Peter grew up going to Family Week at Pinewoods as a kid and has been dancing ever since. He currently dances on several performance teams including PMM (Pinewoods Morris Men), Orion Longsword, and CandyRapper VSOP. Peter loves teaching dance and currently helps to run and teach the teen Great Meadows Morris and Sword group near Boston. He has taught rapper at various workshops and dance weeks including Berea Christmas Country Dance School,
Cecily Mills is a Boston-based cellist and vocalist. She grew up attending a multitude CDSS camps and events. While she can be found playing music at bluegrass festivals, Irish sessions, and house concerts, her heart lies in making music for dancing. She is seen most often performing with Good Company for contra dancing, the Pegasus Collective for English Country dancing, and the New Grown-Ups for a delightful variety of scenarios. A self-appointed court jester,
Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Helen Kuhar currently resides in Cambridge, MA. Helen began exploring their connection to folk and Celtic music in 2020 while studying with renowned contra guitarist Alex Sturbaum (Countercurrent, The Engine Room). Upon moving to Cambridge in 2022, Helen dove into the thriving Celtic music scene, playing contra dances, Irish sessions, and concerts around New England and the Pacific Northwest. Since then, Helen has developed their style as a contra accompanist,
Rose Jackson came up in the rich folk scene of western Massachusetts, discovering contra dance at the age most kids encounter The Beatles, and Morris not long after. She studied under fiddler Becky Tracy (Nightingale, Wild Asparagus) from whom she inherited a wide repertoire of music from Quebec and New England, a deep love for old tunes, and the unshakeable sense of rhythm and danceability which infuses her playing. From multi-instrumentalist Pete Sutherland (Pete’s Posse) and Young Tradition Vermont,
Sophia Donforth is a singer and community organizer in Burlington, VT. She has performed in duos, trios and large choruses and loves tuning really crunchy chords. After years of organizing local contra dances and music camps for children, she’s excited to put it all together at Agassiz Village. Sophia especially loves the inter-generational nature of family camp and looks forward to singing, dancing and playing with folks of all ages.
Sarah Hirsch is an artist, writer, and teacher living by the sea in Wickford, Rhode Island.
Sarah grew up contra dancing and being underfoot, and is now a dance organizer as well. She also loves swimming, singing, gardening, biking, critters, and dabbling in fiddle. Sarah has written and illustrated a few children’s books, and has a poetry book coming out soon.
Sarah teaches children and adults and everyone in between.
Dan Coppock grew up in Cincinnati under the malign influence of his folk music playing parents who introduced him at a young age to contra dancing, sacred harp singing, traditional Irish fiddle, and morris dancing. They even took him to a camp one year in a place called Buffalo Gap. Since leaving home, he has continued along the paths he was set, dancing with Braintrust Morris and later with Midnight Capers in Vermont,
Matthew Olwell is a performing and teaching artist whose work blends traditional and original music, songs, dances, and stories from the folkways of Ireland, Brittany, and the United States. Currently an apprentice “fluthier” at Olwell Flutes, Matthew began his professional career touring for nearly a decade with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, including a run in the original London production of Riverdance. He has been a featured performer and teacher at numerous festivals and camps,
Luke Donforth is a contra caller and choreographer based in Burlington, VT. He brings a warmth to the mic and focuses on facilitating everyone in the hall joyously moving to the music. He’s a founding member of the Mad Robin Callers Collective, and calls everything from family dances to festivals. Luke is a prolific writer of dances, and you can expect new and classic compositions to keep your feet flying.
Roger the Jester started his professional life on the streets of Boston in 1976 after studying at Celebration Mime Theatre with Tony Montanaro for six months. Before that he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Photojournalism and Psychology from Syracuse University. Since then he has left a trail of laughter, smiles and memories scattered throughout 25 countries. He continues to hone and expand his skills as object manipulator, magician, musician and silent comedian to heal the world through laughter.
Dance, Music, & Song Camps