AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: FLOCK Dance Troupe - DANCE

A program of performances, workshops and residencies on the subject of  “A Sense of Place.”

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Over a wide historical vista, FLOCK Dance Troupe explores through dance, theater and music how societies procure food, shelter and clothing.  

Unearthing similarities and differences, we incorporate the practices of Native People, Emigrants and  present citizens.

In both the Performance ("Sightings") and the Workshops & Residencies, the program will follow the migration patterns of our Vermont and New England region through dance, theater and music.

Themes will focus on native people freely moving about, hunting and gathering, leading into the various farming systems brought by the Europeans that settled in their own cultural pockets.  These processes include an exploration of how the industrial revolution brought about a stepped-up  mechanized way of working leading into our present-day behavior. 

Performances:

FLOCK Dance Troupe offers 50-minute dance/theater performances (“Sightings”) on the subject of  “A Sense of Place.” In addition, there will be a 10-minute discussion and sharing time of our own ancestral backgrounds.

Workshops & Residencies:

FLOCK Dance Troupe offers community workshops and school residencies on the subject of  “A Sense of Place”. Within each historical component we will share our own ancestral backgrounds and discuss why people moved. Specific dances of and about various cultures will be taught depicting experiences of displaced peoples and their lifestyles, leading into present day.  

Longer residencies will include exploration of the natural world and how the elements inform our behavior. This material can be kept as totally experiential with focus on process and exploration or preparation for a performance/presentation can be our goal.
 

Artists involved are Carol Langstaff, master teacher, plus the “Sightings” performances consist of six to eight dancers who come from a roster of 17 dancers that are readily available for performances, or larger multigenerational workshops: Nick Cohen; Stacy and Steve Glazer; Sharon Gouveia; Marcia Gauvin; Steve Hoffman; Carol Langstaff; Annie Ross; Jim Toten; Jim Schley and Lillian (14) ; Becky Bailey; Mellissa Strayton and Natalie (6); David Webb; Leslie Carlton; Liam Gundlach (10)
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

Programs are appropriate for ages 5 to 90.  Mixed age levels are encouraged, like the buddy systems often used in school ‘s pairing of older and younger students. Also appropriate for multigenerational workshops including families and people with special needs.

FEE RANGE:

One hour Sighting: $300 (additional performances at a reduced rate)
Full-day  Residency: $400; Half-day Residency: $250; Week-long Residency: $1500
After-school programs: $100/day; 4 hr. Workshop: $400
 

A LITTLE HISTORY:

 Exploring each participant’s heritage profoundly influences our awareness of who was here, who came here and why, and how they adjusted to the conditions of life, and what came out of their settling here.  This mix of people also contained different styles of prayer and dance as celebration.  This program shows how different cultures' dance vocabulary stems from their daily agricultural work.  The industrial revolution brought about a stepped-up mechanized way of working, i.e. changes in speed through straightening of roads that used to follow winding paths. The teaching component involves a study of group intelligence first used by herds, flocks and swarms that will couple together with what went before and why, bringing us to our own present history and how we can better shape our communities.

CONTACT:

Carol Langstaff
FLOCK  Dance Troupe
139 Star Mountain Road
Sharon, VT 05065
(802) 765-4454
carolang@aol.com
www.flockdance.org
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: KAREN AMIRAULT dance company

Karen Amirault Dance Company & KIDZ - a performance of dance.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

The Karen Amirault Dance Company and KIDZ bring members of their teen and adult troupe to perform a program of dance as it relates to vaudeville and its aftermath in Vermont's historic town halls and opera houses.

Starting at the turn of the century with a vaudeville number incorporating chairs and tambourines, the program moves next to the Charleston and "Five Foot Two," with fringe and feathers flying. In keeping with the varied acts in a variety show, these dances are followed by swing, tap and dances from Broadway, highlighting "42nd Street."

The performance includes solos, duets and large group pieces with an authentic mix of male and female, young and old, always high energy!

Karen Amirault performs with a variety of guest artists that may include Casey Clark, Sidney Corren, Don, Jeanie & Paige Crickard, Tabare Gowon, Cassidy Mahoney, Theresa Martin, Zach Perron, Dana Rubin, Samuel Selman, Claire Shea, Sasha Tenenbaum-Lane & Emma Wollum.

View Sample clips of prior performances here

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

This program and related audience-participation workshops are appropriate for all ages. Teaching workshops in tap, the Charleston, musical comedy, Broadway, jazz and swing dance are also available.

FEE RANGE:

Fees begin at $650 plus mileage for a 45-minute performance, $750 plus mileage for a one-hour performance, and range from $1850-2500 plus mileage for a full concert performance; $200-350 plus mileage for a Master Class (Jazz, Tap, Charleston, Swing, Musical Comedy, Broadway, African and/or Hip Hop).

A LITTLE HISTORY:

From 1880 to 1940 traveling troupes of vaudeville players, opera companies, itinerant musicians and local productions were performed in local opera houses or town halls in Vermont, most of which also housed a community center with a stage. These unique variety shows ran the gamut from song-and-dance, comedy, magic, animal acts, and music to Shakespeare, ballet, lectures and opera.

Vaudeville marked the beginning of popular entertainment as big business, with organized circuits touring through big city theaters as well as intimate, locally-controlled houses. Appealing to the growing middle class, with their increased leisure time and spending power, vaudeville offered continuous performances of "polite" programs for mixed-gender family audiences in alcohol-free halls. It was only with the growth of low-priced cinema and free broadcast television that audiences lessened, live acts stopped traveling, opera houses closed, and local performances shifted to public school spaces. The Amirault Dance Company & Kidz provide a sampling of the types of performances that might have been seen in a variety show during this period.

CONTACT:

Karen Amirault
33 North Avenue, Apt. 2
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: 802-862-0966
Email: amirault@sover.net

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: PETE & KAREN SUTHERLAND – Dance

An evening of contra dancing.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Learn contra dancing, the internationally popular form that's New England's own gift to the wide world of folk dance styles, along with old-time squares, big circle mixers, play party and singing games and couple dances.

Your leaders, native Vermont musicians and instructors Pete and Karen Sutherland - backed by talented musical friends dedicated to the groove - have shared their expertise with thousands of folks of all ages for over thirty years.

Beginners learn the basics quickly enough to join right in, while more experienced dancers acquire new steps and new ways to move with the music. All have a chance to experience the true form of community that the Sutherlands believe is at the heart of contra dancing.

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Pete and Karen Sutherland - Monkton, VT - caller/instructors and instrumentalists on fiddle and piano

Additional musicians available as needed:

Jeremiah McLane - Sharon, VT - accordion and piano
Colin McCaffrey - Plainfield, VT - guitar and fiddle
Will Patton - Fairfield, VT - mandolin and bass
Lausanne Allen - Starksboro, VT - fiddle and caller

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

General community dance instruction appropriate for ages 8 and up. Programs are available specifically tailored to younger dancers ages
4 and up. Other programs can be tailored to special needs populations.

FEE RANGE:

For a 2 hour dance with instruction, PA system and live
music:

• The Sutherlands: $385 plus mileage
• Each additional musician: $175 plus mileage
   

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Contra or line dancing along with the related social dance forms of circle mixers (aka "Paul Jones") and squares (or quadrilles) native to Vermont and New England have their roots in France and Great Britain, homelands of the first white settlers. Modern contra aficionados, as well as folklorists often see diverse echoes of military maneuvers, medieval court dances and country harvest rites in the long ways figures. In their heyday nearly every central New Englander lived within a horse and buggy ride of a Saturday night dance, where one could easily pursue a bit of community gossip with a 'neighbor', give the eye to a possible ‘partner' and enjoy the talents of the local fiddler.

After a disruption and near extinction bred both by access to radio and other mass media and two world wars, a "back-to-the-land-er'- led revival in the 1970's saw contra dancing not only regain its former territory but spread across the country. Today's community dance, again featuring both traditional and newly-composed contras, squares, circles and couple dances done to an increasingly eclectic musical accompaniment, is a vital link between new and old neighbors and healthy exercise for a car- and desk-oriented lifestyle in a uniquely multi-generational social setting.

CONTACT:

Pete Sutherland
PO Box 123
Monkton, VT 05469
Phone: (802) 453-3795
Email: epact@sover.net
Website(s): www.epactmusic.com

PETER AND MARY ALICE AMIDON – Traditional Dance

Two programs of traditional dance.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1) Community Dance:

Peter provides an evening event of 2- 3 hours of traditional Anglo/American social dance for children and adults of all ages.

2) Workshop:

Teaching Traditional Dance: Peter and Mary Alice are available to lead a workshop on teaching traditional dance to children. Workshops generally range from 2 - 4 hours for elementary school music teachers, elementary school phys-ed teachers, and community dance leaders.

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Peter Amidon and/or Mary Alice Amidon (plus two additional musicians for community dance)

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

Community dance: children ages 5 and up, teenagers, and adults of any age.

Workshop: adult music teachers or community dance leaders.

FEE RANGE:

Community dance:

Peter Amidon's fee ranges from $250 - $400. $100 for the sound system, $200 for each musician (2-3 musicians total) plus travel for Peter and musicians.

Workshop:

$400 - $600 plus travel for a solo workshop. $600 - $1,000 for a duo workshop (Peter Amidon and Mary Alice Amidon).

 

 

A LITTLE HISTORY:

New England contra dancing was popular in Vermont from the 19th century until the early 20th century, Henry Ford's advocating square dancing as a wholesome national pastime resulted in square dancing largely supplanting contra dancing in Vermont and New England from World War I until the 1970's. There were surviving pockets of contra dancing, mostly in southwest New Hampshire throughout the century. A great revival of New England contra dancing started that started the 1970's continues through this day. Peter Amidon is on the Dawn Dance Committee which organizes two contra dances a year each of which run from 8 pm till 7am the next morning, inspired by and patterned after the late 19th century Brattleboro area all-night contra dances.

The community dances that Peter Amidon teaches, the figures and style of dancing, are based on New England contra and square dancing, traditions that have deep roots in Vermont and New England over the past 150 years, and that are alive and well in Vermont today. The dancing and music continues to thrive and develop and change. There are well-attended contra dances and community dances throughout Vermont today almost always with callers calling and teaching to a live band. As has always been the case, newly composed dance tunes and dances are being mixed in with the old in Vermont contra and community dances.

CONTACT:

Peter Amidon
20 Willow Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
Phone: 802-257-1006
Cell Phone: 917-922-5462
Email: peter@amidonmusic.com
Web: www.amidonmusic.com or www.dancingmasters.com

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Vermont Dance Collective — Dance

This program traces traditional social, comic and theatrical dance styles popular in Vermont, New England and America, back to their European ancestors. We will begin our exploration in Renaissance Europe and follow these dances as they cross the Atlantic and make their way to New England and Vermont.

Our school program would require one-half day of workshops with Maris Wolff, professor of dance, Johnson State College. The Vermont Dance Collective and select students from your school would perform on a second day.

 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Our lively and sumptuously costumed program begins with a playful ballo popular during the time that Christopher Columbus was making plans to sail west. We will follow the roots of New England square and couple dances from the beautiful symmetry of renaissance balletti, to a delicate baroque dance using intricate patterns of a dance choreographed for four young ladies at a boarding school in England, (similar dances were performed by young ladies in cities like Boston). We will laugh and have fun following the development of the traditional Commedia dell’Arte from its early European origins to the Vaudeville skits performed in Opera & Town houses in Vermont and New England.

We’ll jump our way through an intricate regency era duet, a type of dance performed by young ladies, who wished to show off their dancing skills at society balls in New England.

We’ll continue dancing our way through the nineteenth century with a playful schottische and polka, just as our New England ancestors did before us in assembly halls, society ballrooms and barn dances. We’ll kick up our heels in a lively Charleston of the 1920’s, just as flappers did in many a New England town.

We’ll delight in the silly animal dances of the ragtime era, just before World War I (and again in the 1960’s before the Vietnam War). We’ll tap our way through the 40’s just as many New England girls did before, during, and after World War II. Our poodle skirts will be flying as we swing our way through the fifties.

We’ll conclude with a lively contemporary hoe down using typical New England Square dance music, patterns and steps.

Artists involved: F. Reed Brown, Nichole Lefaivre, Brandy Ofciarcik-Perez, Kate Severance, Maris Wolff.

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

All ages.

FEE RANGE:

Full Performance $2,000 plus transportation & hospitality

Single School Performance $1,250 plus transportation & hospitality. Note: Additional funding may be available to certain schools through a generous grant from the Carl Gary Taylor Foundation for Children to the Vermont Dance Collective.

Master Workshop: Single Workshop $350 plus transportation & hospitality. Note: Additional funding may be available to certain schools through a generous grant from the Carl Gary Taylor Foundation for Children to the Vermont Dance Collective.

Four “Half Hour Long Master Workshops” $600. Note: Additional funding may be available to certain schools through a generous grant from the Carl Gary Taylor Foundation for Children to the Vermont Dance Collective.

School Residency includes four “half hour long master workshops” with select students from your school, a rehearsal with selected students and a performance with the Vermont Dance Collective and those select students.
$1,500 plus transportation & hospitality. Note: Additional funding may be available to certain schools through a generous grant from the Carl Gary Taylor Foundation for Children to the Vermont Dance Collective.
 

A LITTLE HISTORY:

New England has a rich cultural heritage that has strong European roots. It is fascinating to see how many of the steps and patterns of New England social dances, including square, contra and couple dances can be found in their European counterparts that were performed as far back in history as the earliest recorded dances of the renaissance. Our colonial ancestors brought with them beautiful dances, intricate in design.

Dance was an integral aspect of daily life in the fifteenth through twentieth centuries, especially for the high society of the upper classes. Through this gracious art, one could not only show off ones elaborate wardrobe, but could also (if performing flawlessly) achieve greater esteem. The delicate and demanding precision involved in moving gracefully, required countless hours of practice under the tutelage of a highly trained and respected dancing master. The costs and leisure time necessary to perfect this art made it impossible for the lower classes to participate at that level. Therefore, dance became a status symbol which the rising middle class strove to achieve. Proper Etiquette and Deportment were essential for all well bred persons on both sides of the Atlantic.

The following is from a manuscript of rules on good behavior compiled by our own George Washington before his 16th birthday! He based this on "Youths Behavior, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men" by Francis Hawkins, an Englishman. Hawkins had based his work on a Jesuit manual from the sixteenth century. (Aldrich 34-36)

[Ferry Farm, c. 1744]

1st Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

2d When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered. …..

5th If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkercheif or Hand before your face and turn aside.

6th Sleep not when others Speak, .....

12th …. bedew no mans face with your Spittle, by appr[oaching too nea]r him [when] you Speak. …..

26th In Pulling off your Hat to Persons of Distinction, as Noblemen, Justices, Churchmen &c make a Reverence, bowing more or less according to the Custom of the Better Bred, and Quality of the Person. ….

51st Wear not your Cloths, foul, unript or Dusty but See they be Brush'd once every day at least and take heed tha[t] you approach not to any Uncleaness. …

54th Play not the Peacock, looking every where about you, to See if you be well Deck't, if your Shoes fit well if your Stokings sit neatly, and Cloths handsomely. ….

90 Being Set at meat Scratch not neither Spit Cough or blow your Nose except there's a Necessity for it. …

[9]4th If you Soak bread in the Sauce let it be no more than what you [pu]t in your Mouth at a time and blow not your broth at Table [bu]t Stay till Cools of it Self. ….

100 Cleanse not your teeth with the Table Cloth Napkin Fork or Knife but if Others do it let it be done wt. a Pick Tooth.

101st Rince not your Mouth in the Presence of Others. …

107th If others talk at Table be attentive but talk not with Meat in your Mouth.

Finis
Washington's School Exercises:
Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour
In Company and Conversation
[Ferry Farm, c. 1744]
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/

George Washington was known to be a wonderful dancer who enjoyed many a ball. In addition to private balls held in the homes of the elite, dances occurred in statehouses, court houses, market buildings, taverns, and dance assemblies. Dance Assemblies were very popular and took place in halls built specifically for the purpose.

These dance assemblies were highly structured events with published rules and regulations. Dance assemblies, society balls, and barn dances were popular throughout New England. They were an opportunity not only to have a great deal of fun, but also to show off your fine dancing skills and beautiful wardrobes. An additional bonus was a great physical workout
 

CONTACT:

Maris Wolff
Dance Dept./Johnson State College
337 College Hill
Johnson, VT 05656
Phone: 802-635-1318
Alt. Phone: 802 851-1120
Fax: 802-635-1465
Email: dance@vtusa.net
Website(s):www.vermontdancecollective.com
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: "Downtown" Bob Stannard  - MUSIC

"Celebrating the Harmonica: Blues Music in Vermont"
 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

In this program, participants will learn how the introduction of slaves into American society influenced the variety of music that people enjoy today.  Out of this unique musical tradition, came the blues and we will focus specifically on the harmonica--one of the most profound, versatile and widely-used instruments in the genre.  The harmonica is affordable and relatively easy to play (yet hard to master).

The program includes an overview of great harmonica players like Deford Bailey, Jaybird Coleman, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sonny Terry, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter Jacobs. After delving into the history of the origin of this music, each participant receives a harmonica of their own and learns the basic foundation of how to play the instrument.  The grand finale would be a “mini-concert” with all participants.

The program is designed to be a workshop that would last approximately two hours.  It could be expanded to approximately four hours, if the hands-on component of learning to play a harmonica is desired.

Bob Stannard – Blues singer; harmonica player.  Bob is an 8th generational Vermonter whose ancestors fought in the Civil War.  He has been playing the harmonica since 1969 and has been performing for over 25 years.

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

 Twelve and older.

FEE RANGE:

 $550 (plus travel costs).  Add $20 per attendee if harmonicas are provided

A LITTLE HISTORY:

The Blues were born in the fields of the deep south by men and women who were not allowed to talk to each other as they worked.  They were, however, allowed to sing and it was through lyrics and song that they developed a method to communicate without being subjected to punishment.  The chanting evolved over time to a progression that is unmistakable today.

Mr. Stannard first got involved in the Blues at the age of fourteen.  He would sneak out of his house at night in summer of 1965 and peddle his bike three miles to the servants' quarters at the Equinox Hotel in Manchester, Vermont where he mingled with the African Americans who came up from the south to work at the hotel.

During the day, these folks were dressed in uniforms to do their jobs.  But when the sun went down, they would return to their living quarters and pass a bottle around the room sharing freely amongst themselves and their timid, white guest. One or two would play guitars and one man played a harmonica while the others sang. The harmonica was of particular interest to Stannard despite the fact that he was currently playing the drums.  It wasn’t until he went to college in 1969 that he took up the harmonica and never played drums again.

The Blues may not have been born in Vermont, but they migrated here over time. Vermont has played host to many great Blues musicians, including the late Big Joe Burrell, Sandra Wright, Duane Carlton, Rick Redington, Paul Aspel to name a few.

In 2004, Stannard met Jerry Portnoy, harmonica player for Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton, among others.  Mr. Portnoy agreed to work with Stannard to improve upon his “chops”.  His influence has made Mr. Stannard a much better player today.

CONTACT:

Bob Stannard - Blues Singer/Harp Player
117 Sleepy Hollow Dr.
Manchester Center, Vt. 05255
802-362-3658 phone/fax
bob@bobstannard.com
www.bobstannard.com
http://www.myspace.com/bobstannard
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Atlantic Crossing - MUSIC

 "Folk Music of Vermont"

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Atlantic Crossing presents dance tunes and folk songs with connections to our state.  Instrumental numbers are drawn from the repertoires of some of Vermont's great fiddlers of the previous generation as well as vintage tune books popular with 19th century New England dance bands.

Our principal source for folk songs is the extensive Helen Hartness Flanders Collection.   Mrs. Flanders traveled the state in the 1930s and 40s, just as the old ways of life were changing and electricity was reaching rural areas.  Her field recordings of traditional singers have inspired many of our arrangements.

In addition, our program incorporates several original songs dealing with events in Vermont's history.  We use fresh instrumentation, rich harmonies and driving rhythms to bring traditional folk music up to date with a high level of creativity, emotional expression, and just plain fun.

Artists Involved:  Viveka Fox: fiddle, bodhran; Peter Macfarlane: fiddle, whistle, vocals; Rick Klein: guitar, vocals; Brian Perkins: mandolin, tenor banjo, bouzouki, trumpet, foot percussion, vocals.

Critical Reviews: 
"Energetic, high spirited, and playful.  Your toes will tap, and your spirits will soar.  The musicians love Vermont and its history, and it comes through in many of the songs they play.  Great fun."
-Ron Morgan, President, Mount Independence Coalition, 2006

“The diversity of pieces paints a living picture of the complex and interwoven history of  New England culture and music, and the original pieces flow naturally from these roots, retaining a sophisticated, well-grounded and authentic feel." 
-Cindy Hill, CDReviews.com, 2006

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

 This program is suitable for ages 8 through adult (very young children may enjoy being in our audience on their own level although our presentation would go over their heads).  Our presentation can be tailored specifically for school-aged children if desired.

FEE RANGE:

 $800-$1250, depending on distance traveled, type of performance, whether our sound system is required, etc.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

This program relates strongly to the cultural history of Vermont.  Our traditional songs and tunes are drawn from authentic sources, such as the repertoire of Burlington fiddler Louis Beaudoin, Yankee fiddlers Harold Luce and John Stewart, Ryan's Mammoth Collection (published 1883 in Boston), and the field recordings of Helen Hartness Flanders.  The dance tunes illustrate the influence of English, Irish, Scottish and French-Canadian immigrants to Vermont.  The folk songs we perform deal with traditional Vermont occupations such as lumbering, farming, and soldiering as well as the everyday news and entertainment of the past.
 

In this program we also include several original songs dealing with local history, including one about a Lake Champlain shipwreck, another based on a Mt Independence soldier's journal, one about the construction of Thomas Macdonough's naval fleet in Vergennes, and one about life in Vermont during Prohibition.  We have already presented versions of this program to school groups and at the Vermont History Expo. 
 

CONTACT:

Atlantic Crossing
c/o Viveka Fox
1379 Mountain Rd
Vergennes VT, 05491
802-759-2268
vfox@gmavt.net
www.AtlanticCrossingVT.com
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Constitution Brass Quintet - MUSIC

Brass band concerts.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

The Constitution Brass Quintet offers two programs — the “Summer in the Park” and “Civil War” brass band concerts.

The “Summer in the Park” concert features American music of the past 150 years as played in the gazebo on almost every Vermont town green since around 1850. The “Civil War” concert features music and historical commentary about the Vermont town bands that enlisted as regimental bands and marched off to war.

Jo Anne Edwards, trumpet; Chris Rivers, trumpet; Tom Whiney, horn; John Mead, trombone; Bill Keck, tuba. 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

Both programs are family programs, appropriate for all ages. The programs are modified for different age groups.

FEE RANGE:

$750 to $1,500 depending on the length of program and number of performers. A drummer is frequently added for the Civil War program.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Almost every Vermont village of a few hundred people or more had a band and bands ranged in size from five or six players on up to about 40 players. They played for all the important events in town including picnics, parades, concerts on the green, funerals, and boat rides on Lake Champlain.

For almost three-quarters of a century—from about 1850 when valves were first invented until after WWI, when the phonograph and radio took over—band concerts on the green were an important part of the American family’s social life, and the tradition continues to this day in many Vermont villages. There is quite a wealth of information available about the history of village bands in Vermont and the CBQ includes musical commentary and stories about the local bands of the past. Bands were favored family entertainment because they played a wide variety of music to please everyone in the family and the CBQ includes popular music from the 18th century to the present.

The Civil War program effectively resurrects for the audience the intense feelings of the Civil War through the quintet's authentic renditions of the inspiring marches, lilting waltzes and heart-rending songs as they were performed by the brass bands and sung by the troops on both sides of the conflict. Printed lyrics are provided and the audience is encouraged to sing along on familiar songs. In addition, well-researched historical commentary is presented to enhance the listener's experience, featuring stories and letters from Vermonters.
 

CONTACT:

Jo Anne Edwards
401 Maple Hill Road
Johnson, VT 05656
802-279-8673
jedwards60@comcast.net
http://home.comcast.net/~jedwards60/

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Jeremiah McLane - MUSIC

"Folk Music of Vermont"

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, this program of music, dance and song honors the French cultural contribution to New England. Bringing together artists from both sides of the border, this program will help audiences hear, see, and understand the powerful connections the music of New England has to the music of Quebec and France. We will introduce audiences to new works created especially for this project with collaboration with all the artists involved in the project, featuring songs in English and French, instrumental pieces on accordions, fiddles, guitars, mandolin and piano as well as dance performance and choreography.
 

The French influence on the music of New England has never received the recognition that the contributions from the British Isles have, and this program will help audiences hear, see, and understand the powerful connections the music of New England has to the music of Quebec and France.

We introduce audiences to new works created especially for this project with collaboration with all the artists involved in the project, featuring songs in English and French, instrumental pieces on accordions, fiddles, guitars, mandolin and piano as well as dance performance and choreography. Each program will include a question and answer session after the performance.

Jeremiah McLane-Vermont; Peter Sutherland-Vermont; Sarah Blair-Vermont; David Surette-Maine; Sabin Jaques-Quebec; Rachel Aucoin-Quebec; Pierre Chartrand-Quebec
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

This program is appropriate for all ages.

FEE RANGE:

$2000-3000 for a two-hour performance.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Le grand derangement: during the decade of 1755-1765 between 12000-18000 men, women and children were forcibly removed from their homes in Acadia and put on ships bound for various sea ports on the east coast and eventually, Louisiana. In 1759 the English army defeated the French thus changing the cultural landscape for centuries to come. Between 1840 and 1930 roughly 900,000 French Canadians left Canada to emigrate to the United States.

According to the 1980 American census, 13.6 million Americans claimed to have French ancestors (Claude Bélanger, Department of History, Marianopolis College). Today many New England mill towns, such as Burlington, VT, Manchester, NH, Lowell, MA and Lewiston, ME, have vibrant French speaking communities that come out in large numbers to cultural events that include a Franco-American component.

CONTACT:

Jeremiah McLane
91 Lent Road
Sharon, VT 05065
802-765-9904
jeremiah@sover.net
www.jeremiahmclane.com
 

COUNTERPOINT – Choral

A two-part program with chorus and narrator.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Part 1 - They Called Her Moses, a cantata for chorus and narrator, relates the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad through Robert De Cormier’s settings of African-American spirituals. Born a slave in Maryland in 1819 she escaped north to Canada in 1849. After freeing herself she returned to Maryland to rescue other members of her family and over a period of eight years she was responsible for conducting approximately 300 slaves to freedom in the north. She knew and was closely associated with John Brown and was well acquainted with the great abolitionist, Frederick Douglas. Following the Civil War she settled in Auburn, NY where she died in 1913.

Part 2 - With A Band of Music, The second part of the program consists of Robert De Cormier’s cantata (again for chorus and narrator), the history in song of the Hutchinson Family Singers. In the early 1800’s four of eleven children who grew up on a Milford, New Hampshire family farm became famous the world over. John, Judson, As a and twelve-year old Abby started off in a secondhand carryall hitched to a pair of borrowed horses, a bag of clothes, their fiddles and a bass viol in the back. Over a period of decades they championed causes from temperance to universal suffrage, but the one closest to their hearts and minds was the abolition of slavery. They set out across the country singing of what they saw and how they felt. Their good friend, Frederick Douglass, said of them; “I saw this family in all the vicissitudes of it’s career, covering more than half a century. I saw it in times that tried men’s souls. I saw it in peace and I saw it in war; but I never once saw one of it’s members falter or flinch before any duty, whether social or patriotic.”

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Nathaniel Lew, David Horn, Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman, Claire Hungerford, Eric K. Brooks, Marybeth McCaffrey, Robert DeCormier, Amy Frostman, Roger Grow, Linda Radtke, Colleen Flynn Campbell, Brett Murphy, Carolyn Dickinson, Steve Falbel

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

The program is appropriate for students from middle through high school.

FEE RANGE:

Personnel for the program includes twelve singers, narrator, conductor and three instrumentalists. Cost of the program is $4250. It would be possible to perform With A Band of Music, a twenty minute program, with a singing quartet and 3 instruments for a fee of $1750.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

In 1777 Vermont’s newly formed constitution was the first to abolish slavery in the Country. The Underground Railroad in Vermont provided aid and temporarily housed escaped slaves in several locations: from the homes of Rev. Joshua Young and John Wheeler in Burlington to Erastus and Hervey Higley in Castleton, and Elijah Alexander in Charlotte.

The Ellis brothers of Fairhaven were conductors on the URR and Rowland E, Robinson Sr., whose home was just north of Ferrisburg Village, was a leading Abolitionist and founded the Vt Anti-Slavery Society. He allowed escaped slaves to work on the farm to earn wages to purchase their freedom. The farm is now the Rokeby Museum, operated by the R.E. Robinson Memorial Association.

The Hutchinson family sang their way through their home state of New Hampshire, its close neighbor, Vermont and, indeed, all of the New England states and beyond, bringing the message of songs like, Get Off The Track, with its rousing chorus of “Hold the Car Emancipation Rides Majestic Through the Nation” and the song of the Florida freed man, “Don’t Stay Away”. Their music became as important to the cause of abolition as “We Shall Overcome” became to the Civil Rights movement one hundred years later.
 

CONTACT:

Louise De Cormier
P.O. Box 168
Belmont, Vt. 05730
Phone: 802-259-2327
Fax: 802 259-2307
Email: counterpoint@vermontel.net
Web: www.counterpointchorus.com

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Beaudoin project - MUSIC

The Beaudoin Project - documenting, preserving and presenting the Franco-American fiddle music of La Famille Beaudoin

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

The Beaudoin Project embodies the pure joy of an old-time Franco-American family soirée, with songs, fiddle tunes, stories and step-dance rhythms passed around with plenty of laughter in the mix. French-language songs about community and family life, marriage and spiritual matters are punctuated by fiddle tunes full of "le swing" and the step-dancing they inspire.

Beaudion family members are joined by those mentored by Louis Beaudoin in the 1970s and the young fiddlers who have learned from them. Glenn Bombardier, Louis' grandson, fiddles and dances in the group. Louis' and Julie's daughters Carmen Bombardier and Nina Beaudoin sing their mother's French songs. We sadly lost Julie at age 87, but for the past two years she had been on stage with us.

The group performs with nine to eleven group members for concerts and festivals, and with up to five members for school programs in Franco-American music, song and cultural history. Carmen, Donna and George have all worked in schools for many years, Donna with Chanterelle and Carmen with the Julie Beaudoin Family. George fiddles for dance programs regularly in New York state schools.
Beaudoin Legacy organizer, fiddler and singer Donna Hébert was awarded a 2008 Massachusetts Artists' Fellowship in Folk Arts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The award recognizes her long career in Franco-American music with the Beaudoins, Chanterelle, and as a dance musician and fiddle teacher. In 2008, the Council also dubbed her a Creative Teaching Partner in Fiddling for her work with MA string educators.

ARTISTS INVOLVED:
Nina Lacourse Beaudoin - singer, school programs
Carmen Beaudoin Bombardier - singer, spoons, school programs
Glenn Bombardier - fiddler, stepdancer, spoons
Nicolle Charbonneau - stepdancer
Elena Alexander - stepdancer
Donna Hébert - administrative director, fiddler, singer, school programs
George Wilson - music director, stage manager, fiddler, school programs
Selma Kaplan - pianist
Pam Gonyer - bassist, school programs
Pete Sutherland - mentored by Louis Beaudoin in the 1970s, fiddle, guitar and piano

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

The program is appropriate for all ages from children through adults.

FEE RANGE:

The group is available with 9-11 people.
Fees: $3,000-$4,000
Schools: Up to five members are available for assemblies, classroom workshops and residencies. Fees: $900/day for three to $1,500/day for five members.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Family patriarch Louis Beaudoin, born in Lowell, Mass and moving to Burlington in childhood, was the first Franco-American fiddler to record for the fledgling Philo Records in the early 1970s. "The extraordinary thing about the Beaudoin family's music, particularly Louis' fiddling, is the strong rhythm that comes from playing for dancing. Other fiddlers may play more notes or fancier tunes, but no one played with more drive and passion than Louis Beaudoin and the Beaudoin family!" says Andy Wallace, folklorist and presenter of the family's music for almost 40 years.

It's no surprise that "Louis Beaudoin" on Philo sparked a huge interest in French-Canadian fiddle music, helped along by the family's appearances at the National Folk Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and at Jimmy Carter's 1976 Inaugural Celebration. A whole generation of fiddlers was devasted along with the family by Louis' untimely death in 1980. The family regrouped under his widow, Julie Beaudoin, performing throughout Vermont and the region as the Julie Beaudoin Family for almost fifteen years. 

Julie, our oldest member, passed away at age 87 in April 2008. We keep their music and songs alive at Beaudoin Legacy concerts, where family mixes with friends and apprentices, singers, fiddle players, piano and guitar players and step-dancers. It's une bonne soirée, indeed, a French house party, a kitchen junket that could go on all night!

The Beaudoin Collection and music archive at the Vermont Folklife Center, the group's CD, DVD and archival recording projects, and The Beaudoin Legacy band are all part of the Beaudoin Project's efforts to "document, preserve and present the unique Franco-American music, song and dance of Vermont's Beaudoin family.
 

CONTACT:

Donna Hébert
413-253-4276 donna.a.hebert@gmail.com
http://www.dhebert.com/Beaudoin.html PO Box 2632
Amherst, MA 01004

or Pam Gonyer - pgonyer@comcast.net  

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: SOCIAL BAND – Choral Music

A performance of songs by Vermont Composers – young and old, past and present.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Social Band’s twenty a cappella singers bring you songs from a cross-section of genres, from shape-note to folk to classical, from Vermont and New England’s finest composers. You’ll hear songs of long ago by Justin Morgan (better known for his horse, but did you know he was a traveling music teacher and composer?), and by William Billings the Boston tanner and songster.

Then too, you’ll hear some wonderful new songs by contemporary Vermont composers such as Troy Peters, Patti Casey, Don Jamison, Pete Sutherland and more. Come and enjoy a great program of homegrown, heart-warming, foot-tapping music.
 

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Artistic Director: Amity Baker
Singers: Charity Baker, Marcia Brewster, Ken Brown, Michael Brown, Zacheriah Cota-Weaver, Martha Dallas, Bill Fellinger, Jeff Fellinger, Ginger Gellman, Don Jamison, D.K. Johnson, Stephanie Kaza, Mark Kuprych, Bob Lincoln, CC McKegney, Cynthia Norman, Deb Patton, Ann Pearce, Janice Russotti, Tina Scharf, Rebecca Strader

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

The program is appropriate for all ages; however, younger children will likely enjoy the concert more if they’ve had some prior exposure to choral music.

FEE RANGE:

Social Band’s fee for this program is in the $800 -$1200 range depending upon the potential audience and the travel distance from Social Band’s home base of Burlington. At locations some distance from Burlington, assistance with food and housing may be appropriate.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Vermont, indeed New England, has a long history in the creation of choral music. The fuging tune, or Shape-Note music, is a variety of Anglo-American vernacular choral music that first flourished in New England during the mid 18th century and continues to be composed to the present day. Folk songs were also part of everyday life in Vermont and other New England states – the collections of early folk songs by Helen Hartness Flanders and the late Margaret MacArthur make clear the importance of vocal music in our history.

Social Band continues the work of music creation by commissioning composers of all types to create choral music. In thier Vermont Composers Project they invited 25 Vermont composers, with a wide variety of musical backgrounds, to each compose a choral piece for Social Band to premier. Audiences across the state marveled at the variety and excellence of these new compositions.

Tom Slayton said it best in his commentary on Vermont Public Radio: "There's a deep thread of contemplation and a lot of tradition in these Vermont compositions sung by Social Band. Both choral music and the shape-note tradition have a strong historic connection with Vermont, of course, and the themes woven through this new music - a belief in human equality, the beauty of nature, the saving grace of humor and spontaneity – also express strong Vermont values."
 

CONTACT:

Amity Baker
87 Coyote Ridge Road
Hinesburg, VT 05461
Phone: 802 482-3193
Alt. Phone: 802 658-8488
Email: info@socialband.org
Website: www.socialband.org
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Michele Choinere - MUSIC

Michele performs traditional folk songs of her culture, which she learned from family and community members.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Michele is a Franco-American singer/songwriter playing with Quebec musicians Sabin Jacques and Rachel Aucoin.

 Michele grew up in northern Vermont, and learned French as her first language. Michele performs traditional folk songs of her culture, which she learned from family and community members. Her music blends Franco-American traditions with original songs composed by Michele in that style of their traditions.

Artists Involved:  Michele Choiniere (singer/songwriter); Sabin Jacques (accordion); Rachel Aucoin (piano); Optional members: Stuart Kenney (bass); Benoit Bourque (dance calling) 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

All ages

FEE RANGE:

$800-1,500, depending on length of show, distance traveled, and number of musicians, among other factors.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

In the 20th century, waves of Quebecois immigrants moved to New England in search of work, typically in mills and on farms. They brought their music with them, which was oftentimes performed in kitchens after all the day's work was done. Some of these old songs have been passed down through generations of families, and new songs have been written. Franco-American music and culture, although rooted in Quebecois tradition, is unique with its own style and flavor.

Michele is a first-generation descendant of Quebec immigrants, and while born in Vermont, learned French as her first language. She is one of only a few that carries on the traditions of her culture and family in song and through composition of new music. She has been performing from an early age, and has since gone on to appear at such noted venues as the the American Folk Festival and Great Lakes Folk Festival, in Maine and Michigan, respectively. Also, in Spring, 2007, she was awarded the Governor’s Heritage Award, which is given to only one artist per year, recognizing their accomplishments as a master in their tradition.

CONTACT:

Chris Rottler, Manager
(802) 318-5191
chrisrottler@yahoo.com
www.michelechoiniere.com

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Patty & Alana Manning – CRAFTS

These workshops are rooted in the past and present traditional Native culture. Each workshop can be custom-planned as a demonstration or as a hands-on session in which each participant makes a rattle or drum or does beadwork.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Art of Native American Rattles
Native people have crafted many types of rattles throughout history in this region. Enjoy a presentation exhibiting a variety of rattles. Learn how they were made and hear stories of how they were used for healing, for talking, and what their role became during hard times for the Natives of our region. Make a rattle and decorate it with natural materials given to us by the earth.

Ages: 13-adult
Material fee: $15 per rattle

The Art of Native American Dance Workshop
Patty and Alana share Native dancing, teaching the steps of the old tradition as well as modern Pan-Indian dancing. The Shawl dance, Round dance, Sneak-up dance, and Couples dance were all part of the dance tradition of this region. The Jingle dance comes from the Ojibway people and the Grass dance was originally from the Plains. Today these and other dances are performed at Powwows in our own region. Native dance is a medium for expression, celebration, and healing. Each dance has its own unique step, story and history.
Participation in at least one dance is suggested.

Ages: all

The Art of Crafting a Native American Hand Drum
Drums throughout history in our region were highly respected and revered. People believed you could only play a drum if you had the greatest respect for all living beings on the Earth. Join in and learn about the ancient art of drum making. Each drum will become your own creation. Reconnect to the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Honor your own rhythm and come back to harmony. These are teachings of the drum.

Ages: 13-adult
Material fee: $50 per drum

Native American Beadwork Techniques
Each workshop is rooted in past and present traditional Native culture surrounding the bead stitch demonstration. Bead traditions are Loom, Lane-stitch or Lazy stitch, Applique and Double Curve motif, Gourd/Peyote stitch, Edging stitch, and earring making. Double Curve motif, Applique, and loom work were the most common forms of beadwork done in our region historically. As tribes traded with each other more stitches became popular. Today all forms of beadwork are used on Regalia and other Native items in New England. In this workshop we will learn the techniques of different stitches and look at design and color patterns.

Material fee: $15

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Patty Manning and Alana Manning

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

See workshop descriptions above

FEE RANGE:

Prices for all presentations, workshops and programs are negotiable. A fee for materials may be separate – see specific workshop descriptions above.
$100 - 1 1/2 hour workshop-
$ 250- day (6 hours) workshop
$ 1000- week (6 hours)

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Patty Manning and her daughter Alana are of Wampanoag descent and are members of an Intertribal community in Vermont. The Wampanoag people are based in coastal Massachusetts and share a common culture with the Abenaki; Vermont is home to Native people from all over the United States who come together as an intertribal community.

Patty began beading in the 1960s and over the years has had the opportunity to work with Cherokee, Lakota, Pottowatami, Pomo, Abenaki, and Mohawk beaders. She has learned rattle and drum making and traditional dance from Native artists and elders in Vermont and on the Powwow Trail in New England. Patty and Alana practice the centuries-old artistic traditions of the Native cultures of this region as well as the traditions of other Native peoples, which they have learned through the Pan-Indian movement.

CONTACT:

Patty Manning
Address: 92 Brooks Road
Northfield, VT 05663
Phone: (802) 485-8747
E-mail: pattyhummingbird@aol.com

JUDY DOW – Native American Art

Workshops for students and teachers rooted in Abenaki traditions.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Judy offers an integrated approach to teaching through a variety of workshop that are appropriate for various age groups.

The History of Basketry in Vermont
Students learn about the four techniques of Abenaki basketry and create a traditional basket using recycled materials. (Second grade-up)

Native Technology
Students travel through Paleo, Archaic and Woodland periods, learning how changes in flora, fauna, climate and geology lead to new technologies. Students will construct an ancient piece of technology that is still used today. (Third grade-up)

Writing Projects that Integrate Art, Science, Math and History
After hiking through and observing various ecosystems, students explore, document and illustrate environmental cycles and changes. (Third grade-up)

Toys and Games as an Educational Tool
Students discover how Abenaki children learned life’s survival skills through games and toys. Students will create a traditional toy and game and explore its relevance our lives today. (First grade-up)

Ethnobotany
Students learn how Abenaki people have used plants for food, medicine, material culture and religion. Students will undertake art projects using natural materials. (Third grade-up)

We Are All Related
Students examine their cultural backgrounds and create a classroom history picture book. They will interview family or community “elders and olders,” document their families’ histories, and explore how we are all related. (Grades 4-up)

Culturally Appropriate Art Activities
Teachers learn, discuss and share art activities that are appropriate for teaching about American Indian cultures. Participants also learn how to identify art activities that are culturally inappropriate and might shame or embarrass American Indian students. (Educators)

ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Judy Dow

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

See specific descriptions above.

FEE RANGE:

Most schools or educational centers that contract with Judy select a group of workshops from the descriptions above or create their own workshop with Judy’s guidance. Workshops can be one hour, one day or one week long. Judy can repeat projects in several classrooms or integrate several programs into one visit. Judy’s fee is usually $500 per day plus expenses, but it may vary depending on the topics that are chosen and cost of materials.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

History, in the European sense, is viewed as a timeline, with “points” that denote certain eras or events. In Native communities, however, time is circular, and beginning, present, and future overlap and come around full circle.

For indigenous peoples, changes in the climate and land became the mother of technology, and creating tools to meet the challenges of this change was part of the fabric of everyday life. The land was also an open classroom: knowledge of plants for food, medicine, material culture and spiritual use has been passed down for millennia, from generation to generation. As invading groups encroached on Native lands, Native peoples continued to adapt—sometimes willingly, sometimes not willingly—to new environmental, political, social and economic changes. They had to in order to survive. This tradition of adaptation has ensured cultural continuity, allowing our body of knowledge to persist.

Judy’s program addresses adaptation and change from this indigenous perspective of history and time.

CONTACT

Judy Dow
273 Old Stage Road
Essex Jct., VT 05452
Phone: (802) 879-6155
Alt. Phone: (802) 879-1419
Fax: (802) 879-1419
Email: Jdowbasket@aol.com

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Jesse Laroque - crafts

A workshop in Native American Basket Making.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Native American Basket Making “101” - Jesse Larocque's black ash baskets express the living tradition of his Abenaki ancestors.

A basket begins in a swamp where Jesse picks a tree that will be suitable for basket making. The ash is later hand pounded, shaved, and split in preparation for being woven in the traditional manner without machines or molds.

Jesse learned from other Abenaki basket makers and his finely crafted baskets are the result of many years of hands-on experience. Jesse's pack baskets, fishing creels, and fancy baskets balance function and strength with beauty and comfort. Jesse is available to share his intimate knowledge of Native American Basketry through demonstrations as well as hands-on basket making workshops.
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

Schools K- 16 and adults. All programs are designed with the age and the ability of the students in mind, to hold their attention, educate them about the original Vermonters, and to have a lot of fun.

FEE RANGE:

Fees range from $200 to $1500 depending on the time frame chosen. Time frames are 3 hours, 5 hours, 1 day, or a week-long residency program. Materials per student is an additional cost, as needed. Jesse is happy to discuss your ideas and needs and build a project in partnership with you.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Abenaki Indians have been making ash baskets for thousands of years. The first baskets were made from ash pounded from logs by groups of men with tree branches. Young boys carried these “splints” to the women who split them by hand. Young women then wove the bottoms of the baskets. In the evenings after the meal was finished and the children were sleeping, the women finished weaving the baskets and the men helped lash the rims on. The next day the baskets were loaded into the canoes and taken to trade at nearby villages for items that were useful. Baskets were the equivalent of money. Baskets were used in every aspect of Native life from fish traps, cooking baskets, and burden baskets, to baby cradles and more.

Passing on the teachings through participation and guided practice is alive and well today and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. A true sense of mastery and accomplishment is felt by those who complete an Abenaki-style ash basket in a workshop setting.

CONTACT:

Jesse Larocque
134 Maple Street
St Johnsbury, VT 05819
802-473-0434
jesselarocque@yahoo.com
www.abenakibaskets.com
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Jay Craven - Media Arts/Other

Media workshop

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Jay Craven will screen and discuss one or more of the films produced as part of his Kingdom County Quartet of films based on stories by Vermont writer Howard Frank Mosher.  The films include High Water (1989--w/ Greg Germann, Jane MacFie, Dennis Mientka), Where the Rivers Flow North (1994 -- w/ Rip Torn and Tantoo Cardinal), A Stranger in the Kingdom (1997--w/ David Lansbury, Ernie Hudson, Martin Sheen), and Disappearances (2006--w/ Kris Kristofferson and Martin Sheen).

Each of the films explore different time periods, characters, and themes related to northeastern Vermont’s history, culture, and sense of place.  Each film is drawn from a combination of oral and recorded history, literature, and imagination. The program will be supported by written materials, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and discussions led by the films’ writer/director Jay Craven.

The post-screening discussion will be aimed at exploring how the films resemble westerns and how they are distinct from them, because of their uniquely Vermont and New England cultural strains.  Craven will also ask audiences to identify and respond to thematic elements including those related to coming-of-age, Vermont’s Native American past, French Canadian cultural influences, Vermont’s logging and farming occupations, the persistence of memory, North Country outlawry, unusual and irrepressible women, family relations, and a specific historical incident related to Vermont’s racial past.

The process of filmmaking will also be illuminated, through Craven’s discussion of the adaptation process, grounded in the detail of Mosher’s characters and stories while simultaneously needing to find independent voice and cinematic articulation.

Writer/director/producer Jay Craven will present the screenings and lead discussion.
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

 High Water is suitable for all ages.  Where the Rivers Flow North and Disappearances are appropriate for ages 13 and older.  A Stranger in the Kingdom is suitable for ages 16 and older.  The films may be programmed separately or in any combination.

FEE RANGE:

 Fees would range from $350 to $1000 for a single screening, based on the range of activities/ workshops planned and number of films programmed, in total.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

 Like Howard Mosher’s novels, Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom suggests myth, legend, and a spectacular natural world that refuses to be tamed.  Named by former Vermont Governor George Aiken, the Kingdom, even today, is characterized by an indomitable spirit that remains in place even as other parts of the state have yielded to more modern sensibilities. Mosher’s flawed characters possess this Northeast Kingdom spirit, simultaneously heroic, stubborn, reckless, rebellious, and resistant to change.

The Kingdom County films have been called “easterns” by critics and audience members. Indeed, they are linked to westerns, both for their specific narrative elements and metaphorical treatments of the fading frontier. But while westerns frequently depicted life on the edge of civilization, before there was much in the way of law, community, family, culture, history, and generational continuity, the Kingdom County films treat frontier themes that include these distinctive Vermont and New England elements at the center of story and character.  This, combined with Mosher’s rendering of the Kingdom’s undocumented magic, mystery, and even ghosts, is what makes these films so particular to place while being simultaneously an inventive, ironic, and metaphorical imagination of it.

CONTACT:

Jay Craven
Kingdom County Productions
949 Somers Road
Barnet, VT 05821
802-592-3190
jcraven@marlboro.edu
www.kingdomcounty.com
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Rob Mermin - Media Arts/Other

“The Illustrated Performance Lecture Series” includes two offerings.
 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

100 Years of Circus in Vermont: True Stories of High Adventure and Low Comedy in the Circus Ring
This “performance lecture” is highlighted by personal anecdotes from my career of forty years in the American and European circus world. It is illustrated with photos and film clips of a century of traveling circuses in Vermont, from Ringling Bros. to Smirkus. The program is a balance of performance (true stories plus demonstration of circus tricks) and lecture (the lingo, traditions and lifestyle of the itinerant show in New England) providing a vibrant history of the culture of circus in this region.  The program follows the rich tradition of “mud shows” in Vermont, culminating in the 20-year history of Circus Smirkus, which The Boston Globe called “the first Vermont-based circus in over 100 years, and one of New England’s most treasured cultural and educational resources.”  75 min.

Silents Are Golden: The Forgotten Art of Silent Film Acting 
"Silents Are Golden" sheds new light on how the acting style of the silent era was based on theater techniques of the day, and developed from histrionic gesture into sophisticated physical expression. In the live performance Rob demonstrates pantomime techniques from 19th century Delsarte to the mid 20th century mime movements of Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau and makes the unique connection to silent film acting. He shows the gestures and tricks of the trade that the silent stars learned in circus, vaudeville, music hall and theater before they ever got to Hollywood. 

The program is illustrated with a dazzling array of clips from over 50 silent films featuring: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks, Marion Davies, Valentino, Chaplin, Keaton, Langdon, Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy and more! It soon becomes evident that silent films—newly accessible in the age of DVD—are as refreshing an entertainment as any modern cinema.  Commissioned by The Green Mountain Film Festival. Suitable for small theaters, town halls, colleges. 110 min.

Rob Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969. He clowned with various European circuses including England's Circus Hoffman, Sweden's Cirkus Scott, Denmark's Circus Benneweis in the Circus Building by the Tivoli, the Hungarian Magyar State Cirkusz, and circus palaces throughout the former Soviet Union.  Formal training includes mime with masters Marcel Marceau and Etienne Decroux, and a degree in Drama and Literature from Lake Forest College. He is former Dean of Clown College for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and President of Blackfriar’s Summer Theater. In 1987 Rob founded the award-winning international touring company Circus Smirkus. Rob’s awards include Copenhagen’s World Star-Time Gold Clown; The Bessie Award; Russia’s Best Director Prize at The International Festival on the Black sea; It Takes A Village Award; and the Vermont Arts Council Award of Merit.
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

 These programs are available for general audience; the lectures are designed more specifically for adult audiences, though older children are welcome. The programs, while entertaining, are meant to be historically educational.

FEE RANGE:

 $400 to $1,000: 1hr lecture to full evening 2hr show. Flexible according to venue. Workshops available.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

 Both “Illustrated Performance Lectures” have a connection to the history of Vermont. In the early 20th century there were two forms of popular entertainment from the “outside world” that made their way up to towns throughout Vermont: silent films and circuses.  Both forms of entertainment (and education) were unique in the way that they came to where the people lived, even in rural areas. In “Silents Are Golden” we explore the relationship between history and the powerful effect of the silent movies on the populace. There are invariably still a few folks who come to the show with far memories of the silent era and who are moved by seeing the film clips of stars from their childhood.  In “100 years of Circus in Vermont”  we explore the connection of Circus Smirkus to the traditions of circus from long ago.  Even The Big One—Ringling & Barnum—came through Vermont back then. Those were the days when the whole town would shut down for Circus Day. Smirkus carries on the traditions, though it's a mystery why schools, banks, and municipal affairs don’t close up anymore when we come to town!
 

CONTACT:

Rob Mermin
27 School Street
Montpelier, Vt 05602
rob@smirkus.org
www.smirkus.org
802-922-1339
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Peter Burns - storytelling

"Family Entertainment Systems--Tradition New England Games and Storytelling"
 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

This highly interactive performance features traditional New England family fun, including fantastic folk tales, stupendous stunts, brilliant brain teasers, polite (and not so polite) poems, ridiculous riddles and magnificent magic tricks. Think of Peter as an entertaining guest at a family gathering, leading fun for the whole family. You will learn the folk knowledge that entertained New Englanders before the days of computers and television. The program lasts about an hour, and is designed to be enjoyed by children as young as three and adults of any age. Peter is flexible and can perform in any venue that can provide him with a chair, a glass of water and an audience! After this show you will be inspired to set up your own family fun time.

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

3 and up.

FEE RANGE:

$250 to $500.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

This program is inspired by my childhood in a working class neighborhood in Providence Rhode Island. Unusually for that time, my family had no TV, so we had to amuse ourselves. At home we read aloud, sang songs, told stories and played board games, just as New England families have been doing for hundreds of years. New England is a land of emigrants. Each ethnic group brought their own traditions, so the New England folk tradition is a rich stew of different cultures. Each of my Grandparents came from a different country – Italy, Ireland, England and Russia, and each of them contributed their unique traditions to our family entertainments.

As a storyteller I have collected stories, games, riddles, magic tricks, poems and brain teasers from audience members throughout New England. Family Entertainment Systems combines elements from my childhood, the material I have collected from New England audiences and also my current storytelling work. Vermonters are a part of a living folk tradition of informal fun and amusement that goes back to the dawn of time. Family Entertainment Systems helps us re-capture those traditions and make them our own.
 

CONTACT:

Peter Burns
PO Box 134
Winooski, VT 05404
802-655-2501, 802-658-0750
peterbu@howardcenter.org
heatofhistory@hotmail.com
www.talespins.com

 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: JENNINGS & PONDER - STORYTELLING

 "Traditional Storytellers for the 21st Century."

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

Tim and Leanne perform traditional folk tales, the unwritten "oral literature" that can be found all over the world. In a signature duo style, their voices intertwine and overlap in a kind of narrative counterpoint, a compelling blend of technique and soul. Their stories have been drawn from countries that historically or currently have contributed to Vermont’s population, including Ireland, Scotland, England, French Canada, Poland, Germany, China, India, Africa, and nations from within the former Soviet bloc.  In and around the tales, the couple plays traditional Celtic music on harp and concertina.

Performances are of flexible length and on varying themes. Workshops of various lengths are available, focusing on specific techniques that help bring a fine old story to life for a modern audience.
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

 Programs are available for adults, children, and mixed audiences.

FEE RANGE:

 $400-600; Workshops (in conjunction with performance) start at $150

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Storytelling-- artistic colloquial narrative speech-- is a deeply rooted living Vermont tradition, from blacksmith shop to auto garage, from kitchen junket to folk festival.

Tim and Leanne are master storytellers who have whose development was shaped through three decades performing for Vermonters. They specialize in the highly endangered tradition of oral tales about youngest children, branching roads, wicked monarchs, fools, rogues, talking animals, helpful spirits, and things that go bump in the night.

Over the years, they have found some wonderful stories still in oral circulation among families around the state.

CONTACT:

Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder
PO Box 522
Montpelier, VT 05601
(802) 223-9103, telephone
(802) 223-9104, fax
tim@folktale.net
http://www.folktale.net/
 

AMERICAN MASTERPIECES: Verandah Porche - Storytelling

“SHARED MEMOIR: commissions, readings, residencies”

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & ARTISTS INVOLVED:

 Verandah offers a variety of programs around the theme of “Shared Memoirs:”

COMMISSIONS: POETRY HONORING OUR CULTURAL LEGACY -  Verandah creates an original poem which celebrates a community organization, incorporating the voices and heritage of its constituents. The process includes interviewing key people, reflection, refinement and presentation.

COMMUNITY READINGS: THE MUSIC OF TALK - Verandah reads narrative and poetry she has gathered and edited with neighbors and strangers around New England. For twenty years, the poet has worked as a tender facilitator, listening, encouraging and writing with others, finding the “verse” in conversation, the pulse in each place. Verandah has served as poet in residence in rural nursing homes, senior centers, literacy and crisis centers, hospitals, factories, a 200 year-old tavern and on the streets of Hartford, CT. This reading honors the creativity of “ordinary” people. It reminds us that we share a rich cultural heritage in language and that their own voices are part of it.

PLACE-BASED RESIDENCIES: NEIGHBORS AND STORIES  - Verandah works as a facilitator and writing partner with local groups to design and conduct unique community-building residencies drawing on the power of the human voice. Projects may involve schools and community groups.
 

AGE APPROPRIATENESS:

Commissions: Adults, young people may participate in interview process
Readings: program can be tailored from high school students to elders
Residencies: program can be tailored to engage participants from elementary students to elders

FEE RANGE:

Commissions: $375 to $1000 (negotiable depending on the time required the complexity of  the process) plus mileage and hospitality
Readings & Residencies: $375 to $500 plus mileage and hospitality

A LITTLE HISTORY:

 Cultural memory gives meaning to a place, for old timers and newcomers. Stories explore and  shape our evolving identities. Each Vermont town abounds with outstanding individuals and important, treasured stories. Sadly, many of our elders, as well as the friends who remember their words and deeds, are vanishing before our eyes and ears. Creating a shared memoir is one way to stop the erosion.  The process builds trust and friendship and the product is artistically valid work which evokes the narrator's passion and brings it into the telling.

CONTACT:

Verandah Porche
45 Old County Road
Guilford, VT 05301
802-254-2442
verandahporche@verizon.net
Verandah Porche's Arts Directory listing