Desiree is an elementary music teacher, choral conductor, and mom of two daughters, ages 12 and 17. She has taught in both public and independent school settings, and currently teaches Lower School Music at Penn Charter in Philadelphia, PA. She is also a teaching artist and Interim Artistic Director for the Trenton Children’s Chorus in Trenton, New Jersey. Desiree grew up in a family who loved to sing together and found herself at an early age playing piano for get-togethers with family and friends.
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Emilie Moore has been bringing music, song, dance, craft and ritual to the lives of young folks for over 15 years! They enjoy playing with, and learning from, people of all ages and believe that these areas are best discovered through imaginative play and creation of ritual. When not at camp, you’ll find them cooking for friends, hosting story time at their house, working at Revels Inc., and falling in love with a new craft (currently candle-making!).
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Steph comes from Sheffield in the north of England and grew up watching her parents perform a myriad of English traditional dance styles, including the famous Grenoside Sword Dance. Steph took up rapper sword dancing at age 15 and went on to found two teams, Four Corner Sword and Star and Shadow, as well as performing with several other teams over the years. Having also performed step clog for many years, Steph regularly performs with the Newcastle Kingsmen Cloggies.
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Meet David Cantieni: Primarily playing Irish style wooden flute, but also known for performances on the Breton bombard, oboe, sax, and whistle, he has been inciting people to dance for close to four decades. David switched to playing dance music from Bach and Stravinsky on oboe (music which he still adores) after developing a passion for the traditional New England dance- contra dancing. The love of music and dance infuses all of David’s many activities which might include performing with the well known bands Swallowtail and Wild Asparagus or leading a parade of costumed campers at family dance camp.
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Tom has danced for ever and with pretty much everyone. He’s a passionate about North West Processional Clog Morris, rapper sword and longsword as well as being an enthusiastic ceilidh caller and English concertina player. Some of the teams Tom’s involved with include Newcastle Kingsmen, Horwich Prize Medal Morris, Four Corner Sword, Medlock Rapper, Snark and High Spen Blue Diamonds.
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Raised in the cradle of Vermont’s Green Mountains, Mary Wesley found her way to a Burlington contra dance in the fall of 2005 and was immediately hooked. She was later happy to learn that the tradition is in her DNA – she is the granddaughter of two square dance callers!
Mary loves to share her infectious joy for traditional dancing with dancers of all ages and she has something to offer every crowd.
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Kristen Planeaux began playing classical piano at the tender age of eight and continued on until she found her true calling—traditional dance musician—at 23. Ever since, she has brought her own flavor of bold rhythm and warm, imaginative harmony to the English and American scenes. She is a retired member of The Ripples and a current member of River Road with Jesse Ball and Sarah-Hadley Yakir. When away from camp, you can find her teaching music to children and frequenting the ice cream parlors of Western Massachusetts.
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Donal Sheets, a New England-based multi-instrumentalist, grew up surrounded by traditional music and dance, playing classical cello and other instruments from a young age. He has spent many years playing American and Irish music and has taught and performed at music and dance festivals throughout the United States.
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A hybrid player of classical violin and contemporary fiddle, Sarah-Hadley Yakir brings a rich sound and distinctive style to traditional music. After touring extensively internationally as a classical violinist, she was introduced to contra dancing in 2018 and frankly, the rest is history. She plays primarily with her band River Road.
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One of Louisa Engle’s fondest childhood memories is dancing through a long tunnel of clasped hands during a contra dance at her elementary school. She grew up to be a fiddler and fiddle teacher who is passionate about bringing together musicians and dancers of different ages and abilities. She has taught at the Brattleboro Music Center, Maine Fiddle Camp, and Nelson Elementary School, has had numerous private students, and has called and played at family contra dances throughout New England.
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Dance, Music, & Song Camps