Hi, Dancers:
 
Specific dance events happening in the next couple of weeks are:

 

August 14 - English Country Dancing

August 18 - Hot August (K)Nights - a Saturday of English Country and Scottish dancing.

August 25 - Contra Dancing

September 5 - International Folk Dancng resumes

September 6 - Dances of Universal Peace

 

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                            August 12, Sunday:  Midsummer's Harp Concert, Mariano Gonzalez

2 p.m. • $15 general admission, $10 seniors, children/students.  Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod • 455-7340

Mariano Gonzalez was born and raised a cowboy in Buena Vista, Paraguay. A member of a long tradition family of harpists, he began playing at age 5. After finishing his studies in 1971, he performed extensively in Europe, Japan, Argentina, Paraguay and USA. He successfully redesigned the Paraguayan harp to allow more jazz, popular and semi-classical influences into his repertoire, giving him the ability to draw a truly unique sound. His greatest accomplishment came in 2002 when he received three standing ovations on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

 

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Aug 14 (Tuesday):   ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCING

                                                                             Jewel Box Theatre, Clark County Library  (FREE)
 
 
The ECD is sponsored by University Historical Dance Enthusiasts. The emphasis is on dances prior to 1700, but some more modern dances are also taught and called. Want to read more about ECD?  go to our website, http://snocd.raincloudpub.com /   Recorded music is used.
 
Location:   Jewel Box Theatre, Clark County (Flamingo) Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Ave.
Time:  6:30 to 8:45 pm.
Admission:  Free
Info:  return e-mail, or 656-9513
Directions:  The library is between Maryland Parkway and Eastern Ave., on the south side of the street.  The library entrance that is close to the Jewel Box theatre is the door closest to the intersection of Flamingo and Escondido.  Inside the door, turn left, go down a short flight of stairs, and the Jewel Box is the room on your right. 
 
Future Jewel Box ECD Dances at the Jewel Box:  TBD

 

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August 18, Saturday:  Hot August (K)nights

 

An all-day dance event sponsored by the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).  They are hoping to have a crazy costume (Costuming of the Middle Ages but with fun materials/colors) contest.  The following is from the website  http://www.starkhafn.org.

 

You're invited to a fancy dress ball. We don't want to see your nicest court garb though. No, we're going in a different direction for this one. This is the Gawd Awful Ball, and we're throwing all the rules of good taste out the window. Create the worst garb you possibly can. Get creative with the idea of bad garb. Use hideous fabric, or bad construction techniques, or incorporate interesting themes. If you can dream it, we want to see it.

There will be prizes, in the form of beautiful linen, awarded to the best of the worst. Judging will be via secret ballot in two catergories, Elegantly Hideous and Just Plain Bad.

The Gawd Awful Ball will take place Saturday, August 18, 2007 at the American Legion Post. 508 California Ave Boulder City NV 89005

Our dance mistress of the day will be Mistress Jeanne. She will be teaching a variety of dances, including some old favorites to interesting new music. Our dance choices can be just as bad as our garb choices.

The site will open at 10:00am and close at 10:00pm with a break for lunch at 2:00pm. Lunch will not be provided; however, there are several nearby restaurants, or you can bring your own sack lunch.

Site Fees: $5.00 for members, $8.00 for non-members. Make checks payable to "SCA Inc/Barony of Starkhafn.

Any questions, please contact the stewards Lady Emmeline Dernelove (Krissy Houston) krissylin@gmail.com (702)403-6383 or Lord Douglas rauthskegg (Doug Houston) dhouston@oz.net (702)334-6762

 

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August 19, Sunday - World Vibration: Middle Eastern Music

2 p.m. • $10 general, $7 seniors and students.  Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod • 455-7340

 

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August 20,  Monday:  Killian's Angels performance

 

This LV contemporary Celtic, country and classic and rock band performs at the Rainbow Library (Buffalo and Cheyenne, SE corner) at 8 pm.  Free.

 

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                               August 25, Saturday:  Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra Dancers

 Yearly Membership Meeting 

The organization that promotes the contra dancing / Old Time Barn Dances is the Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra Dancers (SNOCD)

, a non-profit organization that has a yearly membership meeting around late August - September to elect the Board of Directors and officers for the next year.  This year's determination of the changing of the guard will take place in a board meeting before the August 25 Old Time Barn Dance.  Half of the 12 positions on the Board of Directors are up for change, as well as all the officers. If you are interested in becoming involved in the dancing community at this level, the opportunity is open.  The members of SNOCD elect the Board, and the Board, in turn, elects the officers from their midst for the next year.  Anyone can become a member in order to vote, and only members can serve on the Board.
The term of service is 2 years. As a Board member, you can be active in determininig the future contra dancing scene in the Las Vegas area.
 
If you wish to be considered, notify Donna Killian at 732-4871 or at duokcorp@hotmail.com by August 15th.  The meeting on August 25th will start at 5:30 pm (new time) at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.  

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August 25 - CONTRA DANCING

 

Location:  Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 South Brush Street, Las Vegas, near Arizona Charlie's.   Phone: 229.6211.
Time:  Optional contra dance introductory session at 6:30 pm, dancing from 7 to 10 pm. 
Cost:  General admission:$6; members of SNOCD:$5; students and active military: $3. 
Music:  Live fiddlin' music by 112, and Then Some (Kay, David, David, Vera, Barb, and .....??)

Caller: 
Information:  656-9513, or return e-mail.
Directions:  CHAC is one block west of Arizona Charlies, and 2 blocks northwest of the intersection of W. Charleston Blvd. and Decatur Blvd. From Highway 95, take the Decatur exit, go south on Decatur for 4 stoplights, and turn right on Evergreen St.  This is the street between the Arizona Charlie's Casino and their parking lot to the south.  Go west on Evergreen, and at the first stop sign, turn left onto Brush St.  CHAC is the 2nd building on the right.
 
Future Contra / Old-TIme Barn Dances - at CHAC: September 15 and 29, October 20.   Generally, the last Saturday of the month. 

NEW, starting in September: there will be another regularly scheduled dance at CHAC, generally on the 2nd Saturday of the month, in addition to the last Saturday of the month. 

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September 5 (Wednesday evening):   International Folk Dancing resumes.

 

Ethnic Express resumes evening folk danicng at Charleston Heights Arts Center.

 

Time:  Wednesday nights, 6:30 to 9 pm; no weekly dancing in August

Location:  Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush Street. (see directions above, for Contra Dancing)

Cost:  $4 general, $3 members of Ethnic Express.  

Information:  732-4871

 

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                  September 6  (Thursday evening):    DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE 
 
Participants perform chant and dance from a variety of cultures, accompanied by live music. You do not need to know how to dance and no partner is required. You will be dancing the path to peace by honoring the sacred traditions of the world through song and dance. Everyone participates. Songs are taught and then sung in the native language of the cultures they are honoring. The phrases are short and easy to learn. The dances are done in a circle, using simple folk dance movements. Wear comfortable clothes.
 
Location:   Christ the King Catholic Community, in the "Community Center" (north side of the parking lot).
Address:   4925 S Torrey Pines Dr., Southwestern corner of Torrey Pines and Tropicana
Time:   7:00 to 9:00 PM (with a little time for community at the end).
Cost:  $10 donation or whatever you wish

Generic instructions to the Christ the King Catholic Community:
Using surface streets --  Head for the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Rainbow Blvd. in the southwest valley.  Torrey Pines Dr. is about 0.5 miles (one traffic light) east of Tropicana and Rainbow.  The church is on the southwest corner.
Using the "Beltway" (215) --   Take 215 to Rainbow Blvd.  Drive north about 2.5 miles to Tropicana Ave.  Drive east about 0.5 mile to Torrey Pines Dr. The church is on the southwest corner.
 
Dates of future LV dances: September 6, October 4, November 1, and December 6.

If you need additional information, or a schedule of dances in Pahrump, please see the DUP of southern Nevada webpage ( http://raincloudpub.com/dupsn/), or call Oma (702 371 2273), or David (702 658 4094).

 

 

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September 6 - 9:  Greek Food Festival

St. John's the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 5300 El Camino Rd.

Food, music, and dancing...   248-3896, lasvegasgreekfestival.com

 

Ethnic Express is attending as a group on Thursday night for dancing, eating, dancing, and more eating.....

 

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September 29, Saturday, African Drum and Dance Workshop

West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 West Lake Mead Boulevard, 229-4800, 1 pm. 

Dr. Zakarya Diouf, an expert in African music and tribal and ceremonial dances, teaches African drum and dance. Free admission  
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 October 12 -14 (Friday through Sunday), Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival, Sunset Park

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                                                    Sundays:   Celtic Cove performances

On-going Sundays, 5:30p-8:30pm, at the pub Auld Dubliner in Monte Lago Village at the Lake of Las Vegas, the group Celtic Cove performs acoustic celtic music with vocals, accordion, guitars, mandolin, tenor banjo, dulcimer, whistle, and percussion.                                                                                

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SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING  -  Will start in the fall.   

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  ISRAELI FOLK DANCING   

 

Israeli dancing resumes late August - early September

 

at Dance Charisma, 3650 S. Jones Blvd, Ste. #16 (north of the NE corner of Twain and Jones), 6:00 pm.  Stayed tuned for further announcements.

Admission:  $15.  Information:  254-5895.  Sunday evenings. 

 

Occassionally there is Israeli dancing on Friday evenings after the service at the new Jewish synagogue, Ner Tamid.  These events are free, and start around 8:30 - 9 pm, depending on when the service is over, and last for 1 to 1.5 hours.  The temple is located just north of the intersection of Highway 215 and Valle Verde, in Henderson.  After exiting the freeway, go north to the first stop light, and the synagogue is on the left.

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MUSIC AND DANCE EVENTS OUTSIDE OF LAS VEGAS

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On September 23, Marsden McCrea is teaching in Culver City - and be doing Lord of the Ring Dances.  

On Saturday November 3, the Fall Southern California Playford (ECD) Ball will be held in South Pasadena - "Playford to Present." It's preceded by a workshop to go over the more advanced dances, and hospitality/crash space is available. Dress is "formal, any period." Tickets are $30 for the Ball before 9/16 and $5.00 for the workshop. The Ball will sell out, so please make your plans asap! 

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CONTRA DANCE CAMPS

 

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August 30 - September 4:  Labor Day Dance Away - Contra Dance Camp, California:  The LDDA dance camp this year will be held in Julian, CA, and features the band Big Bandemonium, which is a big hit on the East Coast. It's a real treat for them to come out west since most camps can't import such a large band of famous people. And they have a Horn Section!!!   Cost:  $300, includes food and lodging for 3 days.  The cost per day is about the same or less than most western camps that include food and lodging. (LDDA = 3 days 1/2 friday, saturday, sunday, 1/2 monday).  In Julian,  the Food is good, the hall is great, the pool is close and the cabins are Roomy.  It's at an elevation of 4500 feet- same as Alta Sierra. Wasn't that hot last time....hall is air conditioned. The beautiful suspended wood dance floor in a gorgeous hall is made especially for dancing!   Callers:  Joseph Pimentel and Beth Molaro- a winning combination!  Scholarships are available.  And, they have really good ping pong tables.  Contact George Cannon at cannon@alumni.caltech.edu for registration information.

 

September 7 - 9:  Wasatch Wiggle - Contra Dance Camp   Utah:   The new venue for Utah's Wasatch Wiggle is Camp Cloud Rim up the road from Deer Valley in Guardsman Pass. Really, folks, you have just got to come this year to see this beautiful dance hall. The story is that Camp Cloud Rim's old dining hall unfortunately burned down, but when they rebuilt it a few years ago, they had some hefty donations and were able to hire a high power architectural firm to construct a gorgeous new hall. The hall has won a bunch of awards and has the most beautiful suspended wood floor around. One whole wall is glass and overlooks serene, alpine Lake Brimhall. They also included an up-top-date well-equipped camp kitchen, enabling the camp to have primo cuisine.  The Avant Gardeners return to Utah as a threesome. You'll be transported by their riotous, playful dance music and lyrical waltzes. Caller Erik Weberg joins us from Portland, Oregon with his wonderful, clear teaching and friendly, warm demeanor.  Accommodations are your choice of log cabins that sleep 8 on single beds, a mattress on the floor in a cozy little nook or cranny of the spacious dance hall, or RV/tent camping on good level ground.  All this for just $125 per person-accommodations included. (Want to commute up and down? Weekend-only without accommodations-$110).  Visit the website at www.wasatchwiggle.org for more details and on-line registration. Join us in the early autumn among the golden Aspens!      P.S. There are work scholarships available for those with financial hardship-including a few full scholarships! Contact Brenda if you're interested.

 

September 28 -30:  Harvest Moon Contra Dance Festival, Santa Barbara CA:    This year's dance camp promises to be better than ever with an all new format, to be held in the legendary  Carrillo Ballroom, with the best in the west Spring Dance Floor!   Special Guest Bill Tomczak on Saxophone will join Notorious for this event.  For the first time an afternoon of Swing Dancing with Rockin’ Rob Rio!   Many other surprises and exciting changes are in store, to many to mention!  

The June 15, 2007 discount deadline is fast approaching!  Anyone wanting to attend the September 28-30 Harvest Moon Dance Camp in Santa Barbara California, will receive a $10.00 Discount of the $120.00 event price. Applications can be obtained on line by going to www.sbcds.org and clicking on the bright Harvest Moon in the upper left hand corner of the web page.  The E-Mail Addresses are barbaraabriggs@aol.com or harvestmoon@sbcds.org attn; Kelli.

 

November 3:  (10th annual) Fall Has Spring - 12-hour Contra Dance Festival, Grass Valley, CA: 

THE BANDS. It's not fair to label any of the bands as the "headliner," since they are all deserving of the role, but Notorious is holding down the evening spot. Notorious has many configurations; the one you get to dance to on November 3rd is a four-person band consisting of Larry Unger on guitar, Eden McAdam-Somer on fiddle, Sam Bartlett on mandolin, and Mark Hellenberg on percussion. They are all superb musicians who know how to make dancers wild and crazy.

The Hillbillies from Mars rarely play together any more (one member moved to Oregon), so it is a special treat to have them for Fall Has Sprung. The Hillbillies are Kevin Carr on fiddle, pipes, accordion, and banjo; Ray Bierl on fiddle; Paul Kotapish on mandolin and guitar; and Daniel Steinberg on keyboards and flute.

Our local band Hot Cider  they've anchored every Fall Has Sprung.  Hot Cider is one of the best contra bands around and would be in demand at dance camps if all the members liked to travel. Making up Hot Cider are Rudy Darling on fiddle, Barry Angell on mandolin, banjo, and guitar, Ken Nilsson on guitar, and Mark Botic on bass.

THE CALLERS. This year we are featuring three local/regional callers who have all made the jump from calling local regular dances to calling at camps and other dance events around the country. Joyce Miller lives in Grass Valley, and besides calling all over northern California, she's been on the staff at the Chehalis weekend in British Columbia, and will be calling at Contra Carnivale 2008 in San Luis Obispo with Susan Michaels and George Marshall. Both Susan Petrick and Lynn Ackerson have called at innumerable weekends and camps all over the country, and have well-deserved reputations as skilled callers with huge dance repertoires.

THE SCHEDULE. Dancing starts at NOON and continues, with breaks, until MIDNIGHT. Here's the rough schedule: Hot Cider with Joyce Miller from noon to 3:30, The Hillbillies from Mars with Lynn Ackerson from 4 to 7:30, and Notorious with Susan Petrick from 8 to midnight. There will be a short break in the middle of every set. There's no formal dinner break.

REGISTRATION AND ADMISSION. Unlike most dance camps and weekends, there is no pre-registration. You just arrive and pay your admission, which is $25 per person. No discounts for late arrivals.

THE HALL. The dance is at the Grass Valley Vet's Hall, 255 S. Auburn St. near downtown Grass Valley and just off the highway 49/20 freeway. The huge dance floor is described by the hall manager as the best in the county (we agree). There are bleacher seats at the back of the hall, providing plenty of space for stowing your stuff, resting, hanging out with friends, or even napping. The hall is within walking distance of many good restaurants, and there's a big parking lot in back and nearby street parking. The Vet's Hall does not have a sprung floor, but the underlying joists do give a bit...)

MEALS.  All dancers are encouraged to bring a dish that's easy to eat and will survive sitting out for a few hours. If you want a real meal, you can walk to one of more than a dozen local restaurants ranging from the inexpensive to the elegant. We will post a map showing the location of our favorites.

GETTING TO GRASS VALLEY. Grass Valley is in the Sierra Foothills north of Interstate 80 on highway 49, about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento and 80 miles southeast of Chico. If you plan to fly to the area, the nearest airport is Sacramento International, which is served by Southwest and a number of other regional and national airlines. The drive from the airport to Grass Valley is about an hour and a quarter. Flying to Reno is also a possibility; the drive is a bit longer at about an hour and a half (beware, howver, of the small possibility of very early snowstorm snarling up traffic on I-80 over Donner Summit).

WHERE TO STAY. Many out-of-town dancers who have been coming to FHS for many years have established connections with local dancers with whom they stay every year. Since there aren't a lot of us who live near town and have guest space, these "regulars" fill up much of the available guest rooms and living room floors. Nevertheless, we will do all we can to match you up with a local dancer if that's your accommodation preference. Although we want you to make your requests ahead of time, please wait until October 1 do so.

If staying in a hotel fits your budget, please consider one of our fine hotels or B&Bs. A few good possibilities, all within 1 mile: Elam Biggs B&B (530-477-0906); Courtyard Suites (530-272-7696); the historic Holbrooke Hotel (530-273-1353); Sierra Motel (273-8133); Holiday Inn Express (530-477-1700); and the Stagecoach Motel (530-272-3701; one block away from the hall). Call the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce for more ideas at 530-273-4667, or visit Nevada County Gold Online at www.ncgold.com or the Grass Valley Downtown Association lodging page at www.downtowngrassvalley.com/pages/stay.html. It's a good idea to book a room soon if that's your plan.

There are also a number of campgrounds in the area. The closest, a very nice area under ponderosa pines, is at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Call 530-273-6217 for information and reservations.

MAKING A LONG WEEKEND OF IT. Notorious will be playing the regular dance in Sacramento the night before (Friday). It's a little less than an hour and a half drive from the Sacramento hall to Grass Valley. Details about this dance will be on the Sacramento Country Dance Society's Website at www.fussell.org/sacramento/index.htm in a month or two.

On Thursday evening, November 1, Eden and Larry of Notorious will perform at a house concert in Grass Valley. If you are interested in hearing these talented musicians play in this intimate setting, call 530-272-6498 for more info, start time, and reservations.

On Sunday, many dancers go hiking or visit area attractions. There are a number of beautiful trails along the South Yuba River, in the American River canyon south and east of Auburn, near Downieville to the north, and elsewhere. Both Nevada City and Grass Valley are charming old Gold-Rush-era towns full of interesting shops and find eateries. Just outside of Grass Valley is the Empire Mine State Historic Park, where you can walk miles of good trails, descend into the main shaft of the Empire (about 50 feet), tour the old mining buildings, and stroll around the manicured grounds surrounding the mine owner's "cottage."

MORE INFO. Visit http://members.aol.com/foothilldancers or call Eric or Lisa at 530-273-3934.