Give your Halloween costume an early try-out while dancing to traditional music at the Sautee Nacoochee Center community dance on Saturday, October 28, 2017.  The Cage Free string band, our favorite “house band”, is ready to provide its generous blend of Old Time Appalachian and New England contra dance music.  Costumed or not, come enjoy great calling by Doug Singleton, who has called dances with the band many times over the past 10 years.

The October dance will include special refreshments, a costume parade, and fun prizes for various category winners.  Costumes are optional, so just come in your usual dance garb and enjoy the view.

Cage Free has played for dances and other events in Northeast Georgia since 2007.  Four of the five band members will be present at the October dance:  Margie McDonald on fiddle, Jennie Inglis on acoustic bass, Mark Baker on guitar, and Walter Daves on claw hammer banjo, mandolin, and whistle.

Margie McDonald, a classical violin player since her teen years, has played traditional fiddle music for over 10 years and is well-versed in genres from New England contra dance to Scottish and English Country Dance music.  She is much in demand to play at musical events and contra and English country dances throughout Northeast Georgia and neighboring states.

All four of the Cage Free musicians have played regularly for the “Learn and Contra” classes at SNC for the past 10 years.  Walter Daves is the original organizer and caller for the classes, and Jennie Inglis is the current organizer and caller.  For several decades, the four musicians have performed at a variety of vocal, instrumental and dance events.  In addition to his guitar skills, Mark Baker holds a degree in vocal performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and performed for 10 years with the Boston Camarata.  He and Jennie are also accomplished Morris dancers.

Doug Singleton has been calling dances far and wide for many years.  A regular caller for Atlanta's Chattahoochee Country Dancers Friday night dances, he has called in dance locations throughout the Eastern United States and is known for his clear teaching and interesting dances.

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary.  SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free.  The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.  Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com

Back to busy Fall schedules can also mean more reason for fun contra dancing in the historic Sautee Nacoochee Center gym. On Saturday, September 23, 2017, come dance to luscious melodies produced by three musicians in the band Beside the Point from Atlanta. Caller Jennie Wakefield of Greenville, South Carolina, will provide fine leadership for the evening.

Beside the Point is Bob Kirkman and Nathalie Levine on twin fiddles and Stven Carlberg on piano. Their repertoire and style draw from New England, Quebecois, Celtic, contemporary, old-time Appalachian, and original tunes.

Based in Atlanta, the band brings an alternately driving and lyrical sound to dance halls around the Southeast. The band members like to say that when the band is this fun, the name is “beside the point.”

Nathalie Levine started playing fiddle for her local contra dance community in New Jersey at age 15. In successive years, she has danced and played Nordic fiddle, sung Slavic women's music and Sacred Harp, and played Balkan and klezmer percussion with a variety of groups in addition to staying involved with contra.

Fiddler Bob Kirkman and pianist Stven Carlberg have played contra dance music for many years with other bands, and together (in the band Contraplicity) since 2008. Bob is also the organizer and “father” of the Atlanta Open Band, a group that offers aspiring contra dance musicians the opportunity to hone their skills in a larger dance band situation.  

Jennie Wakefield is a long-time contra dancer, dance organizer and caller. She has a clear, direct teaching style and creates dance programs that are fun for experienced dancers and accessible to new ones. She calls dances in her hometown and in other dance locations in North and South Carolina.

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm. No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free.
The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.  Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Wrap up your summer fun on Saturday, August 26, 2017, with contra dancing in Sautee with our special guest Frederick Park and his Burning Desire string band.  Frederick was here last September to help host the SNCA 35th anniversary year celebration and serve as caller for the evening contra dance.
 
Frederick is the “father” of Sautee community contra dancing and traditional music, a co-organizer of the very first community dance held in the historic gym in 1979.  That event contributed to the founding of the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association itself in 1981.

While calling the August dance, Frederick will also provide rhythm for the band, with washboard, button accordion, and harmonica.  Accompanying him will be Bob Willoughby, the longest, continuous member of the original 1979 version of Burning Desire.  Also on hand will be multi-talented fiddler Susi Gott Seguret.

Guitarist Bob Willoughby, from Asheville, North Carolina, is a well-respected studio musician and historian of American Roots music who plays a variety of instruments:  fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano and various brass instruments.  For many years, Bob was the primary jazz piano-player at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville.

Born and raised in a family of bluegrass musicians in a log cabin in rural Madison County, NC, Susi Gott Séguret has had successful careers as a performer of traditional Appalachian music, a food writer and editor, and an internationally-recognized chef, with diplomas in gastronomy from the Cordon Bleu and the University of Reims in France.  Susi is also a teacher, sharing her musical talents on fiddle and banjo and her culinary talents through her seasonal cooking classes, which she hosts in Ithaca, N.Y.; Sonoma, Calif.; Paris, France; and each summer at the Swannanoa Gathering music series Warren Wilson College in North Carolina.

Frederick Park has many accomplishments promoting community dancing and is well-known to contra dance communities throughout the United States, as a musician, caller, humorist, storyteller and historian.  For the past 36 years Frederick has been collecting and teaching traditional dances of America, Scotland, and France.  He is well-versed as a caller for Cajun, contra, English, square and multiple styles of dance.
 
Among Fredrick’s many accomplishments are:  founder in 1981 of the “Old Farmers Ball” (a community dance in Swannanoa, North Carolina); founder of the Black Mountain Festival (traditional music and dance camp now called “LEAF”).  Frederick resides in Celo, North Carolina, near the Virginia border, and is active in a newly formed international community dance program based in Marshall, NC.

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary.  SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free.  The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.  Contact: 
(706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Saturday, July 22nd means more summer contra dancing in the air-conditioned historic gym at the Sautee Nacoochee Center (SNC). Popular local string band Cage Free will bring its lively blend of Old Time Appalachian and New England contra dance music. Veteran caller Doug Singleton, who regularly calls for the band, will also be on hand.

An added feature to the July 2017 dance will be a community potluck dinner at 6:15 p.m., preceding the dance at 7:30. Bring a main dish item, salad or vegetable dish for 6-8 people to share. The contra dance committee will provide paper goods, utensils, and drinks.  

The Cage Free string band is a regular participant in the Sautee Nacoochee community and has played for dances and other events in Northeast Georgia since 2007. The members are: Margie McDonald on fiddle, Ann Whitley Singleton on fiddle, Jennie Inglis on acoustic bass fiddle, Mark Baker on guitar, and Walter Daves on claw hammer banjo and penny-whistle.

Doug Singleton has been calling dances far and wide for many years. A regular caller for Atlanta's Chattahoochee Country Dancers Friday night dances, he has called often in such places as Cincinnati, Huntsville, Chattanooga, Berea (Kentucky), Nashville, Tampa, and beyond. Doug is known for his clear teaching and interesting dances. He is married to Ann Whitley, one of the two fiddlers in Cage Free.

Expect great harmony playing from the two fiddlers. Margie McDonald has a long history of classical violin playing and over 10 years’ experience playing traditional fiddle music. Well-versed in genres from New England contra dance to Scottish and English Country Dance music, she is much in demand for playing dances and other music events in Georgia and the Carolinas. Ann Whitley Singleton, also classically trained, has been heavily involved in traditional music for over 35 years, as a contra dance musician, an organizer of several music camps, and a performing and recording artist (Peavine Creek, The Rosin Sisters.)  She serves as a director of the Pick and Bow Traditional Music School in Dahlonega.

Three members of the band, Jennie, Mark and Margie, have played regularly for the twice-monthly “Learn and Dance” classes at SNC for several years. Walter Daves is the original organizer and caller for the classes for 10 years. Jennie Inglis is the current organizer and caller.

Community potluck dinner, 6:15 pm; introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm. No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free. The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia. Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Kick off your summer contra dancing in the air-conditioned comfort of the Sautee Nacoochee Center gym on June 24, 2017, with the Asheville-based band The Stuff, a dynamic duo known for playing a wide range of high-energy fiddle tunes in many styles that keep contra dancers moving. Calling for the dance is by the amazing Bob Dalsemer of Hayesville, NC, a widely recognized, leading figure in traditional dancing programming and instruction both nationally and internationally.  

The Stuff is Gretchen Caverly on fiddle and Nic Coker on guitar and fiddle. Gretchen, originally from New Orleans, and Nic, from Alabama, first connected in Asheville in 2015. Gretchen plays in other contra bands including TuneRider, and a string trio, Mountain Bitters. Nic plays in other bands including Boom Chuck, Spinning Wheel, and Kudzoo. They like to say that they “make a humble living mostly playing music ... which is challenging, but really fun.”

From 1991 to 2013, Bob Dalsemer was Coordinator of Music and Dance Programs at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, where he greatly expanded the music program, instituted annual training courses for callers and dance musicians and produced a concert series featuring many fine local and regional traditional musicians. In 2011 he received the Country Dance and Song Society's Lifetime Contribution Award.

Bob has taught legions of student callers who have gone on to success in the field, several of whom have called right here in Sautee. He remains much in demand to call and teach squares, contras, circle dances, and traditional English and Danish dance. An accomplished musician on fiddle, guitar, mandolin and piano accordion, he enjoys playing music and doing community volunteer work.  

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm. No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free.

The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, 1/4 mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.

Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

On tap for the community contra dance in Sautee on May 20, 2017, is the fun-loving, high-energy string band InexplicaBillies. This trio of seasoned musicians with deep roots in old time and Celtic music promises an INEXPLICABLE fusion of music genres and powerful playing styles that makes dancers happy!

The InexplicaBillies are:  Wes Maluk (guitar, bhodran, dumbek, tenor banjo); Joel McConnel (mandolin and tenor banjo); and, David White (fiddle, banjo and jaw harp).

Both Wes and Joel play mostly Celtic in their other bands, as reflected in Wes' guitar style that varies from nuanced and flowing to hard driving, percussive rhythms, and Wes provides additional percussion with his tenor banjo playing. Joel is simply the master of melody playing on the mandolin, always taking the tune to a higher place. David is rooted in old time music and is known for his driving style on fiddle and banjo, playing mostly fiddle tunes peppered with originals, and periodically offering the groovy sound of his jaw harp.

Rumor has it that on rare occasions, toward the end of a dance medley, the three players converge on a stealth-like, “triple banjo attack”: two tenor banjos and one open back banjo. The crowd never knows what hits them.

Another surprise is that the musicians occasionally sing along with their playing.

A contra, techno-contra and square dance caller, Deanna Palumbo is known for her clear and melodious voice and wide experience with different folk dance genres.  She has called for public and private functions throughout the area.  A multi-talented musician, Deanna sings, performs in drum circles and street performances, and teaches moving meditation and sacred dance.  She is an accomplished folk dancer, enjoying a range of genres from contra and traditional square to swing, waltz and Cajun dancing.    

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary.  SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free.  

The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.  

Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

What do you get when you combine academics who play acoustic music with acoustic musicians who do art? In Athens, Georgia, the answer is the band String Theory. They will bring their far-reaching music to the contra dance in Sautee on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

String Theory taps deeply into the varied talents of four experienced acoustic musicians to combine driving renditions of traditional old time fiddle tunes spiced with bluegrass and Americana elements. The band is:  Tommy Jordan, guitar and claw-hammer banjo; Dick Daniels, bass and mandolin; Dale Wechsler, fiddle; and Antoon Speters, mandolin and banjo. You’ll hear some singing and great harmonies, too, as many of the band members are known to break into song while playing dance tunes.

To help make the band-caller teamwork phenomenal for this dance will be caller Charlotte Crittenden from Brasstown, North Carolina. Charlotte has a wealth of experience as a dancer and caller in the Southeast. She is known for delighting dancers old and young alike with her warm and friendly calling style. Charlotte grew up attending contra dances and classes in dance calling with Bob Dalsemer at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

SAUTEE COMMUNITY CONTRA DANCE: Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free. The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia. Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Whether you want to dance or just come listen to great music, you don’t want to miss the March 25th dance in Sautee. One of our all-time favorite contra dance bands is The Elftones, a highly accomplished musical duo. To make things even better, the caller for the night, Cis Hinkle, is one of the best on the circuit.

The Elftones is a popular, highly energetic North Carolina-based band, comprised of Mara Shea on fiddle and Roger Gold on guitar and foot percussion. Blending Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, old-time, and original tunes, they create a unique connection between the music and the dance and between the guitar and the fiddle, which makes dancers believe they could just keep on dancing all night.

It’s more music than you’d ever imagine from just two instruments. The music is driving, lyrical, dreamy, intense, and shaped to fit the dance. In fact, if you close your eyes and just listen, you’ll think there are extra elves hiding out under the stage supplying more music.

The Elftones call the North Carolina Piedmont home, but they play over much of the United States and Internationally. Together they have produced several CDs of beautiful dance and listening music, and, individually, each artist has also recorded several CDs with other groups.

Caller Cis Hinkle is much in demand at music and dance festivals from the USA to England and Denmark. We in the Sautee dance community count ourselves very fortunate when Cis “comes to call”, as she has on several occasions over the years.  

Cis has delighted contra and square dancers since 1985 with her skilled teaching, welcoming manner, playful enthusiasm, and masterful selection of dances. When not on the road, Cis teaches t’ai chi classes in her native Atlanta, Georgia.  

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free. The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.

Contact: (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Get ready to welcome the all-female band BattleAxe, February 25, 2017, for contra dancing at the Sautee Nacoochee Center.  BattleAxe is known for delivering a highly spirited mixture of old-time traditional Appalachian dance tunes and country root, rags and blues music, all peppered with occasional singing of old ballad lyrics.

The four members of BattleAxe are seasoned musicians and performers with years of experience playing with other bands in the field of traditional Appalachian music. Based in the upstate South Carolina Blue Ridge area, the band is: Amy Buckingham on fiddle and guitar, Lucy Allen on guitar, Brooke Lauer on banjo and fiddle, and Nancy Hamilton on upright bass. Amy is also well-known to the Sautee dance community for the band Blue Ridge Rounders, with her husband Bob Buckingham, that has played for the Sautee community dance several times.

BattleAxe formed in 2014 as a way to express the fun and delight the members have garnered through their musical experiences over the years. The women love to play hard-driving old-time Appalachian dance tunes, original songs, singer-songwriter songs from Gillian Welch and The Wailin’ Jennys, and even a traditional gospel number or two. The band’s 2015 recording showcases powerful vocal harmonies and instrumental music playing.

Quite fitting as a match for these Appalachian musicians is caller Warren Doyle from Tennessee. Though “institutionally retired,” Dr. Doyle, Director of the Appalachian Trail Institute, is an advocate of Appalachian life and culture and has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail over sixteen times. He helped found a folk school near Mountain City that offers quality contra dancing and music for people who want to visit the area while providing economic support to the local community. He has been involved in the contra dance scene as a dancer, caller, and dance event organizer for over forty years. A life-long educator, his calling style is marked by clarity and patience, and he is especially helpful in instructing beginner dancers.

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm. No partner or prior experience necessary. SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students, $5; children 12 and under, free. The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.

Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.

Contra dancers be forewarned to enjoy a night of high-energy dancing and calling as one of the most popular bands to play the Sautee contra dance returns for the fifth time on January 28, 2017. ContraForce -- a true force of nature -- has characteristically brought over 140 dancers to the historic gym at the Sautee Nacoochee Center.  An additional treat for the evening will be the calling of Emily Abel, who frequently collaborates with ContraForce but is making this her first visit to Sautee.



ContraForce is a three-piece powerhouse of musicians that combines the frenzied bowing arm of fiddler Andrae Raffield, the syncopated rhythms of drummer and saxophone player Joey Dorwart, and the acoustic and electric guitar onslaught of Jimi Periano. The band’s primary goal has been to transform traditional contra dance music into a new, exciting, psychedelic force.

Andrae Raffield and Joey Dorwart played contra dances for over fifteen years before they decided to strike out on their own to explore a new vision. They teamed up with percussionist Jimi Periano, who began by experimenting with rocking out some fiddle tunes. The new band quickly escalated to writing the bulk of their own material, aiming its energies at stretching the boundaries of traditional dance tunes.

Emily Abel comes about her nickname, Rainbowface, readily, as she is well known for seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm, singing her calls and giving clear, concise instruction.  Since 2014, she has called contras in 13 different states and traveled thousands of miles -- sometimes exclusively by bicycle.  

Introductory lesson, 7:30 pm; dance, 8-11 pm.  No partner or prior experience necessary.  SNCA members, $7; non-members, $10; students (college, too), $5; children 12 and under, free. The SNC historic gym is located at 283 Highway 255 North, ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia.

Contact:  (706) 878-3300; www.snca.org or www.sauteecontra.com.