Details
Cancelled for 2020
Realizing that the coronavirus is going to be with us longer than we thought and that it’s increasingly unlikely that mass gatherings for social dancing will be safe by late fall, it is with great sadness that we are cancelling the 2020 Thanksgiving Festival. We look forward hopefully to a potential festival in 2021.
Caller
Alex Deis-Lauby
I am a dancer, caller, and organizer in NYC. I started contra dancing in Chicago in 2011. My first dance weekend was Cincinnati’s 2014 Pigtown fling. After that I attended at least one dance weekend a month and danced at a local dance every week (weather permitting). I began calling shortly after that in Chicago and then NYC. In 2015 I went to Pinewoods dance camp for the first time and took Lisa Greenleaf’s callers workshop. Dance camp is awesome! In 2015 I joined my local English dance’s house band on the piano. Through dance organizing, calling and traveling, I look for ways to foster community, build the skills of dancers, organizers, and new talent, and grow the contra and English community.
In my calling I value clear and concise walkthroughs, dances that flow, varied programs, creating a welcoming environment for new dancers, and working well with musicians. When not on stage calling or making music, I can be found on the floor dancing, learning new things, greeting new dancers, or teaching others.
Band
The Gaslight Tinkers
Emerald Rae (Fiddle, Vocals), Jopey Fitzpatrick (Drums), Garrett Fitzpatrick (Bass), Peter Siegel (Oh you know - Guitar, banjo, mando, vocals and stuff)
African, Caribbean, Funk, Reggae, and Latin grooves meet traditional fiddle music. It’s the genre-bending future of the music of the past.
The Gaslight Tinkers’ blend of global rhythms creates a joyously danceable sound around a core of traditional New England old time and celtic fiddle music, merging boundless positive energy with melody and song. Since its formation in 2012 the band has lit up the East Coast, the West Coast, and the Caribbean, headlining clubs, dances, and major festivals.
Playing what The Valley Advocate describes as “Music that consistently fizzes and pops with unexpected textures and turns,” The Gaslight Tinkers’ shows are packed with delightful surprises, elated crowds, and exuberant musicianship. The sound and energy of Emerald, Jopey, Garrett, and Peter are universally irresistible.