Cascade of Music & Dance at Louise

This is a wonderful week of connecting with traditions and rituals, while building community with new and old friends. The culture of participation and involvement is contagious! We have a great program for adults, children, families and young adults featuring a mix of English and American dance, northwest morris, rapper, clog, song, music, arts and crafts, nature walks and more. Adults can participate in their classes all day, while children enjoy age-appropriate dance and music options.

The teaching and calling staff are entertaining and inspiring, the musicians are superb, and the schedule allows you to do as much as you could possibly want. In addition to classes, there are two all community gatherings (morning and evening) where we share stories, songs and talents. There is time during the day for a nature walk, swimming, canoeing and hanging out with friends. After dinner, we parade to the hall for a community dance which includes everyone in the fun. The evening dances combine English and contra, with bedtimes for the younger ones at appropriate intervals and adult dancing into the night. After the dance, there is always a late night activity which gives everyone a chance to shine and play.

On the last day, we have show and tell, a big parade, a pool party and lots of dancing. We would love to have you come to join in our week of traditions, making them yours as well.

Mornings at camp: lots of dancing, and kids classes for ages 2 and up.

Afternoons: lots of variety! Art, singing, swimming, jamming, dancing, and our Camper Led activity time – your chance to share something you like to do with your camp community.

All Camp Gatherings: Each day the entire camp comes together before lunch and again after dinner. We start with some dancing, and we share songs, skits, talents and stories. Some folks find this to be the best part of camp.

Each night our evening dance party combines English and American dance styles, with music that is just marvelous. Our tradition is for our younger campers to follow John Devine, our Pied Piper, to their cabins each evening after Gathering. Once they are settled their parents head back to the dance while our Roving Monitors check to make sure all is well in the cabins. The teens and the adults dance into the night and then share scrumptious snacks and entertaining late night activities.

~ Adina Gordon, Program Director

This week will host a special course in Traditional Music and Dance for Music Teachers with Robbin Marcus.

09:00 – 10:00

Smalls – Rachel Bell

Middles – Wander, Create, and Storytelling – Leslie Jeanne Devine

Wandering the beautiful grounds will reveal hidden treasures from nature that will lead us to storytelling, singing, and craft activities.

Talls – Dance On! – Sue Hulsether

Dance, dance, dance: contras, circles, squares, crazy formations, and couples’ dancing. We’ll also add a few rhythm challenge games to keep us thinking and smiling.

Wake Up Call (13+) – Janine Smith

Roll on outta bed and start your morning with some strongly caffeinated dancing that will stretch your neurons and encourage you to reach (and achieve!) new dance heights and happiness. If you think this is just a fancy way of saying “challenging dances”, you’re right, but we know you’re up to it!

Dance Potpourri for All (13+) – Laura Mé Smith

All week a mix of contras, English, and squares (with perhaps a touch of couples dance) will keep everyone guessing what’s next, and how could it possibly be even more fun than the previous one (which was awesome!)?

10:15 – 11:15

Smalls – Discover, Sing, and Play! – Leslie Jeanne Devine

Young explorers will visit nature up-close, sing songs, read nature stories, build structures, and simply play together.

Middles – Move It, Shake It, Sing It! – Sue Hulsether

Music by Joe Carter. We will shake a leg, create some interesting rhythms, sing some crazy songs, and dance our hearts out. This class will take folk song and dance in all kinds of fun directions.

Talls – Survey of Ritual Dance – Kappy Laning

Teen Class

Advanced English Country Dance (18+) – Laura Mé Smith

Music by Rachel Bell, Audrey Knuth, & Karen Axelrod. We’ll explore, not only some of the more intricate choreographies and rhythms of ECD, but also the glorious nuances which transform straightforward dances into dance nirvana and (most importantly) keep everything FUN. Familiarity with ECD figures a plus.

Dances for Everyone! (18+) – Adina Gordon

What do contra dancing, English country dancing, and square dancing have in common? DANCING! Whether you’ve been doing this for 20 minutes or 20 years, this is a class where you can enjoy all kinds of dancing, learn some new things, get comfortable with the different genres, and have lots of fun. Come join our no-pressure dance party where everyone is welcome and the only thing you need to know is that we’re glad you’re there.

Moth Style Storytelling (18+) – Carl Levine

Moth-style storytelling involves the telling of true personal stories, without notes, and within specific time parameters. As explained by one Moth Director: “for all their seeming inconsequence and improvisational air, a good Moth story is as carefully prepped and cultivated as a bonsai tree, with the same understanding that the miniature form, far more fragile than the bigger kind, needs more constant tending.” Participants will work together in a collaborative workshop environment to generate ideas for personal stories, and to develop their stories. The workshop will culminate in a “story slam” for workshop participants. *Note that this workshop is not affiliated with, approved by or endorsed by The Moth organization.

2:00 – 2:45

Nature Discovery! (8+, under 12s with an adult) – Appalachian Trail Hike Leslie Jeanne Devine

Trees, rocks, moss and more! Taking serendipitous strolls will lead us to discover nature’s splendid surprises. We’ll also play nature games. One afternoon is set aside for exploring the infamous and delightful Appalachian Trail.

3:00 – 4:00

Art (under 9s with adult) – Leslie Sudock

Ukelele for the Absolute Beginner (9+) – Sue Hulsether

Here’s your chance to “finally” learn an instrument. This is ukulele from the very beginning: tuning, basic chords, chord changes, and even singing and playing at the same. By the end of the week, we’ll have skills learned, confidence intact, and a nice repertoire of songs under our belts.

Caller’s Class (13+) – Laura Mé Smith

Contra? ECD? Squares? All need programming and teaching, in addition to calling. Not to mention using that pesky microphone and communicating with the band. This session will be tailored to the interests of the class participants with plenty of practice time to hone your skills.

BalFolk for Musicians (13+) – Rachel Bell

4:15 – 5:15

Honky Tonk 101 / Honky Tonk Heroes (under 10s with adult) – Janine Smith & Alexander Mitchell

Excel in the College of Musical Knowledge as we explore the roots and repertoire of this truly American musical genre. We’ll present some classic Honky Tonk songs and you can choose whether to hone your vocal and/or instrumental skills or both. We’ll sing and play as a class and in small groups to learn the instrumental and vocal essentials of the style. We’ll even do a little Two-Stepping, in preparation for your attendance and performance at what will surely be an EPIC Honky Tonk Night at Camp! Everyone is welcome! Janine Smith and Alex Mitchell will facilitate.

Harmony Singing

Old Time Jam – Joe Carter

Registration is not yet open for 2021 programs, please check back later. You can find more information about the registration process here. If you need financial assistance in order to attend, please go to our scholarships page.