*The Halsway Contra Festival* – this course follows the weekend’s Contra Camp!
Our much loved annual midweek Spring American Contra course is hosted by Meg Winters, with a great all-American team of caller Sue Rosen and musicians Bruce Rosen (piano, guitar) & Audrey Jaber (fiddle)!
There will be dance and music workshops in the mornings, afternoons are free for you to explore this lovely area, and there are dances every evening. This is a really popular week so early booking is advised.
Who is it for?
Dancers of all levels of experience.
“This has been the best American contra week I’ve attended, very enjoyable, excellent dancing and great company. Great to learn from Americans, and Meg is a wonderful host.” Participant
The Team
Meg Winters is a familiar face at Halsway Manor, and the perfect, friendly and knowledgeable host to make sure you get the best from your break at Halsway!
Sue Rosen is a leading caller of contras, squares, English country dance, and family dance programs, She has been actively calling for over 25 years in the Boston area, one of the hottest contra dance spots in the U.S. and at dance weekends, camps and festivals from Anchorage to Antwerp. Over time she has built a collection of great dances, featuring the best of contemporary choreography, and has written contras that have become part of the standard repertoire of dance callers across the country and overseas. Her speedy and encouraging walk-throughs will have you cruising through dance after wonderful dance.
Bruce Rosen has been part of Boston’s contra and English country dance community since the mid-70s as a dancer and musician. His rock solid piano and guitar accompaniment is sought after by many of New England’s best contra dance musicians. Bruce also plays piano for English country dancing, appearing frequently in Jamaica Plain (MA), as well as other New England venues. As part of Boston’s traditional music scene, he plays guitar at Irish sessions and in performance with the West Newton Ceili Band, and drives the rhythm at Old Time music jams on the banjo ukelele. In the early 90s, Bruce took up the button accordion, and has played for the Pinewoods Morris Men, Ha’Penny Morris, and the Commonwealth Morris Men. Bruce has collaborated on four recordings of New England contra dance music.
www.rosenatthewheel.com
Audrey Jaber: Her fiddling, featured in bands including The Free Raisins, The Gaslight Tinkers, Audacious (with Larry Unger), and Wake Up Robin, has electrified dance and concert halls across the US and Europe. Hailing from Honolulu and now living in California, she cut her folk teeth in the Boston area, attending Berklee College of Music and spending years exploring the thriving New England folk scene. Audrey’s fiddle playing is rhythmically lively and spontaneous; she’s guaranteed to get you up and dancing. She specializes in English dance, New England, Celtic, and Old Time tunes . She’s taught workshops at Pinewoods, Ashokan Northern Week, BACDS American week and New London Assembly. You know Audrey Knuth is performing if the room is buzzing at a higher level!