Details
A very special afternoon dance (2 – 5 PM) with exciting performers featured at CDR’s Thanksgiving Dance Weekend. Susan Kevra (clarinet), Karen Axelrod (piano & accordion), and Rachel Bell (accordion) are equally at home playing contra dances, English country dances, & French dances. Their music strikes a delectable balance between energizing and idyllic. Best of all, these three simply love to play together, and that sense of joy and good humor is evident in every performance. Sarah VanNorstrand, one of Western NY’s own who now calls all over the US, has a clear and engaging teaching style. Her love of dance and her joy in sharing it is infectious.
Special admission price of $5 for dancers with CDR Thanksgiving Weekend armbands!
Caller
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!
Band
Old World Charm School
Susan Kevra (clarinet), Rachel Bell (accordion), Karen Axelrod (piano)
Susan Kevra, Karen Axelrod, and Rachel Bell — known collectively as Old World Charm School — are equally at home playing contra dances, English country dances, French dances, and concerts, with Susan switching roles between caller and clarinetist/singer. In concert, the trio presents lively Quebecois songs, mesmerizing French village dance tunes, passionate waltzes, and exciting originals. In a dance setting, their music and calling strikes a delectable balance between energizing and idyllic. Best of all, these three simply love to play together, and that sense of joy and good humor is evident in every performance.