A great event for all those who enjoy the high energy of contra and square dance with a great caller and scintillating musicians!
Who is it for?
This is an intensive but fun week for dancers of all levels of experience. If you are new to contra and square dance but have experience in other dance styles you should find you learn rapidly; if you’re an experienced dancer there should be plenty to keep you interested!
The Team
Geoff Cubitt is well known as a caller for American Squares and Contra and English Ceilidh and is well respected among his peers. He has considerable experience as a dancer himself, particularly in Appalachian dancing, performing at many festivals. His experience as a dancer stands him in good stead when calling, as his sympathy with those on the floor means that he is helpful to beginners as well as extending the expert dancers.
Linda Game (fiddle) and Gareth Kiddier (piano) are now playing in a variety of different bands, but are always pleased to get back together for the dance and relive their work as the English Contra Dance Band. Linda plays a driving fiddle style over Gareth solid piano accompaniment. Although they are from different traditions (English traditional and rock), they have adapted very well to the American high energy style of contra dance music. As a dancer recently said, “How can two people make so much noise!”.
In the 20 year career of ECDB, they played at many major festivals in the UK, including EIFF, IVFDF, Sidmouth, Chippenham, and Towersey, as well as dance weekends at Halsway Manor. They regularly performed at contra clubs up and down the UK, and have worked with most of the top UK callers. They have had a long relationship with the Danish contra community, and in 2012 they toured the US, playing for American contra dancers on the East Coast.