Come dance with us!

You're invited to the Fiddle & Dance Project's first community dance:
Sunday, November 8th, 3-5 PM
at the Carriage House, 9 Duncan Ave., off N. Main St in Providence across from Action Auto Parts.

Andy Davis will be calling, traveling all the way from Burlington, VT to be here! This dance is especially suited to folks at any age who have never tried contra dancing before.

Musicians include Michelle Kaminsky, Sakiko Mori, myself, and more! Hope to see you there.

violins going home & a giant ox dance!

Fiddles started making their way to new homes last week (including one lucky student with a purple violin!)

Last night I went to Rehoboth, MA to check out what was an incredible gathering of new dancers. The Youth Mandolin Orchestra of the North Rhine had flown in from Germany the night before and was visiting the Providence Mandolin Orchestra -- both those groups visited the Rehoboth Jammers: a group of musicians, callers and dancers who get together to play music every week and dance to it every month. This was their largest gathering that I know of. The best part was how willing all of these new dancers were to try something as silly as the Ox dance. Bob leads in a fun and straight-forward way -- there's no reason not to follow him!

Holding "violin" boxes

Our first fiddle lessons over the past week have been packed: holding violin cereal boxes, practicing bow holds on over-sized pencils, learning to allemande & do-si-do, and reading basic rhythms.

Families enrolled live in Pawtucket, Central Falls & North Providence and our students range in age from 7 to 16. Everyone has a different reason for being there, but all have one thing in common: can't wait to hold the real fiddles!

Youth Dance Weekend

Surrounded by fall folliage in Plymouth, VT this weekend, I danced and played at Youth Dance Weekend.



It was a whirlwind of movement to tunes new and old (the "techno contra" began at 1 am), and a good time to sit and talk with people about who is dancing to and playing this music...and why?

Contra dancing seems to be moving healthily toward a strong, inter-generational future (with weekends like this, who could deny that?). In other ways, contra dance, while already a mish-mosh of many traditions, has had trouble sharing the dance and music with people diverse in race and class -- not just in age.



Yes, I believe that these traditions are precious in and of themselves (as beautiful, historic music & movements), but More Importantly, I believe that these traditions are precious because of what they do for us as people, as groups, as communities. Contra dance visibly brings people together: to move together, make eye contact, smile at each other, trust one another.
This stuff is worth making accessible. It's worth sharing.

Video: Dancing in the Garden

Check out 1:35 into the video and you'll hear Elzic's Farewell and see the dancing for yourself!

Community Partners

Fiddle & Dance Project will be working closely with two organizations throughout this year:

1. Community MusicWorks (CMW) in Providence, RI, will incubate this project, offering physical and mentoring support in the office and acting as a fiscal agent. Fiddle & Dance Project is both informed and inspired by Rachel's two-year immersion in CMW's culture and organization through the Fellowship Program and shares CMW's philosophy of music and social change.

2. Woodlawn Community Development Corporation, or Woodlawn CDC, "strives to improve the economic and social well-being of the Woodlawn Community, with an emphasis on low-income residents (%77), by empowering them through education, advocacy and innovation." Woodlawn CDC will host Fiddle & Dance Project's weekly lessons this year as well as some special events.

Community MusicWorks' Fiddle Lab Performance at Slater Mill

Community MusicWorks Fiddle Lab players performed tunes at the Labor & Ethnic Heritage Festival at Slater Mill in Pawtucket on Sunday, generating buzz both about their playing and about the Fiddle & Dance Project.

This festival was part of the larger Pawtucket Arts Festival, which continues over the next few weeks. Tunes we played included Mairi's Wedding, Have you been to Ireland, Roddy McCorley, Angeline the Baker & All the Way to Galway. Thanks to Michelle Kaminsky & Adrienne Taylor for joining in the music making!

Lots of festival attendees joined our email list to find out more about upcoming special events and dances. You can receive updates, too, by emailing fiddleanddanceproject@gmail.com