Mary Wesley, CDSS

From the Mic

Arts EN ↓ 36 episodes

Host Mary Wesley takes you behind the caller's mic to explore perspectives from the people who choose to stand in that curious place between the band and a roomful of dancers. Featuring conversations with callers of American social dance forms (contras, community dances, trad squares). Why do they do it? How did they learn? What is their role, on stage and off, in shaping our dance communities?

Author

Mary Wesley, CDSS

Episodes

Episode 9 - Sue Rosen 23.11.2022 1:39:48

See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. Click here to download the transcript directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Sue calling the dance “Beneficial Tradition” by Dan Pearl at a 20...

Episode 8 - Chris Ricciotti 27.10.2022 1:30:31

See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. Click here to download the transcript directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Chris calling at the 2008 San Francisco Bay Queer Contra Dance Ca...

Chris Ricciotti Teaser 13.10.2022 2:57

COVID hit the From the Mic team and we're a little behind on episodes. We'll be back in the next week or so, but in the meantime, check out this teaser for our upcoming interview with Chris Ricciotti. How far would you go for just one more square dance? See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society...

Episode 7 - Chris Page 25.08.2022 1:29:44

See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. Click here to download the transcript directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Chris calling the dance Chinese New Year written by himself with...

Episode 6 - Sue Hulsether 28.07.2022 1:27:44

See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts and more. Click here to download the transcript directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Sue calling the contra dance Forgotten Treasure by Beth Parkes wi...

Episode 5 - Gaye Fifer 30.06.2022 1:34:28

See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Gaye calling the dance "Gaye's Groove" with music by The Syncopaths at the 2018 Atlanta Dance Weekend Gaye calling "Rick's Tripl...

Bonus Episode! A tour of Tony Parkes' audio archive 29.06.2022 27:28

In this bonus episode Tony Parkes shares archival recordings of 5 callers who deeply influenced his style: Ralph Page Rod Linnell Ed Durlacher Ed Gilmore Fred Townsand See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more, or click here to download a transcript of this episode directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the contin...

Episode 4 - Tony Parkes 27.05.2022 1:38:12

See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): All tracks of Tony’s calling were recorded at the 2011 Dare to Be Square Weekend in Brasstown, NC and distributed by CDSS as th...

Episode 3 - Sarah VanNorstrand 28.04.2022 1:26:59

See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly . And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Sarah calling "Dennis’ 50 Years of Entrancement" written by Seth Tepfer to the music of Riptide (Glen Loper, Owen Marshall, A...

Episode 2 - Lisa Greenleaf 06.04.2022 1:34:52

See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent. Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Lisa calling the square dance “Contra Corners Canon” written by Ron Buchanan in 2004 to the music of Dave Langford, Lise Brown,...

Episode 1 - Phil Jamison 25.02.2022 1:22:14

In the debut episode of From the Mic we meet Phil Jamison of Asheville, North Carolina . Phil is nationally-known as a dance caller, old-time musician, and flatfoot dancer. He has called dances, performed, and taught at music festivals and dance events throughout the U.S. and overseas since the early 1970s, including over forty years as a member of the Green Grass Cloggers . His flatfoot dancing w...