Details
Bring a buddy tonight! Buddy System is the fabulous combination of Noah VanNorstrand and Julie Vallimont. You won’t believe how much music and energy these two extraordinary musicians can produce! This is a great night to introduce your friends to contra dance joy: if you are a member and you bring a new dancer tonight, you get in free! And your buddy gets a “Come back and dance for free” card. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Calling to this extraordinary band is Chuck Abell who will call dances perfectly matched to the music.
Caller
Chuck Abell
In his caller persona, Chuck Abell brings us challenging dances that will exercise your mind and tickle your fancy with their intricate beauty. Chuck organizes the monthly caller meetings in Rochester to workshop new dances. He debuted his “DJ Abell” persona at our 2017 Thanksgiving Festival, with a Taste of Techno Contra session.
Band
Buddy System
Julie Vallimont (Keyboard), Noah VanNorstrand (Fiddle, Feet, Didgeridoo, jaw harp)
Noah and Julie play as an acoustic duo, using fiddle, feet, didgeridoo, piano, and jawharp. They play original compositions, traditional tunes from Ireland, Quebec, Appalachia, and France, and modern tunes collected from their travels in the music scene. It’s the synergy between Julie and Noah that makes Buddy System so magical. They had known each other for years in the contra scene, but really bonded when they were both on staff at Jay Ungar and Molly Mason’s Ashokan Music and Dance Camp. (They were “camp buddies”.) It was instant musical connection and they spent all week staying up late playing tunes every night.