Dance, Music, & Song Camps“You will have so much fun and gain a bigger family by the end of the week.”
–Kristen Planeaux
August 11-17, 2024 // Poland, ME
The week children take their families to
Program Description
A web of friendship, music, dance and fun!
Come dance, sing, and revel in the woods of Maine! This is the second year that our fabulous Family Week community from Ogontz makes its new home at Agassiz Village. We’re excited to welcome new families and friends to the camp and share folk traditions old and new. Sing (and eat) in the expansive, beautiful timber-framed dining hall, relax at the waterfront with its stunning scenic islands, dance in the rustic old town hall, and enjoy plenty of space to run around and play. Greet friends old and new alike all ready to soak in the magic of the week!
Morning Gathering is central to camp. It’s a chance for everyone to be together, share some talents, and sing a song or too with a fabulous inter-generational crowd of friends old and new.
Morning classes are organized by age group. Our fabulous teaching staff engage the youngest campers with music, dance, stories, and art. Older kids have dedicated traditional dance and singing options to get stuck into. Teens and adults can choose from soaring and smooth English dancing, conquer the complexities of both contra and couple dance, raise the rafters in harmony song, or explore longsword with a UK expert!
Afternoons offer a range of options, not least swimming and nap time! Workshops are open to all ages (younger children may need to bring a guardian) and include the famous Mummers Play, Family Jam, English clog dance, Family Sing, Letterboxing, and a brand new a range of stand-alone classes in singing, playing for dancing, and dancing itself!
We round up the afternoon with stories under the Walnut Tree. Bring snacks, perhaps a cocktail, and be prepared to be transported by (and possibly participate in) tales of magical beings, barely-credible creatures and probably a lot more besides.
As we head towards evening, there’s a community dance and a bedtime song before the Pied Piper leads the youngest campers to bed. 10-12’s join the first hour of the dance before they too are sung towards sleep. Our all-star music staff will keep the rest of us moving all evening with nightly ECD and contra dances taught and called by phenomenal callers, you can even expect a spot of ceilidh and some Bal folk in the mix. After-hours activities and parties (pub night, cabaret, teens games, auction) are a great part of camp for anyone who is still standing by that point!
Come recharge, reconnect, relax, and renew as we gather together and learn that it really does take a village! We’d love to see you there!
~Laurel Swift, Program Director
Class Descriptions
Period 1
Ages 2-3: Small Storytellers with Emilie Moore
1, 2, 3 – Come find me! Each morning we’ll jump into a story using imaginative play, and will use song, dance and craft to immerse ourselves in that world. Today a dragon, tomorrow a cloud, after that, who knows!
Ages 4-5: Rapper with Steph West
Rapper dancing is just like playing a game or working out a puzzle, that’s why it’s so much fun! In this session we’ll have a go at the building blocks of a rapper dance, exploring all the different ways you can go under or over a sword to end up in a lock. We’ll also learn about how important teamwork is, as rapper is definitely not a dance you can do solo!
Ages 6-7: Silly Songs, Delightful Dances, and More! with Mary Wesley
This class is all about the joys of dance, music, and song! We’ll look at the ways they are all interconnected and the ways they can help us connect to each other. We’ll also play some games and make some art, because that’s joyful too!
Ages 8-9: Musical Mash Up with Desiree Halcomb
In this class, we will sing songs, play music games, and learn to play recorder! Instruments will be provided.
Ages 10-12: Dancing, Singing, and Merriment with Lily Leahy
Hey 10-12 year olds, you get to stay up for the first part of the evening dance! With this honor comes great responsibility. But fear not, this class has you covered! To help prepare you, in this class we will learn the basics, and beyond, of English country and contra dancing and try to decipher exactly how they are different and also quite similar. In addition to dancing, we’ll learn some fun songs and rounds which we’ll hopefully get to teach and share with the rest of camp. Throw in a few silly games and we’ll have a great time. See you there!
Ages 13 & up: English Country Dance with Joanna Reiner Wilkinson
If English Dance is not your first language, if you are a new or returning English dancer, or if you want a chance to focus on and build your ECD skills, come to class! We’ll take the time to look at figures, how to dance to the great variety of ECD tunes, and so much more. This class is a great introduction to the joys and variety of English country dancing.
Ages 13 & up: Longsword with Tom Besford
For hundreds of years, the Grenoside Sword Dancers have performed on Boxing Day in their village just outside of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. It’s the only longsword dance featuring clog steps. 70 years ago, Grenoside taught a version of their dance to the Newcastle Kingsmen, and now it’s our turn to learn it.
Period 2
Ages 2-3: The Sun Is In My Heart
Let’s stretch, move, sing, and dance our way through the morning together. We’ll have fun with the sun and the seasons it creates, and more!
Ages 4-5: Nature, Connection, Crafting & more! with Emilie Moore
Come connect to all of the wonders that nature has to offer. Each day we’ll take a nature walk, collect things for a craft, write songs about the trees, create a story about a curious squirrel, and start traditions with our small, but mighty crew. Get ready to ground your toes in the dirt and dig in!
Ages 6-7: Tell a Tale or Two! with Desiree Halcomb
Using children’s literature, we will engage our voices, percussion instruments, and dramatization skills to create a musical retelling of various stories.
Ages 8-9: Longsword with Tom Besford
The centuries-old 4 person longsword dance of Penshaw was ‘rediscovered’ fairly recently and published in a new manuscript. But actually it was pretty much invented out of thin air! Together, we’ll look at this so-called traditional dance and work out if we can make it even better.
Ages 10-12: Morris Dancing with Peter Kruskal
Start your day with some fabulous Cotswold Morris dancing, the most stunning and energetic form of English folk dance. Prepare to jump around, clash sticks, learn to wave a hanky properly, alongside learning the step-hops and leaps of this unique dance style. We’ll learn a couple traditional dances and maybe write one of our own!
Ages 13 & up: Dance Lab for Contra and More with Mary Wesley
This is a dance class with footnotes (heh heh, get it!?) While doing some great dances each day we’ll review the nuts and bolts that make a contra run smoothly: timing, rhythm, good choreography, giving weight—as well some fun add-ons like flourishes and swapping roles. We’ll also try a few different dance forms like triplets, squares, and waltzing to see what they can teach us!
Ages 13 & up: Singing in Harmony with Laurel Swift
Spend a delightful hour learning and singing traditional songs arranged in resounding harmony by Laurel plus one or two new ones! We’ll warm up our voices for the day, get tuned in to your fellow campers, and simply enjoy the shared sound of all of our voices united in song. We’ll explore a range of moods, stories and textures through the week, notation will be provided and everything will be accessible to those who prefer to learn by ear.
Period 3
Mummers Play with Paddy Swanson
The artistic director of Revels will lead us in the creation of another spectacular mummers play. Throw caution to the winds and join the merry band of actors who will bring you life, death, rebirth, and a smashing party to follow.
Ages 8 & up (younger, if passionate, with an adult): Cranky Making for All with Ann Percival
Please join us for a fun, low pressure art experience for ALL! This year we will be making a community cranky illustrating a song. A cranky is an old fashioned movie drawn/painted/colored on a long sheet of paper and then “scrolled” in a cranky box. We will draw and color and sing and switch places so that the “movie” is illustrated by everyone. Remember how relaxing coloring is? Come and have fun! (You do not have to commit to attending every day!)
Musical One-Shots
Explore a different offering led by program staff every day.
Monday – Playing for Contra with Jesse Ball and Sarah-Hadley Yakir
Join us as we explore playing for contra dances! We will discuss what makes music danceable and why certain musical characteristics feel good for contra dance specifically. Together, we will look at the nuances of melody, harmony, and groove. We will also learn some techniques to make it all come together!
Tuesday – Playing For ECD with Karen Axelrod
Come join us while we explore some of the things that make playing for English Country dance different than playing for other dance genres. We will have fun with a few tunes, and learn how to give lift and drive to our playing. Geared toward people who are proficient on their instruments and can read music. Age 13 and up.
Wednesday – Woodwind Workshop – David Cantieni
There are many many different instruments represented by the class of woodwinds but there is also, as implied by the name, at least one common attribute, using your breath to produce noise and maybe even music, haha. The whistles and flutes produce sound with the vibration of air in a tube whereas the reeds, both single and double, use the vibration of a piece of wood moving back and forth to sound. It turns out that I have worked with each of these styles of instrument and may even have some expertise with them. My focus for more years than I care to count has been to use my breath to produce dance music. I will welcome participants to bring their instruments and we may work on some various techniques for playing dance music with rhythm and lift.
Thursday – Playing For Balfolk with Sarah-Hadley Yakir
An dro, Mazurka, Chapelloise, oh my! Come learn several tunes from the bal folk repertoire and find out what makes each dance come alive. Ages: 12 and up, younger, if passionate, with parent.
Period 4
Ages 8 & up (younger, if passionate, with an adult): Family Jam
Whatever your instrument (fiddle, kazoo, a homemade invention?), whatever your level, bring yourself and an instrument along and let’s play music together! From simple, fun and familiar tunes, to special requests and some obligatory bangers, this is a slow and steady session led by our fabulous camp staff for everyone to join in with. Bring dots if you need them, otherwise expect to play by ear and we’ll give pointers about how to join in before each tune! Children under 12 should be accompanied by parent (or come and chat to us in advance)
Ages 8 and up (younger, if passionate, with an adult): Clog Dance with Steph West
In this class we’ll be looking at the waltz steps of Alex Woodcock, a fabulous dancer from the North East of England. Alex was taught to dance in clogs, but he later switched to largely performing in tap shoes and his steps clearly draw on the music hall tap styles that became popular in his youth. The dance is relatively simple, but there are some fun steps and a flashy finish to enjoy. The steps also have a number of variations, so we can build the complexity level or keep it simple depending on experience.
Unique One-shots
Explore a different offering led by program staff every day.
Monday – Sound workshop for Fiddle players with Sarah-Hadley Yakir
In this workshop we will explore the many sounds and textures available to us as fiddle players. We will dive in to bite, ring, and emphasis and practice some useful techniques that help create different colors on the violin and fiddle. This workshop is directed towards intermediate/advanced players. All ages welcome, 10 and under with an adult.
Tuesday – Rounds – Julia Friend
Come learn a few complicated but very rewarding rounds. This is a class for people 10yrs old and up. If you have a really cool round that you want to teach we might have time for that too.
Wednesday – Stories in Song – Julia Friend
Old songs tell the craziest stories. I’ll sing a few songs, you can bring one to sing if you want, and we’ll dissect and discuss them. This will be part Book Club (“wait, what was that lyric?!”) and part technique workshop (how the melody and lyrics interact to transmit emotion, create phrasing, etc.)
Thursday – North West Processional – Tom Besford
What’s the best way to travel? North West Processional Clog Morris of course! We’ll learn a travelling dance ready for the parade! See you there!
Period 5
AgAll Ages: Letterboxing with Laurel Swift
Brought to Agassiz by a popular past staff member, this workshop combines drawing, carving, stealthiness and adventure! It’s become an international treasure hunt that started in Dartmoor, Devon long ago in 1854. Design and carve your own stamp, be part of the team hiding letterboxes around camp, then join the search to fill your own special notebook with unique stamps. Under 10s are welcome with a parent.
All ages: Social Singing for All with Julia Friend
Come sing with us! Julia will facilitate a daily singing session where everyone has a chance to join in on a variety of songs and can try leading a song of their choice. We will create a supportive and inquisitive singing community, no experience necessary. Tips for song leading, ethical lyrics, and more, will be covered as opportunity arises.
Ages 13-17: Lost Rapper Dances with Tom Besford
Some of the notated traditional rapper dances are really weird. So weird in fact that nobody dances them anymore. In this class, we’re going to change that by learning some of the most obscure old rapper dances that were ever written down. If you thought you knew how to tie a lock, get ready to be surprised.
Dance One-shots
Explore a different offering led by program staff every day.
Monday – Role Models – Swapping on the Dance Floor (younger than 10 with adult) – Mary Wesley
Switching roles on the dance floor is a great way to have fun with your partner, and learning how to do it well can make all of us better dancers! In this workshop we’ll explore some basic concepts and skills to help make role swapping fun for all.
Tuesday – Intro to Balfolk (younger than 10 with adult) – Mary Wesley
“Balfolk” refers to the recent revival of popular social dances from Western Europe, with an emphasis on traditional “folk” dances from France. This workshop will introduce the bourrée, an dro, gavotte, mazurka, and more! Some partner dances, some group dances, some snakey chain dances, they are all fun and easy to learn, especially when the music is so entrancing!
Wednesday – Untying Knots: Complex ECD Dances (ages 10 and up) – Joanna Reiner Wilksinson
The English dance canon has a number of challenging, wonderful dances that are rarely seen on social dance programs – and for good reason! This session for experienced dancers will feature set dances with knotty geometry including dances with Schiehallion Reels, Dutch Crossing, and others.
