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Annual contradance weekend at UNH
The Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend will host its 20th annual event on Jan. 12-14 at the Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire celebrating the music and dance traditions that have been a part of New England for the past 200 years.
Attendees know this event is one of the few with a balance of traditional and modern dances and callers. It's not your usual contra dance.
This year's event will feature two highly skilled dance callers. The first is Tony Parkes, who has a smooth style and calling technique and also is a knowledgeable author of several dancing textbooks. The other is Carol Ormand, of Wisconsin, a former RPDLW scholarship recipient who has a reputation for excellent instruction, dance calling and original choreography.
Admission to the entire weekend will be $75 (pre-registered only, $80 at the door), meals and accommodations extra. Never been to a Ralph Page dance weekend? Pre-register for admission with the 1st Timer Special for $50! Can't commit to a full weekend? Tickets to individual dances and sessions will be available at the door. Students under 21 will be admitted at half-price, and youth under 12 will be admitted free of charge.
The dance weekend will be held on Friday, Jan. 12 through Sunday, Jan. 14 at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) at the University of NH in Durham.
There will be a limited number of work exchange slots available, allowing very reduced admission rates in exchange for assistance in running the event, as well as scholarships for aspiring musicians and dance callers; both must be authorized in advance.
The annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend is named for the man who many credit with sustaining traditional contra and square dancing in New England. The weekend educates the public and promotes traditional New England dance styles and associated music with a view toward both history and the future. For information, call Patrick Stevens at 436-8372 or download a brochure at www.neffa.org/rplw.html.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the N.H. State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, with assistance from the Monadnock Folklore Society.
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