Michael Karcher got hooked on contra dance and ECD at Swarthmore College and fed his habit at CDNY in New York City. He started calling after moving to Seattle and honed a clear, friendly style over the next decade before returning to the east coast. Michael now calls events across the US and Canada, and dreams of bringing contra dance to Japan and taking contra away from France (just kidding). He helps with the Lehigh Valley contra dance,
Sami Braman (she/her) has been playing the fiddle since she was 6 years old, coming up amid the music festivals and jamming communities of the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant traditional Old-Time music scene. At 8 she and her long-time musical buddies Leo Shannon and Riley Calcagno formed The Onlies, which plays at festivals and gigs around the country and whose traditional Old Time sound they further refined in 2016 with the addition of acclaimed folk musician Vivian Leva.
Lexi Ugelow is a lifelong learner and lover of intergenerational community singing. She is a professional singer and song writer, and tours with groups such as Culomba, Road Dogs, Honey & Soul, and Northern Harmony, performing and teaching workshops to adults and children. While currently working towards a Masters in Expressive Arts Therapies, she is the music director of both the Boston based community choir Sing Positive, and local Cambridge Cabin Chorale. Her interests and experience with music spans from pop to world folk music to classical,
The Janine Smith experience is what you get when you cross a howdy-ma’am-BBQ-and-beans Honky Tonk with Zoom contra and sprinkle on some twinkly lights for sass. She’ll bring you a night of fun dances, from squares to contras, heck maybe a Singing Square, whether you’re sitting, standing, or somewhere in between. Her teaching is clear and to-the-point, though she has been known to goof around a bit. She’s one of the “Hot Square Babes”,
Abby Ladin was raised on social, folk and percussive dance from North America, the UK and Eastern Europe, and by age 18 was touring nationally with the Ohio-based dance and music company, Rhythm In Shoes. For over 30 years Abby has collaborated with choreographers, composers, dancers, musicians (and aerialists!) on multimodal performance projects. Abby instructs children and adults at events across the US, and is known for her inclusive and accessible teaching style. She and her husband Sam Bartlett make up the rhythm section of the Humdingers on stand-up bass and guitar,
Max Newman has made a living as a practitioner of traditional music for the past decade and half. He has developed a reputation as a favorite amongst dance musicians and dancers across North America and the UK. With a keen interest in New England music and dance, Max has graced many a dance hall playing with luminaries of the style. His primary project is The Stringrays, a veritable supergroup headed by New England fiddle legend Rodney Miller with Stuart Kenney,
Julie Metcalf, fiddler and violist, can often be spotted at contra and English dances in the Boston area, either on stage playing fiddle or on the dance floor. Coming from a family of musicians, she was encouraged to make music from an early age; Julie picked up the violin for the first time when she was 4 years old and has been playing ever since. Julie holds a degree in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music,
Cis Hinkle has delighted contra and square dancers since 1985 with her skilled teaching, welcoming manner, playful enthusiasm and masterful selection of dances. She is in great demand at music and dance festivals all over the U.S., England and Denmark, and is currently president of Atlanta’s Chattahoochee Contra Dancers. When not on the road, Cis teaches tai chi classes in her native Atlanta, GA.
Lisa Greenleaf has been treating dancers across the country to her high spirited, witty calling for many years, and is known for precise walk-throughs of zesty and flowing dances. Whether she is presenting cool contras, hot squares, or focused callers’ workshops, Lisa engages the crowd with her humor and community spirit.
Sam Bartlett is a traditional musician known throughout the United States for his banjo, mandolin, and guitar playing as well as his original music. His compositions have been profiled on NPR’s All Things Considered, aired on the Thistle & Shamrock, and his playing has been featured in two Ken Burns documentaries, Prohibition and The Dust Bowl.
Sam has performed and taught traditional music to communities throughout the country and beyond for the past 45 years,
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