BALANCE and SWING

 

Add balance to your life

through dance!

 

with Bill Alkire & Susan English,

and Friends

 

(330) 345-7308 senglish@umich.edu

 

CONTRA DANCE

BALLROOM

MINUET to MACARENA

OLD-TIME SQUARES

DANCE LINKS

CEDAR VALLEY CLOGGERS

 

CONTRA DANCE

First Saturdays

7:30-10:30 p.m.

(Instruction 7:15 p.m.)

 

Photos by John Abt

2007

Oct 6

An evening of New England longways set dances

Beautiful Celtic music by Pocketful o' Gimmick

Calling by Bill Alkire and Susan English

It's aerobic and social--No partner necessary

$6 at the door; students $5; family $15

At Valley College Grange in Wooster, Ohio

2411 Shreve Road (Route 226)

just south of Old Columbus Rd (Route 3)

(1/4 mile north of Tri-Way High School)

Sponsored by Valley College Grange

 

Nov 3

 

Dec 1

2008

Jan 5

 

Feb 2

 

Mar 1

 

Apr 5

 

May 3

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MT. VERNON CONTRA DANCE

Sunday, March 30, 2008

2:00-5:00 p.m.

(Instruction at 1:45 p.m.)

Calling by Susan English

Music by Pocketful o' Gimmick

At St. Paul's Episcopal Parish House,

102 N. Gay St. (SE corner of High & Gay Streets)

in Mt. Vernon, Ohio

Info: 740-392-3018 (Mike)

 

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OLD-TIME SQUARES

Second Saturdays

 

 

Discontinued until further notice

 

 

 

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BALLROOM DANCE

Fourth Saturdays

7:30 p.m. workshop, followed by requests until 10:30 p.m.

 

2007

Sept. 22

Swing - Waltz - Fox Trot - Salsa - Tango - Cha Cha - Polka

and more plus MIXERS

with Bill Alkire and Susan English

Relaxed, fun, and social - Couples and singles welcome

$6 at the door; students $5

At Freedlander Chalet in Wooster, Ohio

Take Buena Vista or Hillside off Friendsville/Burbank Rd.

(1 block south and 2 blocks east of Buehler's Milltown)

Sponsored by Wooster Parks and Recreation

 

Oct. 27

 

Nov. 24

 

Dec. 22

2008

Jan. 26

 

Feb. 22

 

Mar. 22

 

Apr. 26

 

Spring 2008 Ballroom Classes

Please register with a partner

 

Mondays, March 24 to May 12

Orrville YMCA

1801 Smucker Road, Orrville, OH

Please call (330) 683-2153 to register

BEGINNING

BALLROOM

 

6:45-7:45 p.m.

SWING

DANCE

 

8:00-9:00 p.m.

 

Thursdays, March 20 to May 15

Wooster Community Center

241 S. Bever St., Wooster, OH

Please call Wooster Parks & Recreation

(330) 263-5207 to register

INTERMEDIATE

LATIN

 

7:00-8:00 p.m.

WEDDING

DANCE

8:15-9:15 p.m.

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MINUET to MACARENA

A Historical Review of Dance1800-present:

 

This light-hearted 20-minute performance is both informative and entertaining. Thinking back to Vaudeville times,

we take you on a tour of the waltz, polka, ragtime, tango, and swing eras. Click here* for some dance history.

 

Past performance venues include:

 

Atlanta Waltz Society in Atlanta,GA

Denzare Trio in Columbus, OH

Lovett Hall in Greenfield Village, MI

Milan Historical Society in Milan OH

Ohio Bicentennial Ball in Wooster, OH

River Rendezvous in Choshocton, OH

Rotary Club of Wooster, OH

The Inn at Honey Run in Millersburg, OH

Wheatland Traditional Arts Weekend, MI

 

 

Photos by Denise Parker

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CEDAR VALLEY CLOGGERS

Traditional black-shoe Appalachian clogging

featuring old-time music and figures,

founded and directed 1980-2005 by Bill Alkire

 

For classes and performances,

contact Jeanne Troyer (330) 262-8772

 

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PROFILES  

Bill Alkire (M.S.W.) grew up with traditional music and dance in central Ohio. Bill has provided dance leadership for groups from Alaska to Denmark, including Dancing Bears of Alaska, Bay Area Country Dance Society, Folklore Village, Pinewoods Camp, Maine Woods Folk Dance Camp, and the Silkeborg 1994 Spring Dance Festival in Denmark. Bill has served on staff multiple years at Berea College Christmas Country Dance School, Buckeye Leadership Workshop, Great Lakes Recreation Lab, Kentucky Summer Dance School, Cumberland Lakes, Terpsichore's Holiday, and Olglebay Institute Folk Dance Camp. As a retired director of community mental health, Bill sees dance as a key to good mental and physical health and to strong organizations, families, and communities.

Susan English (Ph.D., Higher Education-Org Behavior) fell in love with international folk dance in the 1960s and taught her first dance class on a rooftop in China in 1980. Discovering contras and competitive swing dance in Washington, DC, Susan has called monthly contra dances since 1990. Known for her rhythmic calling, varied program, and winning smile, she has served on staff at the Wheatland Traditional Arts Weekend and multiple years at Cumberland Lakes Dance Camp, Terpsichore's Holiday, and Michigan Dance Heritage. When not leading dance, Susan is principal consultant for STRATEGIC EVALUATION. To the world of music and dance, Susan brings her personal mission of building bridges between people of different cultures.

 

As a team, Bill and Susan provide dance workshops in the following areas:

 

  • APPALACHIAN CLOGGING
  • HISTORICAL DANCE
  • APPALACHIAN BIG SET
  • INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE
  • BALLROOM DANCE
  • RHYTHMS OF LIFE
  • COMMUNITY DANCE
  • SONG-SHARING
  • CONTRA SKILL-BUILDING
  • STORY-TELLING
  • DANCE LEADERSHIP
  • SQUARE DANCE (traditional)
  • ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE

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DANCE LINKS

North Coast Contra Community

Oberlin Contra Dance Club

Michigan Dance Calendar

Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS)

Lloyd Shaw Foundation

A Contra Dance Page

Ted Crane's Dance Database

* Click here to download the latest non-professional version Acrobat Reader for free.

 

 Web page design by Susan English

Last updated February 8, 2008

 

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