Elvie Miller grew up immersed in the New England music and dance community and attended Family Week at Pinewoods many times as a camper. A recipient of the Watson Fellowship in 2005, she studied traditional dance music in northern Europe, and subsequently moved to music-rich County Clare, Ireland, where she now lives with her husband, fiddler Denis Liddy, and their eight-year old twin daughters. She enjoys teaching, playing music, and exploring children’s literature.
Fynn Crooks used to have a fear of hurdles, but she got over it. Oh, that’s terrible! As a storyteller, humorist, and teacher Fynn has been sharing bad jokes, tough riddles, and a healthy enthusiasm for life with her students, young and old, for a decade. She loves leading group games to encourage communication, cooperation and just plain goofiness. You might find Fynn launching a rubber chicken across camp, leading a silly circus, lifeguarding,
Peter Amidon’s life career as an educator/leader/performer in traditional dance, singing and storytelling is capped off by his passion for all things choral. He is a church choir director; a shape note singing leader; the founder and music co-director of the hospice singing group “Hallowell”; and a prolific choral arranger. Peter has been leading dance, singing and storytelling at CDSS summer Camps since Sam was born in 1981.
Mary Alice has been singing, dancing, and teaching children as a lifelong passion and career. She has been a long time teacher at CDSS Family Weeks. She met Peter Amidon in Cambridge at a Ted Sannella contra dance in 1975 and never looked back. She has been an artist in residence in elementary schools and a teacher of Village Harmony for both teens and adult singing camps. With Peter, she is an Orff Advocate,
Karen Axelrod left the world of classical music over 40 years ago, and has found her home in the folk world. She is highly regarded for her creative piano playing at English, American and Scottish dance events around the US (including Pinewoods Dance Camps, Ogontz, Buffalo Gap, Berea Christmas Country Dance Week, The John C. Campbell Folk School, and BACDS events) and abroad. Her improvisational playing is lyrical yet touched with humor and whimsy.
Anna Patton is a clarinetist, singer, composer, and educator driven by musical curiosity. She plays with the internationally touring dance band Elixir and with many other contra, ECD, and swing/blues bands. She loves to teach ensemble classes, improvisation, and ear training. In her home town of Brattleboro VT, she directs the Soubrette Jazz Choir which performs her creative arrangements of historical and contemporary American music. She also enjoys drinking good espresso and playing ping pong.
Dance, Music, & Song Camps