The FSGW Calendar can be viewed two ways:
The dance is held in the upstairs room of the Glen Echo Town Hall.
General information on our English Country Dances
Learn dances from Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Croatia, Serbia, and more. Our specialties are great music, fun dances, and nice people.
No experience or partner necessary.
Lessons 7:30-9:00pm.
Request dancing 9:00-10:45pm.
More information: International Folk Dancing (Bethesda)
Pennsylvania-based quintet Colebrook Road has collected a heavy load of titles and accolades since their 2010 debut, winning band contests at the D.C. Bluegrass Union festival (2016), the Podunk Bluegrass Festival (2015), the Watermelon Park Fest (2014), and the Pickin’ In the Panhandle Bluegrass Festival (2011). This tight band consists of individually distinguished artists: Mark Rast won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival banjo contest; Wade Yankey won the Watermelon Park Fest mandolin contest; Joe McAnulty won the Deer Creek Fiddler’s Convention bluegrass fiddle contest. They back lead singer Jesse Eisenbise and bassist Jeff Campbell and provide four-part harmony.
Ted Lehmann writes in Bluegrass Nation that “This is a very promising, solid band deserving a wider hearing. When you hear them, you’ll be impressed!” And Jen Hughes in Bluegrass Today reports “smiles and nods galore… People quickly realized these guys are good.”
At the Electric Maid Community Exchange, 268 Carroll St NW, Washington, DC 20012 (Metro: Takoma). $15 donation suggested.
Ben Hole will lead, teach and organize the request dancing.
Lessons 8:30 - 9:00pm
More information: International Folk Dancing (Greenbelt)
October Tales at the Quince Orchard Library in Gaithersburg
Quince Orchard Library and the Twinbrook Tellers of the Dogwood Dogs 4H Club will co-host a Fall Storytelling Swap. At the swap, anyone may tell stories, but no one has to. We need listeners, too! Any folktale, poem, or song is appreciated, as long as it is not too scary. Costumes are encouraged. This program is for the whole family!
FREE
General information on Story Swaps
Caller & Musicians: JoLaine brings her southern charm, grace and wit, will call with everyone's favorite rambunctious bad boy band, Frog Hammer! With drums, horns, fiddles and attitude, Frag Hammer brings an exuberance! Costumes encouraged. This dance will be called with Ravens and Larks
General information about the Sunday Night Contra and Square Dance
Spook Stories at the Quince Orchard Library in Gaithersburg
Quince Orchard Library and the Twinbrook Tellers of the Dogwood Dogs 4H Club will co-host a Halloween Night Story Swap. Bring your scariest stories! Anyone may tell a story, no one has to. We need listeners too. Any folktale, poem or even a song will do.
This program is for children ages 12 and up. NOT for young children.
Costumes are encouraged.
Join the Glen Echo Folk Dancers for their 35th Anniversary party.
FSGW Open Sing * Takoma Park MD
Friday, November 2 * 8 pm
Singers go around the room, giving everyone a chance to sing a song, play a tune, or pass. Most songs are presented from memory, but cheat sheets often appear. Everyone is welcome. The open sings have a loose topic to encourage us to learn new songs or put the polish back on some old ones. Don’t worry if you can’t think of a song on the topic—come join in the fun anyway!
Theme: Endings and Beginnings.
This month, held at the home of Kathie Mack in Takoma Park, MD near the Takoma Metro Station
Info: 301-270-5367 or kpmack2@gmail.com.
Armenian Folk Dance workshop and dance led by Carolyn Rapkievian
Carolyn Rapkievian, has been researching, teaching, and performing Armenian dance in a professional capacity for more than 30 years. She grew up dancing at family and social events in the Boston area. While performing with the NY/NJ Antranig Armenian Dance Ensemble, she studied with Gagik Karapetian who was also the director of the State Dance Ensemble in Armenia. She has led workshops for the FSGW Festival, NEFFA, Mainewoods Dance Camp, universities, and dance companies. Carolyn directs the DC area Arev Armenian Dance Ensemble and she recently coordinated the Armenian dance program at the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival.
with music by the Hyetones Armenian Band
The Hyetones Armenian Folk Band is led by David Rapkievian on Oud with Kylie Hilali on Kanun, and Mark Cheater and Jennifer Laemmer on percussion. The acoustic ensemble plays traditional Armenian folk music in the DC area.
Admission $12 - Seniors and Students half price
Lessons 8:30 - 10:00pm - followed by request dancing
Request dancing 10:00 -10:45pm.
Storytellers and listeners are invited to the home of Tim Livengood, for an evening of shared stories and potluck snacks.
For RSVP and directions, contact Tim at storytellertimlivengood@gmail.com or call 410-997-0950.
Presented in partnership with Focus Music, this trio brings together Olav Luksengård Mjelva from Norway, Anders Hall from Sweden, and Kevin Henderson from the Shetland Islands, and they promise you will be “enthralled but at the same time dumbfounded that the sound only comes from three fiddles.” They have toured North America, the British Isles, and Europe since 2009 and released two CDs; Folkworld writes, “Pure fiddle doesn´t get much better than The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc." At the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive, 22301 (Metro: King Street). $20/members $18 with membership card or in advance at www.focusmusic.org.
Caller & Musicians: Rhys Jones
For more information see the Song Circles page.
Caller & Musicians:
General information on the Silver Spring Contra Dance
Come and dance to the smooth calling of Sargon de Jesus. The music will be provided by The Organic Family Band. Your foot will groove to Jakob Raitzyk (fiddle and foot percussion), sister Rebekah Geller (fiddle), father Michael Raitzyk (guitar) and mother Judith Geller (French horn). A free beginners workshop will be from 7 to 7:30.
Channeling Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and the legendary Quintette du Hot Club, DC Ambiance is a “Gypsy jazz” quintet bringing together talent from Puget Sound to Yale to Sarajevo. Buco Cavar (guitar) studied jazz guitar under Tony do Rosario and Alfonso Ponticelli; Cyndy Elliott (bass) of Swingtopia has performed at the Kennedy Center and throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia; Suzanne Gekker (clarinet) has music degrees from Yale and the Cincinnati Conservatory and has performed with the National Philharmonic and Washington National Opera, among other classical and jazz ensembles; Bill Parmentier (guitar), influenced by DjangoFest Northwest, studied under jazz guitarists Robin Nolan and Lollo Meier in Europe; and Randy Stein (concertina) has performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and on John Lennon’s last album, Double Fantasy.
Cosponsored by the Office of Historic Alexandria and FSGW, this is the June concert in the Alexandria After Work concert series held in the heart of Old Town Alexandria at 6 pm on the second Friday of each month. Take the free trolley that runs every 15 minutes from King Street Metro station! At Lloyd House 220 N. Washington Street, indoors or outdoors depending on weather. $15 suggested donation; cash bar.
John Robinson will lead, teach and organize the request dancing.
Gospel Sings are held the second Sunday of every month at various homes. Group singing starts at 4 pm and breaks for a covered dish supper at 6 pm, with more group singing after supper until 8 pm. Everyone is welcome! This month’s Gospel Sing will take place at the home of Barbara Karpas in Takoma Park, MD. Info/directions: email bakbeat@verizon.net or call 301-270-4239.
General information about Gospel Sings
Caller & Musicians: Tom Cunningham on fiddle; Kate Sanders on keyboard, Luis deLeon on percussion.
This dance will be called with Ladies and Gents
Shake off that candy coma, clear the store-bought cobwebs from your eyes, and return to the clarity of a story well-told from The Grapevine. The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. The featured tellers this month are Megan Wells and Jiaan Powers. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
General information about The Grapevine (Storytelling)
Michael Gelman will lead, teach and organize the request dancing.
FSGW is proud to sponsor the live music at the Cider Week Virginia festival in Old Town Alexandria. The Cigar Box String Band, Massive Donut and others TBA perform atduring a hard cider tasting with more than a dozen Virginia cideries. The festivities will include food trucks, tasting lectures, and fall activities in the gardens of historic Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street, on the free trolley line from King Street Metro station.
The Cigar Box String Band (Carson Hudson Jr., Arden Clark, John Trindle, Darin Neal Durham, and Jim Holloway) is a Tidewater Virginia quintet that plays folk Americana from land and sea on both commercial and homemade instruments — yes, cigar box guitar, as well as banjo, fiddle, bones, flute, and washboard. Sibling Rivalry (Wyatt, Emmet, Clark, and Roane Furlong) is a Celtic fiddle quartet of teens and tweens who have been performing at folk festivals and Renaissance fairs their whole lives. More great local talent to be announced soon!
FSGW members get 1/3 off tickets purchased in advance — for the member discount ($15 off the regular price of $45), call The Lyceum at 703-746-4994 and ask for FSGW member tickets to the Cider Week festival. Regular tickets can be purchased at ciderweekva.com or shop.alexandriava.gov.
Band and Caller for this date are Big Possum Stringband from WV with Henry Barnes (fiddle), Tessa Dillon (fiddle), Evan Collins (guitar) and Seth Swingle (banjo). Caller Sean Fen from Columbus, Ohio. They took 1st place in the 2018 Appalachian Stringband Festival's (Clifftop) old-time band contest!
https://www.facebook.com/bigpossumstringband/
More information visit the DC Square Dances page
Caller & Musicians: George Paul, piano; Rob Zisette, fiddle; David DiGiuseppe, accordion
This dance will be called with Ravens and Larks
What better way to shake off the the turkey malaise than with two hot dances before the weekend ends?!? Alex Deis-Lauby and the Ripples bring an afternoon of mind-benders to encourage you to challenge your dance practice at whatever level you may be. A typical challenging session features dances with figures that might not be regularly encountered in an evening of dance. So be ready to challenge your brain and feet with star thru contra corners, backward progressions, left hand chains, and other odd delights. You will advance your dance practice, be it through learning new moves, getting smoother on infrequent ones, or helping others to do so. Mostly it’s a chance to dance your best and have fun! Informal potluck to follow - stay for the evening dance.
Both dances will be called with ravens and larks
see you on the dance floor!
Caller & Musicians: Alex Deis-Lauby, the NYC Phenom, with the flourishes to die for, the amazing energy and the endless supply of fun dances calls with the Ripples! Kristen Planeaux, piano, accordion, flute, voice; Gabrielle Lanza, percussion, voice; Andrew Taylor, fiddle; and Christopher Wood, guitar. The Ripples have wowed us at Contrastock and at Hashdance, a truly magnificent ensemble.
After the challenge dance, stay for the potluck and dance some more!
Ann Fallon calls to the playing of Susan Brandt (flute), Ralph Gordon (cello), and Melissa Running (piano)
Caller & Musicians: Susan Taylor calls with Rebecca Weiss, fiddle; Andrea Hoag, fiddle; Charlie Pilzer, piano
Come join us for our annual Romanian Day Dance Party!
Larry Weinerwill lead an
Oldies but Goodies Night
all request evening featuring recorded music international folk dance favorites - many easy dances to just follow along -
Request dancing 8:30-10:45pm.
Storytellers and listeners are invited to the home of Miriam Nadel, for an evening of shared stories and potluck snacks.
For RSVP and directions, contact Miriam at mhnadel@alum.mit.edu or call 703-255-1210.
Caller & Musicians: Gaye Fifer with
Julie Vallimont - accordion, piano, jawharp
Zach Meyer - saxophones
Jonathan Cannon - guitar, fiddle, foot percussion
In the mad whirl of holidays and social responsibilities, you need a break and some refreshment for your spirit. There's nothing quite like a story from The Grapevine to fill that bill! The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. The featured tellers this month are the questionably truthful Adam Booth and the entirely raucous Geraldine Buckley. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
As we end the year our caller will be our local talent, Sonya Kaufman, who returns from the west coast to provide some wonderful flowing dances. The music will be provided by Eloise & Company which features the combined creative force of two of the country's most sought-after dance musicians, Beck Tracy (fiddle) and Rachel Bell (accordion). They are joined by Owen Morrison (guitar) who will help the band crank out some great dance music with their dynamic playing. There is a free beginners workshop from 7 to 7:30.
Dave Harvey from New York City will be calling with an amazing band!
Caller & Musicians: April Blum calls to the wonderful playing of Dave Wiesler, piano; Andrea Hoag, fiddle; Karen Ashbrook, hammered dulcimer; Paul Oorts, mandolin
Admission : $8, $6 for members, youth and students
Lesson at 7:30 - Dancing 8 - 11
Annual floor refinishing - no dance
Caller & Musicians: It's Philadelphia night at the Sunday Night Contra, Sue Gola comes with Ben Kennedy, Sarah Gowan, Bill Quern, Tom Krumm who are Live Wire!
Caller & Musicians: Dave Langford, fiddle; Glen Loper, mandolin; Bethany Waickman, guitar. Come get warmed up for the New Year's Eve dance with this rocking band!
This event is being managed by the BFMS. The event page is at http://www.bfms.org/nyeGala.php
The band: Stomp Rocket
w/ Dave Langford, Bethany Waickman, & Glen Loper
The caller: Ted Hodapp
ADVANCE TICKETS REQUIRED
The Grand March begins at 8:00 pm. The dance will go until 12:15 am.
Details on the New Year's Eve Contra Dance Ball
The days are just barely starting to get longer, but we still need to fill our nights with warmth and company -- and for that, there's nothing like hearing stories at The Grapevine. The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. The featured tellers this month are our own wonderful Noa Baum and the quietly amazing Donald Davis. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
It's February, and there is a day in this month that is all about love. That day is not this day, this day is the day of ... almost. The day of Almost, and the day of The Grapevine. The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. We have a quartet of featured tellers this month, with Bunjo Butler, Kelly Cresap, Jane Dorfman, and Marc Young. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
The snow is melting, the days are lengthening, and there's a certain smell just beginning upon the air. The smell of leaves and happy earthworms and new stories sprouting from The Grapevine. The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. Our featured tellers this month include our own jugglerific Renée Brachfeld, and the marvelous storytelling duo of Norm Brecke and Anne Rutherford. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
A traditional and powerful singing of American shape-note hymns, fuging tunes, and anthems in unaccompanied four-part harmony from The Sacred Harp and The Shenandoah Harmony.
Mid-day picnic on the grounds.
See the Potomac River Sacred Harp Singing Convention page for details.
April is the cruelest month, according to one poet who also had a thing about peaches. But who cares about that guy, when there are stories to be heard at The Grapevine? The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. Our featured tellers this month are the fantastic Susan O'Halloran and the story-filled TAHIRA. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
At last, the days are growing longer, the nights are growing warmer, and the scent of honeysuckle is in the air. And there are stories budding on The Grapevine! The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. Our featured tellers this month are the international Valentina Ortiz and the story-encouraging Scott Whitehair. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
The full 2019 Spring Ball web pages are here: www.bronord.com/ball2019/
Here is an overview of our English Country Dance ball.
Dance 7:30 - 11pm, Reception 7 - 7:30 pm.
Afternoon Practice Session 2:30 to 5:00 pm, also at Silver Spring Civic Building
A nearby potluck supper follows the practice session, 5:15 to 6:30 pm.
Clothing changing rooms will be provided.
Refreshments served during the break at the Ball.
More info: Washington Spring Ball
Summer has returned, the natural disaster that afflicts this region each year. Time for one last cooling evening with The Grapevine before we take a little summer break. The Grapevine is spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Noa Baum, Renée Brachfeld, and Tim Livengood. Our featured tellers this month are the multitalented Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong and our own whimsical scientist, Tim Livengood. The show opens with up to three open-mic storytellers, followed by our featured tellers. Put your name in the hat to be one of our open-mic tellers! Traditional or true, happy or blue, tell the story that you have in you to tell within five (5) minutes(-ish). Admission is free. We ask for a $15 donation to support our featured tellers.
