February 8 Square Dance at Pine Hill Community Center

On Sunday, February 8, at 1 pm Catskills Folk joins in publicizing a square dance, combined with a contra dance, presented by the Pine Hill Community Center with the support of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Messinger Family Fund.

John Jacobson call whileTremperskill Boys play
 with Hilt Kelly and the Sidekicks

The dance will feature John Jacobson and the Tremperskill Boys, a group of musicians gaining a regional reputation for perpetuating the square dance tradition of legendary caller and fiddler, Hilt Kelly.  They will play as John calls square dances common for decades here in the Catskills.  In addition John will introduce Casey Mullaney, a fiddler who calls contra dances.  To many in the mountain region squares are familiar, while contras are more often associated with New England. There is a revival movement of this type of line dance that has grown to include many regions in the US, including the Catskills.

                                                                                 

Square dancers at the Pine Hill Community Center 

Sunday afternoon, February 8, is a chance to dance traditional Catskills squares and try your hands (and feet!) at a contra.  The contra differs from square dancing in that the dancers begin side by side in lines down the hall and dance with the couples above and below them instead of couples around the square.  Many of the same figures are used (swing, do si do, right and left through, ladies' chain) but in the line format.  

Come join us for a musical afternoon and try a few dances!  And watch this blog for more dances around the Catskills and at the Pine Hill Community Center.