NEWSLETTER Vol. 2, No. 1
March 2002
After
many delays, the
During the renovations, we will hold most dances at
Exceptions: March 20, 23, and 27 we’ll dance at alternate
locations (not PFS); stay tuned for details.
PCD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION DURING THE
BREAK—WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
You don’t have to raise money or make speeches to run for elected office
in the Princeton Country Dancers. Just
tell us you’re interested, and your name goes on the ballot! Or nominate a friend who would be an asset to
the committee.
What does the committee
do? With a lot of help from other
members of PCD, we set policies and consult the membership about major changes;
book bands and callers and halls; provide refreshments; maintain a sound
system; publicize, set up for and clean up after dances; organize potlucks;
network with other dance groups…
Current members are Hinda Kriegel, Susie Lorand,
Terry Lyons, Barbara Simpson, and Steve Tayler.
Contact information can be found on the web page or by calling the phone
numbers on the schedule flyer. We welcome
your questions, comments, and help.
Executive committee
members have proposed some changes to PCD’s
constitution and procedures, such as the date of elections and the price of
regular Wednesday dances. As the constitution requires, these will be discussed and voted on Wednesday, March 6,
during the dance. Please come and
participate.
Want to spend a week in
the woods dancing, singing, etc. with other aficionados of traditional music
& dance? PCD, as an affiliate of the
Country Dance & Song Society (www.cdss.org), can request preferential
admission to camp for two potential or practicing musicians, callers, or
organizers. This is the way to bypass long waiting lists! Scholarships are also available. Application deadline: mid-March. E-mail
pcd@dancegypsy.com or call 609-921-6824.
FRIDAY, MARCH 8: BEAU
FARMER & RAISE THE ROOF AT PRINCETON FRIENDS SCHOOL
Princeton Friends School
is holding a contra dance Friday, March 8, 8-11 pm, to benefit its tuition aid
fund. Clean, soft-soled shoes absolutely required. Directions at
<www.princetonfriendsschool.org>; further info: 609-497-7569 or
raf@eclipse.net. Entertainment at the break by Griggstown Lock rapper dancers. Come support our hosts!
TOURING BANDS ON SPRING
WEDNESDAYS
The
hot Canadian band Flapjack lands in Princeton for the first time on Wednesday,
March 13, with the stellar Ohio caller Joseph Pimentel.
Chart Guthrie and the Please & Thank
You Band return to delight your ears and feet on Wednesday, April 3. Pre-dance potluck at 6:30 pm—call
Barbara, 609-683-1023, or check web page for info.
The Rum & Onions band goes on the road
to NEFFA (the New England Folk Festival) every April (see www.neffa.org/~neffa/).
Get a preview at Princeton on Wednesday, April 17.
SWALLOWTAIL AT LCD CONTRA
DANCE! FRIDAY, APRIL 26, IN TRENTON
You can catch
Swallowtail—one of the hottest and longest-established New England contra
bands—at Bethany Presbyterian Church in the Chambersburg section of Trenton,
corner of Hamilton & Chestnut. There’s a great wood floor and lots of room
to dance (we’ve held the February Fling there twice). Directions at www.princetonol.com/groups/pcd/
directions/dir_BPC.htm or watch for a special flyer.
PCD SPRING FOURTH SATURDAY
CONTRAS PCD holds a dance on the
4th Saturday of almost every month.
Most of these are contra dances.
Saturday, March 23 (location TBA): Sue Dupré calls
an evening of “chestnuts” (traditional contra dances like Chorus Jig and Rory
O’More & some modern favorites) with A Band Named Bob. This Philly/N.J.-based band is in demand for
dance camps and festivals all over the country for good reason; don’t miss
their rare appearance at home!
Saturday, April 27 at PFS: Philadelphia favorite Jan
Alter calls with a trio whose first appearance was snowed out at Swingin’ Tern
in January (we’ve requested better weather for their Princeton date): fret king
Larry Unger of the Reckless Ramblers & many other bands, fiddler
Bill Christopherson of the Fish Family and the Lazy Aces, and mandolin virtuoso
Barry Mitterhoff of Skyline and Silk City.
Saturday, May 25 at PFS: Regional favorites Beau
Farmer and Hot Under the Caller.
Celebrate the holiday weekend with a pre-dance potluck on the beautiful
grounds of Princeton Friends School.
(Potluck details on a separate flyer closer to the date; check web page
or call Barbara at 609-683-1023 for more info.)
RUM & ONIONS XXIII COMMITTEE FORMING
A
new committee is forming to handle the details of putting on our fabulous
annual costumed Halloween contra dance, Rum & Onions. You can get on board by calling 609-683-1023
or e-mailing <pcd@dancegypsy.com>.
The R&O XXIII dance is scheduled for
Saturday, October 26, with Bob Pasquarello leading the band. But first, we need a new location because…
The Princeton High School gym that we have used for
the past ~5 years is slated to be demolished as part of a major renovation
project. We need a site with a good wood
floor, room for 250-300 dancers and 35+ musicians, access to a kitchen for the
potluck, and changing and childcare space.
Suggestions?????
NEXT COMMUNITY
DANCE IN JUNE
Save the date of Sunday,
June 16 to join the next generation of dancers at a community dance for all
ages (location TBA). People of all
ages & sizes are welcome. Janet
Mills leads the dancing, with music by the
Princeton Mixed-Age Dance Band.
To
volunteer help with refreshments and other tasks, please contact Janet at
609-730-8563 or janetmills@erols.com.
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE
There
are lots of ways that PCD could be getting out the word about how much fun
contra and English dancing to live music can be. A new publicity committee welcomes your ideas
and participation: call Jenni Park at 609-430-9230 or e-mail Richard Fischer at
raf@eclipse.net. Or pick up the yellow
flyer designed to attract new dancers, and spread it around your community.
To
sign up for e-mail reminders of special events and late-breaking news, e-mail
<pcd@dancegypsy. com>.
To get onto (or off of) our paper mailing
list, email pcd@dancegypsy.com or call 609-921-6824.
If you’ve always wanted to
hang out with the band and caller after the dance, and have room to put them up
overnight, Lenora Kandiner <kandiner@ nerc.com> would love to add you to
the list of willing hosts for our touring musicians and callers.
Can you arrive early or
stay late at a Wednesday or Saturday dance?
We would love to train more people to set up and clean up, so as to spread
the work around. It’s easy once you know what to do. Speak to any committee member at a dance or
ask the people sitting by the door, and help us prevent committee-member
burnout! Admission discounts are
possible…
Letters
to the editor? Dance- and music-related quotations? Original cartoons? If you would like to contribute to this
newsletter, or have suggestions for the editor, please call 609-921-6824 or
e-mail pcd@dancegypsy.com.
Newsletter
edited by Susie Lorand. Your feedback is
welcome—see above.