CONTRAS

Many Moods of Contra - Hard-driving and energetic, smooth flowing and romantic, percussive, fluid, playful, time-tested, brand-new, off-the-wall (!) … we’ll explore the full range of delightful contras, with tips to ensure that you (and your partners) enjoy all the opportunities for magic and connection.

More Fun For All: Contra Nuances - A colorful palette of delightful contras, with an eye to the nuances that enrich everyone’s dance experience. Featuring attentive partners and neighbors, inspiring music, and plenty of room for improvisation and play.

Advanced Contra Nirvana - A zesty session of challenging contras. Many of the hottest dances are too hard for a mixed crowd, but fantastic fun when you’re in a room full of great dancers. Fasten your seatbelt for a wild ride, as we explore the delights of these creative and unusual dances !

Crazy Contras - An experimental exploration of contra dance through games, experiments, and … plenty of lively dancing. Come ready to stretch your stretch your limits and try something new.

Contras: Just Dance - Do you need another ‘workshop’ on contra dancing ? Most people get better from simply dancing attentively among skilled dancers. This session will promote that atmosphere of attention to partners, neighbors, and the music … leaving space for improvisation and play. Occasional pointers will help to maximize enjoyment and satisfaction for you and for the dancers around you.


ENGLISH DANCE

English for All - A delightful banquet of favorites, old and new. This session features a wide range of styles and moods – each notable for memorable music beautifully paired with movement. Dances will be accessible to all, yet feature special delights for experienced dancers to savor.

English Dance: The Leading Edge - The last 30 years have seen explosive growth in the English dance repertoire — with new choreographies, and new reconstructions of historic dances. We’ll look at dances from the early stages, and compare them with the latest offerings of today’s composers and reconstructors.

ECD Explorations - An experimental exploration of English dance through games, experiments, and … plenty of lively dancing. Come ready to stretch your stretch your limits and try something new.

Advanced English - Do you enjoy challenges ? We will delve into dances that are delightful fun, but don’t work well at a typical event with mixed skill levels. Come ready to tackle some puzzles, to explore unusual moves, and to revive some challenging old favorites. This session requires alertness, and thorough familiarity with ECD figures.


COUPLE DANCING

The Waltz: Faking It* with Partner-pleasing Grace - This workshop keeps the focus on you, your partners, and moving to beautiful music. Scott will customize teaching points to the group, with the philosophy that most of us learn best by dancing with many partners rather than through rote repetition of specific steps.
*(footnote) Ballroom dancers learn the “real waltz” following precise foot patterns, with intense instruction and lots of anxiety and perspiration. Most English and contra dancers “fake-it,” with varying success. We will practice faking-it with grace and style !

Couple Dance Playshop - A potpourri of joyful, accessible couple dances. The playshop format focuses on learning by doing — we’ll maximize the music and dancing, and minimize detailed teaching. You’ll get a taste of several different styles, ranging from the elegant to the delightfully dizzying. Come ready to try something new and fun.


CALLERS, CHOREOGRAPHERS, and MORRIS

The options proposed below barely scratch the surface. With decades of experience teaching, organizing, and devising new dances, I’m happy to present caller or organizer workshops on a wide range of topics — just ask !

Callers Forum - From neophyte to touring pro, all callers can improve their skills and polish their presentations. Whether you call contras, English, or family dances, you’ll learn techniques for teaching smoothly, adding repertoire, planning programs, collaborating with musicians, and much more.

English Leaders - How can leaders make every dance as successful and delightful as possible? We’ll discuss techniques for teaching, presentation skills, and collaboration with musicians. We’ll practice calling, and explore many of the 1001 elements of effective dance leadership.

(I have prepared and run several week-long intensive seminars on ECD leading — am particularly rich in resources on this topic)

Contra Choreography - What makes the difference between a dance that “works” and a dance that thrills ? This session will establish a foundation of tools and ideas for choreography, then spur participants to stretch their creativity to develop memorable and distinctive dances.

English Choreography - Creating a new dance is wonderfully fun, and also daunting. Where do you find music ? How can you combine multiple creative ideas into a sequence that flows well, matches the music, and doesn't overwhelm the dancers ? We will review some choreographic tools, discuss various approaches, and then (as a group) create a new dance !

Morris - I teach morris dance workshops for weekend and week-long camps. Morris, Renegade-Style is great for new dancers to discover the joys of morris, and for experienced folks to learn some fresh material. I make no claim to deep expertise and authenticity. But I can happily guide a mixed group of novices and experts through a diverse range of high-energy dances — enjoying wonderful fun as we wave hankies and clash sticks !