Details
Community dance downstairs at 6:00 with Gaye Fifer calling to music by the CDR Open Band, led by Micah, followed by an intro to contra at 7:00, and hot dancing upstairs at 7:30
Lake Effect dumps a pile of great dance tunes, from New England and Quebec and more. Cat Sloboda fiddles, her brother, Matt Sloboda plays fiddle, mandolin and accordion, and Chuck Abell strums guitar. All dances taught and called by the national caller of delight, Gaye Fifer.
All dances are taught. An introduction to contra dancing is provided at 7:00.
We have a sliding scale admission policy, with a target of $12. Our admission fees don’t cover all our costs, so feel free to pay more if you can. We offer an introduction to contra dancing starting at 7:00. Pay more if you can, less if you can’t – come dance!
Caller
Gaye Fifer
Gaye Fifer (Pittsburgh, PA) hasn’t stopped dancing since she found contras in 1979. Introduced to the community in St. Louis, she has found dancing wherever she goes. Gaye learned to call contras in Charlottesville, VA and has been traveling to call and dance for the past 25 years. After 15 years of dancing, she finally realized that someone had to be doing work to make the dances happen. She began serving on her local dance committee, organizing her local dance weekend, serving on the CDSS Board and leading workshops for other organizers. Gaye is also a passionate teacher and dancer of waltz, having led workshops with her partner, Wayne, at numerous dance weekends around the country. She participated in a course at Pinewoods several years ago to learn how to call English Country dances and now includes that in her repertoire of offerings. She now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. where she retired from a 30 year elementary school teaching career.
Band
Lake Effect
Matt Sloboda (fiddle, mandolin, accordion, bouzuki), Chuck Abell (guitar), Catherine Sloboda (fiddle)
For nearly seven years, Lake Effect has been honing its sound while playing for dances and concerts both locally and in New England and along the Eastern Seaboard. Founded initially by Matt Sloboda and Chuck Abell, the band has grown to include Catherine Sloboda. With a shared vision that encompasses the best in folk, Celtic, swing, and World Music, the band has melded seamlessly into a unique ensemble which values both precision and musical variety.