Halsway Manor
"ZESTY" Contra House Party
24th - 27th October 2008
Welcome to the Autumn Zesty Contra
House Party.
The Zesty Contra House Party
weekend will be filled with activities for both dancers and
musicians. We’ve not yet finalised the details of
the programme but you can expect a weekend designed to extend your
dance horizons as well as to entertain you.
Day workshops help you to become a better dancer. Each
evening offers a contradance – your chance to get in the
groove and have fun dancing.
Musicians may join in alongside Sick Shift in the Open Band slots.
Music will be available well in advance. Late sessions in the bar.
Mike Courthold
A hugely popular contradance caller, Mike
features regularly on the roster of all the UK’s major
contra-dance series. He will be bringing his repertoire of
entertaining and challenging contradances to delight the House Party.
Mike is also responsible for organising the dance events at the
world-renowned Chippenham Folk Festival, and is a well known figure at
dance events nationwide.
Rhodri
Davies
One of the most popular and versatile dance callers in England, Rhodri
is equally at home on either side of the Atlantic dance
divide. Like Mike, Rhodri calls regularly at all the
UK’s major contradance events and can also be found calling
for many a social and e-ceilidh dance and festival. In keeping with his
vibrant personality, contradances with Rhodri at the helm are always
joyous affairs and his particular enthusiasm for contradancing is
evident throughout his relatively rare contradance workshops.
Stick Shift
Nigel Walker began playing
fiddle for traditional dance with Brackley Morris and then switched his
talents to rock/funk bass playing. He returned to fiddling in 1990, and
has since played for dances and in pubs and clubs with Martin Fury, Pat
Ludford, Contraflow and Stick Shift. He enjoys playing all styles of
dance music, as well as Bluegrass, Irish and Scottish traditional
tunes.
Holly Norton (piano/fiddle)
trained as a pianist and violinist in her native Texas, where she
developed a love for American old-time and bluegrass fiddle music. She
is a founding member of the contra-dance bands Cruise Control and Stick
Shift, and pounds the keyboard with them at dances, workshops and
festivals all over England. Holly also spent several years as an
American line-dance caller/instructor/performer, appearing on
television and at festivals throughout the UK and Europe.
Robbie
Thomas (guitar/mandolin/banjo) was a founding member of the
seminal Scottish folk band Silly Wizard. For the past 15 years he has
concentrated on playing for dance, including spells with Bob
Tracey’s Contraflow, Appalachian Cloggers Hot Taps and
ceilidh-rockers Stömp. A founding member of both Cruise
Control and Stick Shift, Robbie is fond of old guitars, mandolins and
banjos.
Photos: Stick Shift
WHAT IS “ZESTY” CONTRA
DANCE ?
At the end of the 17th Century, English country dances were taken up
and developed by the French who called them contra-dances. These
“contradances” spread across Europe, crossed the
Atlantic with the early settlers, became the height of American fashion
in the 1800’s and survived happily into the 20th Century in
the townships and villages of rural New England.
In a contradance, couples form a set of two parallel lines which run
the length of the hall. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves that
ends with couples having progressed one position up or down the set. As
this sequence repeats through the dance, each couple will eventually
dance with every couple in the set.
The resurgence of contradancing within urban communities in the USA
during the 1970’s and 1980’s led to a change of
style in which dances became much more energetic and flowing.
New dances were written in which square dance figures, a faster pace
and the “flirtatious ecstasy” of longer swings all
combined to produce today’s “zesty”
contradances.
At a contradance the driving, live music is one of the great
attractions. The tunes played are rooted within the traditions of
England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, New England, Scandinavia as well as
encompassing more recent compositions and influences. Contradances have
often been described as ‘listening to a great concert while
getting a lot of exercise’.
To avoid overcrowding on the dance floor the number of
residential dancers will be limited to 50.
In order to ensure the best possible dance experience for everyone
attending the 2008 Zesty Contra House Party, we will strive to maintain
an approximate gender balance.
PROGRAMME
FRIDAY
Tea and rooms available from 4pm
Supper 6.30pm
Friday Night Contra 8.00-11.00
Caller: Mike Courthold
Late Bar Session 11.00 – 12.00
SATURDAY
Breakfast 8.30am
Workshops with 9:30 - 12.30
Mike Courthold Coffee
Break 11.00
Lunch 1 pm
Tea 4pm
Open Mike/Open Band 4:15pm
with Rhodri Davies
Supper 6pm
Saturday Night Contra 8.00-11.00 pm
Caller: Rhodri Davies
Late Bar Session 11.00 until Early
SUNDAY
Breakfast 9.00am
Workshops with Rhodri Davies 10.00 – 12.30
and the Open Band
Coffee Break 11.15
Lunch 1 pm
The Final Swing 2:30 – 4.00
Caller: Rhodri Davies
Cream Tea 4.00 pm
Evening supper 6.30 & enjoy a relaxing evening
MONDAY
breakfast 8.30
Farewells till next time!
Course Fees
En-suite
£166 per person full board
Non Ensuite
£145 per person full board
Early departure discount £31
(after Cream tea on Sunday)
Guests sharing multi bedded rooms receive a £5 per person discount
Deposit of £50.00 per person
or full payment with booking form
