From the Mic

I resonate the most with the callers whose primary objective is to have a good time—that’s what I always try to bring. Like, we’re not gonna be perfect. None of this matters! I always say in my beginner lesson, there’s no points, there’s no competitions, there’s no judges. We’re strictly here to have a good...

Adults get much more concerned about mistakes than kids do. But mistakes are a learning opportunity. So you make a little note of it, and you keep moving, because if you dwell on that, then it interferes with you moving forward. ~ Margaret Bary Margaret Bary Margaret Bary teaches English country dance in New York...

It’s like, I’m at the service of the dancers—I’m not at the service of the dance. So what’s important for me is the people…and the tool to have fun, is the dance! ~ Ghislain Jutras Ghislain “Gigi” Jutras Ghislain Jutras calls traditional Québecois dances with an energetic, authentic, and engaging style and is skilled at...

Bill Olson Bio adapted from Bill’s Website: I was born in Attleboro, MA, and grew up in Durham, NH. I played Tuba in the marching band all through school and learned Guitar from my scoutmaster. I went away to College in Pennsylvania in 1964, where I became exposed to Old Timey music. (It was the...

“Mentorship in this community often looks like someone noticing you, giving you a small nudge, and then stepping back so you can figure out your own way in.” ~ Lindsey Dono   Lindsey Dono Washington-based caller Lindsey Dono is a mainstay on the national contra circuit, and has been on staff at camps, weeks, and...

I love facilitating that much joy. I love the craft of it. I love the art of it. I love the experience of it. I think a lot of callers will talk about it like —”oh my god it’s like a drug.” You just get in it and it’s like, “How could you ever stop?...

“Every dance comes with multiple stories to it, if the caller wants to take them into account. I think…each slot we call is like a five story building. It’s got multiple stories to it.” ~ Jeremy Korr Jeremy Korr is a bicoastal caller, based in Southern California most of the year and in Eastern Massachusetts...

I tried not to be a dance leader. I tried to be a dancer. I tried to just be like one of the kids. And the best time would come when I stopped calling, and often nobody would be saying anything and we would just be grooving with this really great music we had. ~...

When I joined the Grange, it really did become a bridge to people with really, really different social and political views and values—really different lifestyles. And it’s not that I wanted to become like them, but I wanted to like them. ~ David Kaynor A conversation with David In this special episode of From the...

I love that moment when I can stop calling—when I can pull back, pull back, pull back, and ultimately you’re not calling anymore. And the dancers are just dancing to the music. ~ Diane Silver Hailing from Asheville, NC, Diane Silver has been a die-hard contra dancer, swing dancer, and flat-footer for nearly 30 years....