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Callers: Lisa Greenleaf, Scott Higgs
Callers: Lisa Greenleaf, Scott Higgs
Wake Up Robin ( Noah VanNorstrand, Audrey Jaber, Amy Englesberg)
Wake Up Robin ( Noah VanNorstrand, Audrey Jaber, Amy Englesberg)
Snapdragon (Dave Wiesler, Carrie Rose, Miranda Weinberg)
Snapdragon (Dave Wiesler, Carrie Rose, Miranda Weinberg)
Owen Morrison, Laurel Swift, Cecily Mills, Sarah Hirsch
Owen Morrison, Laurel Swift, Cecily Mills, Sarah Hirsch
Kappy Laning, Katie Zukof, Julie Gregorio, Meg Dedolph
Kappy Laning, Katie Zukof, Julie Gregorio, Meg Dedolph
Renée Brachfeld, Ruth Pershing,
Renée Brachfeld, Ruth Pershing,
The Orner Family (Claire, Rusty, Walker, & Blue)
The Orner Family (Claire, Rusty, Walker, & Blue)
Lisa Greenleaf calls regularly in the Boston and New England areas and has been a staff member at dance camps and festivals throughout the country and beyond. Her specialties include traditional and contemporary contras, fun squares, challenging dances of all shapes and sizes, and callers' training. Lisa likes to emphasize community and communication in her workshops, guiding participants to get the most out of their dancing or calling experience. She has a keen interest in understanding group dynamics as well as the power of positive leadership. She is also ready for a game of cribbage.
Scott Higgs began dancing in college, and started teaching soon thereafter. For over 25 years he has traveled the world (25 states and 6 foreign countries) calling for contras and English country dances. Dancers characterize Scott’s contras as “high-energy” and “swingy.” His English dance programs span the spectrum from exuberant to elegant. Scott has composed dozens of dances in a range of styles, recently collected in a new book Key to the Cellar, co-authored with Jenny Beer. Scott's choreographies have been enjoyed all across the U.S. and Europe, and reprinted in anthologies in the U.S. and the U.K. Scott has been a featured caller at Pinewoods Camp (20+ years in a row), Buffalo Gap, Mendocino, Ashokan, and Mainewoods Camps. Scott has also served as Program Director for several CDSS week-long programs, and designed and led special intensive courses for English Dance Leaders at Pinewoods.
Noah VanNorstrand's driving fiddle, feet and mandolin have been a rhythmic powerhouse behind some of the most popular dance bands of the last decade including Great Bear, Buddy System, Wake Up Robin and The Faux Paws. He has performed all over North America at nearly two hundred different dance weekends, folk festivals and music camps. His musicianship is deeply compelling and virtuosic but difficult to define; freely blending traditional folk genres such as Celtic and Old-time Applachian fiddling with elements of rock, newgrass and pure unfiltered improvisation. His unique approach to foot percussion and innate understanding of dynamics and groove have made him a defining figure of modern contra dance music.
Amy Englesberg performs across the country on both piano and accordion. Her energetic playing ignites dance halls, as she complements melodies with a range of styles and rhythms - from boom-chuck to powerful grooves. Amy grew up in the contra dance community in Bellingham WA, and began to play for dances around Boston MA during her college years. Now based in Vermont, she has expanded her performance circuit to playing for dance weekends, camps, festivals, as well as local community events. She plays with various bands, including The Free Raisins, Wake Up Robin, Root System, and Thunderwing. Amy has been on staff at Pinewoods, BACDS American Week, and Ashokan Northern Week, and also teaches piano lessons from her home studio. Find more about Amy here: amyenglesberg.com
Amy Englesberg performs across the country on both piano and accordion. Her energetic playing ignites dance halls, as she complements melodies with a range of styles and rhythms - from boom-chuck to powerful grooves. Amy grew up in the contra dance community in Bellingham WA, and began to play for dances around Boston MA during her college years. Now based in Vermont, she has expanded her performance circuit to playing for dance weekends, camps, festivals, as well as local community events. She plays with various bands, including The Free Raisins, Wake Up Robin, Root System, and Thunderwing. Amy has been on staff at Pinewoods, BACDS American Week, and Ashokan Northern Week, and also teaches piano lessons from her home studio. Find more about Amy here: amyenglesberg.com
You know Audrey Jaber is performing if the room is buzzing at a higher level. Her fiddling, featured in bands including The Free Raisins, The Gaslight Tinkers, Audacious (with Larry Unger), and Wake Up Robin, has electrified dance and concert halls across the US and Europe. Hailing from Honolulu and now living in California, she cut her folk teeth in the Boston area, attending Berklee College of Music and spending years exploring the thriving New England folk scene. Audrey’s fiddle playing is rhythmically lively and spontaneous; she's guaranteed to get you up and dancing. She specializes in English dance, New England, Celtic, and Old Time tunes (and did we mention she’s also an audio engineer?!). You might also have taken a workshop with Audrey, as she’s been on staff at various camps including various weeks at Pinewoods, Ashokan Northern Week, BACDS American week, New London Assembly and Halsway Manor. For more on Audrey, visit her at www.audreyknuth.com.
You know Audrey Jaber is performing if the room is buzzing at a higher level. Her fiddling, featured in bands including The Free Raisins, The Gaslight Tinkers, Audacious (with Larry Unger), and Wake Up Robin, has electrified dance and concert halls across the US and Europe. Hailing from Honolulu and now living in California, she cut her folk teeth in the Boston area, attending Berklee College of Music and spending years exploring the thriving New England folk scene. Audrey’s fiddle playing is rhythmically lively and spontaneous; she's guaranteed to get you up and dancing. She specializes in English dance, New England, Celtic, and Old Time tunes (and did we mention she’s also an audio engineer?!). You might also have taken a workshop with Audrey, as she’s been on staff at various camps including various weeks at Pinewoods, Ashokan Northern Week, BACDS American week, New London Assembly and Halsway Manor. For more on Audrey, visit her at www.audreyknuth.com.
Pianist Dave Wiesler (Newark, DE) discovered playing for folk dancing in the early 1990s, and felt that the job description had been written specifically for him. In the three decades since, he has become highly regarded for his strong rhythm, his technical skills, and his deep knowledge of many genres — ranging from contra dance, English and Scottish country dance to Viennese waltz, couple dance, jazz, and sacred music. Dave has played at festivals and dance and music camps across the country, as well as in Canada, Scotland, England, and France. He appears on over two dozen recordings, many of which feature his compositions. In addition, Dave is a music teacher, a capable guitarist and singer, a writer of silly parody songs, and a children's choir accompanist.
As a flutist, composer, and educator, Carrie Rose’s diverse musical pursuits include wailing out avant-garde music, unfurling luscious classics with orchestras, grooving for folk dances, and playing while hanging from tree branches. She performs radical operas with the IN Series company, and was a featured soloist on the Telemann Suite in A minor with the Paragon Philharmonia. Rose produces the Origins Concert Series (a hub for adventurous music-seekers) in Silver Spring, Maryland, and in DC’s City Paper, she was named a “favorite local composer”. Throughout the country, Rose plays for English Country and Contra Dances, and even inspired feet to move on St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Rose is an enthusiastic private flute teacher in Takoma Park, Maryland and co-directs Flute-a-rama Summer Camps. http://www.rosearts.org
When Miranda Weinberg started contra dancing as a teenager, she never thought she'd get to be one of the musicians uniting a whole hall of people in joyful movement. Fast forward to today, and you'll frequently find her providing musical inspiration for English, contra, Scottish, and couple dancing in the Philadelphia area and beyond. She delights in the freedom and interaction of playing for dancing while drawing on her training as a classical violinist. When not playing for dances, you'll find her dancing, working as an applied linguist, and adoring her two tiny dogs and only-slightly-less-tiny daughter in Philadelphia.
When Miranda Weinberg started contra dancing as a teenager, she never thought she'd get to be one of the musicians uniting a whole hall of people in joyful movement. Fast forward to today, and you'll frequently find her providing musical inspiration for English, contra, Scottish, and couple dancing in the Philadelphia area and beyond. She delights in the freedom and interaction of playing for dancing while drawing on her training as a classical violinist. When not playing for dances, you'll find her dancing, working as an applied linguist, and adoring her two tiny dogs and only-slightly-less-tiny daughter in Philadelphia.
For more than two decades, Owen Morrison has grounded many popular contra bands with his powerful rhythm guitar playing. His compositions and arrangements can be heard on Elixir's three albums as well as his own solo release--a compilation of original waltzes entitled "Daybreak." In addition to his musical pursuits, Owen enjoys teaching set dances from the Sliabh Luachra region of Ireland, which he grew up dancing and has taught at many dance camps and late night parties. This will be Owen's first time at Terpsichore, and he is looking forward to playing for dancing, teaching Irish sets, and leading musicians in a folk-chamber music ensemble.
For more than two decades, Owen Morrison has grounded many popular contra bands with his powerful rhythm guitar playing. His compositions and arrangements can be heard on Elixir's three albums as well as his own solo release--a compilation of original waltzes entitled "Daybreak." In addition to his musical pursuits, Owen enjoys teaching set dances from the Sliabh Luachra region of Ireland, which he grew up dancing and has taught at many dance camps and late night parties. This will be Owen's first time at Terpsichore, and he is looking forward to playing for dancing, teaching Irish sets, and leading musicians in a folk-chamber music ensemble.
Laurel Swift is an inspiring instigator of creative projects and performances rooted in folk arts. A musician, singer and dancer, solo, with Gadarene (double bass, clogs) and The Gloworms (fiddle), Laurel founded and choreographed Morris Offspring, co-created and performed Under Her Skin with Debs Newbold, has choreographed morris for film and theatre. She also teaches folk music, with particular focus on helping people find ownership of our shared traditions through creative approaches to variation, ensemble skills and simply having a good time. Laurel developed Shooting Roots youth folk arts project, and has worked on many community projects including EFDSS’s London Youth Folk Ensemble. Since arriving in the USA Laurel has performed in Revels Boston, Revels North, played for a bunch of exhilarating ceilidhs, performed and taught fiddle, song, morris and clog at camps and local events.
Laurel Swift is an inspiring instigator of creative projects and performances rooted in folk arts. A musician, singer and dancer, solo, with Gadarene (double bass, clogs) and The Gloworms (fiddle), Laurel founded and choreographed Morris Offspring, co-created and performed Under Her Skin with Debs Newbold, has choreographed morris for film and theatre. She also teaches folk music, with particular focus on helping people find ownership of our shared traditions through creative approaches to variation, ensemble skills and simply having a good time. Laurel developed Shooting Roots youth folk arts project, and has worked on many community projects including EFDSS’s London Youth Folk Ensemble. Since arriving in the USA Laurel has performed in Revels Boston, Revels North, played for a bunch of exhilarating ceilidhs, performed and taught fiddle, song, morris and clog at camps and local events.
Cecily Mills is a Boston-based cellist and vocalist. She grew up attending a multitude of 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, Cecily can be found instigating all sorts of shenanigans and tomfoolery on the dance floor, in jam sessions, on the stage, and at the dinner table. Cecily brings a wealth of musical experience and creativity along with a joyful and inclusive spirit to all she does.
Cecily Mills is a Boston-based cellist and vocalist. She grew up attending a multitude of 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, Cecily can be found instigating all sorts of shenanigans and tomfoolery on the dance floor, in jam sessions, on the stage, and at the dinner table. Cecily brings a wealth of musical experience and creativity along with a joyful and inclusive spirit to all she does.
Sarah Hirsch is an artist, writer, and teacher living by the sea in Wickford, Rhode Island with her partner and their oodles of critters. Sarah grew up contradancing and sketching under tables at the edges of contra dances, 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's primary art practice is oil painting, chasing moving light and moments of connection, flowers, waves, and dancers. Sarah teaches children and adults and everyone in between. She holds a Masters of Education from Lesley University with a focus on community arts and trauma responsive learning. She is Montessori teacher certified, and holds a B.A. from Colby College in studio art, literature, and creative writing, and received a Fulbright grant to teach in Morocco. She taught in France, India, Morocco, Maine, Boston, and has gradually found her way back to the beautiful coast of Rhode Island.
Katie Zukof is a professional recess supervisor, elementary school Spanish teacher, caller and mother of two girls. A lifelong dancer, she resides in Bloomington, IN where she has been contra dancing and clogging since 2007, calling since 2009 and dancing salsa rueda de casino since 2023. In the summer of 2025, she received an Eli Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to study Irish Set Dancing and it's accompanying percussive steps in Counties Clare, Cork, Kerry and Leitrim. She has previously led children's art classes, dance classes, outdoor games and mummers' plays at Terpsichore's Dance Holiday, Pinewoods Camp and Cumberland Dance Week.
Katie Zukof is a professional recess supervisor, elementary school Spanish teacher, caller and mother of two girls. A lifelong dancer, she resides in Bloomington, IN where she has been contra dancing and clogging since 2007, calling since 2009 and dancing salsa rueda de casino since 2023. In the summer of 2025, she received an Eli Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to study Irish Set Dancing and it's accompanying percussive steps in Counties Clare, Cork, Kerry and Leitrim. She has previously led children's art classes, dance classes, outdoor games and mummers' plays at Terpsichore's Dance Holiday, Pinewoods Camp and Cumberland Dance Week.
Julie Gregorio has led singing classes at Terpsichore's Holiday and Timber Ridge. A professional classical singer, she has appeared in operas, oratorios, and choirs around the Northeast. As a teacher, she is interested in the blurry boundary between folk and classical music, and in teaching singers to think about harmony in a way that is both fun and empowering. She thinks that nothing is more magical than singing in community with friends.
Renee Brachfeld is a professional storyteller and juggler, baker, long distance runner, glass artist, and cat lover. Her work has taken her from Anchorage to Miami, from London, England to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her performances combine the wonder of storytelling with the unbridled joy of juggling. Renee has taught many classes for both children and adults at CDSS and Lloyd Shaw dance camps. She is co-founder of The MultiFaith Storytelling Institute. Renee lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Mark Novak, and Little Bear, the wonder-cat, who is at home destroying the furniture.
Renee Brachfeld is a professional storyteller and juggler, baker, long distance runner, glass artist, and cat lover. Her work has taken her from Anchorage to Miami, from London, England to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her performances combine the wonder of storytelling with the unbridled joy of juggling. Renee has taught many classes for both children and adults at CDSS and Lloyd Shaw dance camps. She is co-founder of The MultiFaith Storytelling Institute. Renee lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Mark Novak, and Little Bear, the wonder-cat, who is at home destroying the furniture.
Ruth Pershing has long been active in traditional music and dance circles, performing with Cane Creek Cloggers since 1985, and with the Mountain Laurel Cloggers in Connecticut before that. She also regularly calls contras, squares and community dances, and helps organize the family dance series in Chapel Hill. She has taught clogging and led dances at Berea (KY), Brasstown (NC), Ashokan (NY) Pinewoods (MA), Wannadance (WA), Mendocino (CA), Merlefest (NC), Moosejaw (MN), and Hindman (KY). She studied buck dance with bluesman John Dee Holeman of Durham (NC), and worked with Mike Seeger to co-produce Talking Feet, a video-documentary on southern step dance.
Kappy Laning has been teaching children, teens and adults English ritual dances for many years at CDSS and LSF intergenerational camps and local schools. She enjoys adapting traditional ritual dances (rapper, longsword, garland and border morris) to create a fun and dynamic experience while meeting the needs of the students. Kappy was the CDSS Camp Director for CDSS Cascade week (formerly known as Adult and Family week (Buffalo Gap/Timber Ridge/Camp Louise) for 25 years and organized Terpsichore for for 10 years. Kappy is also a Contra, English dance, and family dance caller and musician. She is an Integrative Breathwork Practitioner and recently retired as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She danced with Charm City Rapper, Frayed Knot Rapper and Court Square Garland Dancers for many years.
Kappy Laning has been teaching children, teens and adults English ritual dances for many years at CDSS and LSF intergenerational camps and local schools. She enjoys adapting traditional ritual dances (rapper, longsword, garland and border morris) to create a fun and dynamic experience while meeting the needs of the students. Kappy was the CDSS Camp Director for CDSS Cascade week (formerly known as Adult and Family week (Buffalo Gap/Timber Ridge/Camp Louise) for 25 years and organized Terpsichore for for 10 years. Kappy is also a Contra, English dance, and family dance caller and musician. She is an Integrative Breathwork Practitioner and recently retired as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She danced with Charm City Rapper, Frayed Knot Rapper and Court Square Garland Dancers for many years.
Meg Dedolph is a dance caller, musician, and organizer in the Chicago area. She started dancing decades ago when she and a friend, looking for something to do in Madison, WI, decided to check out a contra dance based entirely on a lamppost flyer. When she moved to Chicago shortly afterwards, she started attending the regular Monday night dances put on by the Chicago Barn Dance Company.
She plays guitar and drums with the Cosmic Otters, helps organize the monthly all-ages barn dances run by the Fox Valley Folklore Society, and is a guest caller at dances around the Chicago area. She is the squire of Pullman Morris and Sword, a member of Braintrust Morris, secretary of the Midwest Morris Ale Association board, and vice president-elect of the CDSS Board of Directors. She is frequently on staff at Lloyd Shaw Foundation and CDSS camps and is on the organizing committee for Terpsichore’s Dance Holiday. In her free time, she teaches Wiggleworms classes for the Old Town School of Folk Music and works at a local yarn shop.
The Orner Family comes to you from Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living in NW Pennsylvania. Since 1996, Quiet Creek has implemented a vision of sharing natural resource conservation, ecological thinking, and healthy sustainable living. Claire and Rusty with their kids, Walker and Blue, and hundreds of volunteers have carried out Quiet Creek’s mission on a 30 acre farm featuring herb and vegetable gardens, orchards, renewable energy, earthen buildings, and natural waterways. These Quiet Creek stewards educate thousands of pre-K to high school students by engaging them in hands-on experiences such as bread making, soap making, worm composting and more. Claire is the eco-curriculum designer and grant writer; Rusty is the lead teacher and artistic engineer; Walker is an illustrator who hosts a creative Youtube channel where he draws animals and shares interesting facts; and Blue has experience as an avid youth nature educator.
The Orner Family comes to you from Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living in NW Pennsylvania. Since 1996, Quiet Creek has implemented a vision of sharing natural resource conservation, ecological thinking, and healthy sustainable living. Claire and Rusty with their kids, Walker and Blue, and hundreds of volunteers have carried out Quiet Creek’s mission on a 30 acre farm featuring herb and vegetable gardens, orchards, renewable energy, earthen buildings, and natural waterways. These Quiet Creek stewards educate thousands of pre-K to high school students by engaging them in hands-on experiences such as bread making, soap making, worm composting and more. Claire is the eco-curriculum designer and grant writer; Rusty is the lead teacher and artistic engineer; Walker is an illustrator who hosts a creative Youtube channel where he draws animals and shares interesting facts; and Blue has experience as an avid youth nature educator.
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