2005 Corvallis Contra Weekend

February 18, 19, 20

Two contra bands, Two contra callers

Corvallis, Oregon

The Talent

Bands

Abracadabra (Seattle WA)
Dave Bartley: mandolin, guitar, other strings Anita Anderson: Piano Deb Kirkland: Fiddle
The Nettles (Corvallis OR)

The Nettles are the West Coast's Folkadelic contra dance band. They take traditional music and create a strong rhythm groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity are the key ingredients of their Folkadelic music. They weave together the strands of an American Oldtime fiddler, a jazz trumpeter, a rock guitarist, a soul drummer and a swing bass player. The Nettles tailor each tune they play for the dance so that band, dancers and caller become a single joyful organism.

Laura Brophy’s powerful fiddling forms strong yet lyrical melodies punctuated by improvisation. The Nettles are propelled by the mighty rhythm engine of Kevin Johnsrude on guitar, Michael Proctor on bass and drummer Brian Bucolo.

The Nettles joke that "We never play the same tune once."

Callers

Erik Weberg (Portland OR)
Whenever Erik Weberg calls, the hall is packed with dancers, who know the evening is sure to be a great one. Erik chooses dances that are tailor-made for the occasion at hand, matching the dances to experience level of the crowd and providing a wealth of variety in the program. (If he doesn't have a dance that suits his needs, he will write one-many of these are widely called.) His teaching is exceptionally encouraging, clear, and concise making it easy for all to gain a sense of mastery while keeping momentum rolling throughout the evening.
Susan Petrick (Redwood City, CA)
Susan Petrick grew up in New England, and has been enjoying contra and square dancing for many years. Her dance enthusiasms also include couple dancing and Scottish and English Country dancing. Susan started teaching and calling for contra dances in 2000. She also teaches couple dances, including waltz, cross-step waltz, and hambo. When she is not touring throughout the country calling for dance weekends and festivals, Susan lives in Redwood City, CA, and is a cognitive psychologist who manages a group of user experience researchers at Google.

Sound

Wayne Leeds (Eugene, OR)
Wayne dances, and so knows what dancers need to hear! He works closely with each musician to ensure they have what they need to sound their best.

Flier: This is the 2005 Flier... If we have one on file; otherwise, it is a dead link.

Schedule: