Corvallis Contra Weekend Talent for 2024

Bands

Riptide (Maine)

Riptide plays traditional music for contra dances. They are one of the most energetic contra dance bands on the scene today. They love the tunes they play, and their repertoire contains literally hundreds of tunes from New England, Quebec, Ireland, Appalachia, and a few other places. Riptide features Glen Loper on mandolin, Alden Robinson on fiddle, Owen Marshall on guitar, and the legendary Mark "Pokey" Hellenberg on percussion. The band is based in Maine but travels througout the U.S. and beyond.

The Fiddle Hellions (Portland, OR)

George Penk (fiddle), Betsy Branch (fiddle), Sue Songer (piano, fiddle)

Callers

Frannie Marr (Southern CA)

Six years of calling have made Frannie a popular West Coast caller, calling regular dances from Southern California to the Bay Area, and special events/weekends throughout the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.

Frannie draws on her experience as a dance gypsy to call dances that people like. Her hallmark is quick walkthroughs, efficient calling, and letting the dance and music flow whenever possible. Whether it’s a crowd of enthusiastic beginners or hard core "dancing fools", Frannie’s calling delights with fun, flowy dances filled with a variety of moves. As one dancer explained, "She hardly ever calls a sucky dance!". Frannie can charm even the most difficult crowd ("Don’t make me use my kindergarten teacher voice on you!").

• Frannie calling "Chinese New Year" by Chris Page, music by Celador

Julian Blechner (Massachusetts)

Ron T Blechner, Contra Caller and Dance Writer Ron has been calling contra dances since August of 2011. My Calling Principles:

• If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.
• Contra dancing is a community dance. Dancers should feel welcome, comfortable, and safe.
• Dance programs should be tailored to the specific interests and the skill level of the crowd as well as the style of the musicians.
• A caller should be able to inject energy into the crowd, but mainly connect dancers with the music and each other.

Sound

Alan Roberts (Seattle, WA)

Alan is a fiddle player (plays with Southwest Passage) and dancer in addition to being an excellent sound man. He is aware of the nuances that make us all happy, and is able to provide a great experience for the callers, band members and dancers.