Details
An elegant English Country dance to celebrate the completion of the old year and welcome in the new, in a beautifully decorated hall. Dressy attire suggested but not required. No pre-registration required; just pay at the door ($25 / $15 students / low income). Classy refreshments will be provided if the COVID situation allows.
The Turning of the Year Ball is the third in our annual series of four balls which take place throughout the academic year. The difficulty of the dances at our balls increases as the year progresses. Each ball builds upon the skills learned in the previous one making it possible to start as a beginner at the Netherfield Ball and finish as a confident, successful dancer at the Jane Austen Ball.
Caller
David Smukler
David Smukler leads evenings of contras and squares, English country dances, family dances, school programs, and special events such as weddings, festivals, etc. He has also presented workshops on numerous dance related topics. His taste in dances is eclectic, and he presents a wide variety of dances. His repertoire includes plenty of New England contras, as well as an assortment of squares, singing calls, mixers, old chestnuts and freshly minted dances. He has a special fondness for English country dances, and his English programs also blend old favorites with new gems.
David grew up singing folk songs with his mom and began dancing contras in New Hampshire as a teen. In 1981 he was drafted to call for his local dance and has been calling ever since. David calls contras and squares, English country dances, and family and community dances, and is also a choreographer.
David is a retired inclusive early childhood and childhood educator who has also taught for years at the college level in a teacher preparation program. He has frequently used dance and song in his teaching, both with children and adults, sometimes to the great surprise of his students. A teacher through and through, David believes that people can always learn and grow. While welcoming change and evolution, David has enormous respect for the value of folk traditions and is the author (with David Millstone) of Cracking Chestnuts: The Living Tradition of Classic American Contra Dances, published in 2008 by CDSS.
Band
Serendipity
Barb Seppeler, Piano, Laurie Giroux-Gillman, Flute
Pianist, music teacher and choral director, Barb Seppeler, fell hard for the beauty of the English Country Dancer repertoire, and she has made it her own with deep understanding and delicacy. Laurie Giroux – Gillman, a fellow music teacher and extraordinary flute player, is the other half of this delightful ensemble. Barb and Laurie have played regularly for dances in Rochester and all over the North East since 2012. They really have that teamwork thing worked out.