Details
Go to the 2019 Thanksgiving Festival …
Be part of the fun at CDR’s 35th annual Thanksgiving Festival featuring Contra, English Country Dance, waltz, and more. We welcome The Groovemongers back to our stage this year. Jane Knoeck, Rebecca McCallum, Mark “Pokey” Hellenberg and Tom Santarsiero have been thrilling contra dancers with their world beat approach to dance music for nearly 20 years.
We are also excited to host Cloud Ten for their Rochester debut. This high-energy band of talented young musicians consists of Cedar Stanistreet (of Nor’easter) on fiddle, Donal Sheets (of Gallimaufry) on guitar and cello, Arthur Davis on keyboard and trumpet, and Ness Smith-Savedoff (also of Gallimaufry) on percussion.
Callers Adina Gordon from Burlington, VT, and Sarah VanNorstrand from Syracuse will lead the dances.
In addition to the Friday and Saturday night big Contras, there will be sessions of English Country Dance, waltz, Grid Squares, and more contras.
Weekend Schedule Highlights
- Traditional Contra Dancing starts at 7:00 PM, Friday evening.
- Wake-up Waltzes and English Country Dancing Saturday morning.
- More Dancing all day Saturday.
- The big Saturday evening Contra Dance at 7:30 PM.
- Golden Link Folk Song Swap session featuring dance related songs.
- Fabulous buffet lunch included with Saturday admission.
- A fun way to organize for dining at nearby restaurants on Saturday.
The full schedule is now available!
We know you’ll have fun whatever you do!
Callers
Adina Gordon
Being told what to do has never been so much fun!
Adina Gordon’s collection of dances is delightful. Her sense of the moment is trustworthy. She blends the feel of the band and mood of the crowd with her repertoire to produce an exhilarating dance experience. Every program is unique. It’s no wonder she’s a favorite not only throughout the Northeast, but across the country, for contra, English, and squares.
Sarah VanNorstrand
Sarah VanNorstrand has been calling, organizing and teaching contra, square, and family/community dances for seven years, and more recently has been expanding into calling English dances. She has a clear and engaging teaching style and a great repertoire of dances to share. Instantly hooked from her first contra dance as a teen, Sarah’s love of dance and her joy in sharing it with all who will is evident and infectious. Above all, her goal as a caller is to make sure the dancers are having as much fun as she is!
Bands
The Groovemongers
Jane Knoeck, keyboards, Rebecca McCallum, fiddle, Tom Santarsiero, guitar, mandolin, banjo, Mark "Pokey" Hellenberg, percussion
For nearly 20 years, the Groovemongers have been thrilling contra dancers with a world beat approach to dance music. Countless tours, festival weekends and dance camps in 32 US states, Canada, the UK and the Caribbean have forged an ensemble that is equally at home with crafted musical arrangements as with jam band improv.
Pioneers of groove contra, the band works with callers to create a great dance experience, expertly matching tunes to dances and drawing from a breathtaking variety of styles and rhythms. From Celtic to Calypso, Southern to Salsa, Old England to New England, Motown to Cape Town, plus a liberal dose of American Rock ‘n’ Roll, the Groovemongers’ memorable tunes and driving rhythms fuse into a spicy mix that is irresistibly danceable.
Cloud Ten
Ness Smith-Savedoff, percussion, Cedar Stanistreet, fiddle, Donal Sheets, cello, guitar, Arthur Davis, keys, trumpet
Here’s the new generation of great contra dance music. These guys in Cloud Ten have already made a name for themselves in other hot bands of the northern tradition, hailing from Gallimaufry, Nor’easter, the Red Case Ramblers, and Nova to name only a few.