[syr-contra-news] Upcoming Schedule

[David Smukler]

Dancers,

(Scroll down if you want to cut to the chase and see our upcoming schedule.)

I know that my chatty newsletters have been coming less frequently. Gretchen
Ziegler does such a fine job sending the weekly reminders that I'm beginning
to feel superfluous! We are considering merging the lists, which are very
similar in any case. We'd then use that single list both for the weekly
reminders and the occasional chatty notes. I know that there may be a few
people who would just as soon not receive our emails weekly. If you are one
of those, feel free to reply to this note and let me know. If we go to a
single list, I'll remove you.

We had a wonderful double English dance last weekend. There was a dance for
experienced dancers in the afternoon, followed by a potluck dinner and
regular evening English dance. We think this may become the model for an
annual event to kick off our fall season.

Here's an alert for those of you who love our English country dances.
Beginning in 2009, we will be moving those from the first weekend of the
month to the third weekend, still on Saturdays. This is because we tend to
need to move the dance location more frequently on first weekends. Since the
contra dances occur more often, we feel they are better able to absorb such
change and irregularity.

We have another special event coming up on September 20th. We will start
with a "Cracking Chestnuts" workshop in the afternoon, followed by a potluck
dinner and evening dance. David Smukler leads the workshop. He's the author
of a soon-to-be-released book about contra chestnuts that CDSS is
publishing. These older dances have been experiencing something of a
resurgence lately. Come find out why so many of us love Chorus Jig, Hull's
Victory, Money Musk, etc. The band, Dick Bolt and Tom Hodgson, will provide
excellent musical support.

We also have a silent auction planned for September 20th. This was a hoot
last year! The auction is to raise money for the upcoming Phylla Mae Fall
Fest (more about that below). If you have any item you would like to donate,
contact Gretchen Ziegler, either by emailing gretchen (at)
syracusecountrydancers (dot) org, or phoning her at 315.682.0627. You can
also just bring donations to the dance this weekend or on the 20th.

EXTRA EXTRA! It's time to register for the Phylla Mae Fall Fest!! This
year's weekend, October 17-18, looks to be one of the finest yet. Callers
include Nils Fredland, Pamela Goddard, Katy Heine, David Smukler and more.
Featured musicians are Ethan Hazard-Watkins, Anna Patton, Karen Axelrod,
Megan Beller, Charley Beller, and John Wobus. The schedule includes contra
and English country dancing, special workshops and discussions, jamming,
yoga, and more. Please take a look at
<http://www.syracusecountrydancers.org/PhyllaMaeFallFest.html> for details
about performers, schedule, etc. All we need to make the weekend a total
blast is YOU!! Take your browser to
<http://www.syracusecountrydancers.org/registration_form.pdf> and download
our registration form. There's an address on the form. Mail it today. There
is still space!

Other opportunities to dance abound in upstate NY. Here are a few:
- Every Thursday in Rochester
- Every Friday in Ithaca
- English dancing 2 Sundays/month in Rochester
- Dances in Oswego to the north and Binghamton and Owego to the south

The Hands Four of Ithaca Dancers also have one of their exciting events
coming up on September 20th, and there's a fine dance you won't want to miss
in Morrisville at Madison Hall on September 27, with Bob Nicholson calling
and music by Rachel Bell, Jane Knoeck and Tom Santarsiero.

You can get more specific info about CNY dances by starting at our website
<http://www.syracusecountrydancers.org/OtherAreaDances.html>.

So, that's the current news. Here's our upcoming schedule:

=====================

Sep 12
Carmen Giunta
Three Wheel Drive

Sep 20: Cracking Chestnuts Workshop, 4-6 PM, followed by potluck
David Smukler
Dick Bolt and Tom Hodgson

Also on Sep 20: Regular contra dance, 8-11 and silent auction to benefit the
Phylla Mae Fall Fest

Sep 26
Mike Jones
Confluence

Oct 4: English country dance at Madison Hall
Bob Nicholson
Nottingham Fair

Oct 11
Bob Nicholson
Eileen Nicholson and Jill Smith

Oct 24
Sarah VanNorstrand
Arugula

Nov 1: English country dance
Mary Jones
Four Hands Round

Nov 7
David Smukler
The Usual Suspects

Nov 15
Caller TBA
Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand

Nov 22
Bob Nicholson
Hope Greitzer, Kathy Selby and Tom Hodgson

Nov 30: NO DANCE

Dec 1: English country dance
David Smukler
Eileen Nicholson, Laurel Sharp and Jane Knoeck