every kind
of social dance known at the time. English Country Dancing was one that tickled
his fancy and was basically unknown on Long Island. He started the LITMA English
Country Dance program back then and the rest is history.
Next season LITMA will sponsor two English Country Dances a month. Jim started
calling English Country Dances about 4 years ago and he and Anna Bess have
hosted ECD practice sessions at their home two evenings a month.
This past season, Jim organized and ran a monthly ECD 101 program to help ECD
novices improve their dancing skills. To those who know ECD terminology, Jim is
clearly a "Presence". Thanks, Jim, for all your efforts!
+ Ann Smith [Scottish Country Dancing]
Ann Smith came to the USA from England and became a certified teacher of
Scottish Dancing in 1975. She now teaches two classes on Long Island each week
and has a demonstration team that performs around Long Island and at many
Scottish events. She has taught workshops in NYS, Maine and Nova
Scotia.
+ Bernie Stolls [5-String Banjo]
You may know Bernie through his hammered dulcimer playing and as the director of
the LITMA Orchestra, but he is first and foremost an accomplished banjo player.
Since the 1980s he has performed with various groups (The Mayors of Dublin, Raw
Bits Contradance Band, Aged In The Wood), and has performed for LITMA and for the Folk Music Society
of Huntington. |
