Teaching Staff
Scott Higgs—English Country Dance Lisa Greenleaf—Squares & Contras Yaelle Azoulay—Quebecois squares and stepping Laurel Swift—English Ritual Dance & Music Shona Kearney—Longsword and Rapper Dancing Lily Kruskal Leahy—Harmony Singing Andy Taylor-Blenis—Couple Dancing Laura Sprung—Crafts Jamie Beaton & John Mayberry—Porch Singing |
Music Staff
Karen Axelrod Nicolas Babineau Eric Martin Owen Morrison Naomi Morse Natty Smith Timi Turmel Sound engineering by Dereck Kalish
|
Read more about our individual staff members and musicians below!
This session will feature gender-free calling styles!
J4 plans to use the following calling styles: larks and robins for contra dances, positional for English Country Dances, and ladies and gents for square dances.
Teaching Staff
Scott Higgs began dancing in college, and started teaching soon thereafter. For over 30 years he has traveled the world, calling contras and English country dances -- often including his original choreographies. From Seattle to Antwerp (through 25 states and 6 foreign countries), enthusiastic dancers praise Scott’s engaging programs, dynamic presentation, and emphasis on fun.
At home, Scott is one of the co-founders and leaders of Renegade Morris, organizes an ECD series, and regularly appears at local and regional dance events. For the succinct version of Scott’s dance outlook, he generally just quotes his business card: “Playful, spirited, elegant, zesty, joyful Contra, English, Morris, and Couple Dancing.” |
Yaëlle Azoulay is a professional dancer/choreographer specialized in Quebecois traditional dancing and percussive dance (jig). Through a musical approach, she’s been actively developing stepdancing teaching methods for all ages and levels and teaching in various contexts around the world, from the US to Ireland, France and Brazil. In 2018, she co-founded Club Gigus, a nationwide stepdancing school with locations in over 6 cities in Quebec and co-created the stepdancing teaching platform www.gigues-tu.com. Yaëlle is also a dance caller, passing on Quebecois traditional dances in various contexts of animation. She has called in both French and English in over thirty cities throughout Quebec, Ontario, Nova-Scotia, the US, France and Ireland, on top of being featured in big festivals in Quebec. She has been teaching stepdancing and calling social dances for nearly 25 years all over North America and abroad, which has given her a recognition as one of the best in her field on the Quebec scene. Her human approach, her vivid passion, and her deep regard for initiatives that involve social action are but a few of the many strengths that contribute to Yaëlle’s success in the dance world.
|
Laurel Swift is a fiddler, singer, dancer, and an inspiring instigator of creative new projects and performances rooted in the folk arts. Laurel performs on double bass and clogs with her band Gadarene and plays fiddle with ceilidh band The Gloworms.
Laurel has choreographed and devised national touring dance productions for Morris Offspring, co-created and performed Under Her Skin with Debs Newbold, advised theatre and film companies on using folk music and dance material, performed and taught at festivals in the UK and America, founded an organization to develop youth folk arts projects, teaches and contributes to education projects in the UK. Since arriving in the USA last year she has somehow managed to perform in both Revels Boston and Revels North, play for a bunch of exhilarating ceilidhs and teach fiddle, song, morris and clogs at camps and local events! |
Shona Kearney is a goldsmith, step dancer, teacher and long-time member and leader of Toronto Women’s Sword (TWS). She has enjoyed traveling and performing longsword, rapper and Ontario step dancing with TWS since 1989. When at home in Toronto, Shona teaches in the School of Jewellery at George Brown College.
|
Lily Kruskal Leahy is incredibly excited to be returning to July 4th session! Currently living in Co. Cork in Ireland, Lily is a music educator and choir conductor in local schools, is a member of her local community choir, and is the founder and musical director of a small vocal ensemble in her town of Mallow. She has been involved in choral singing all her life and has been the musical director for several small vocal groups over the last several years. Making beautiful harmonies with friends is one of her favorite activities and is looking forward to sharing this at July 4th weekend at Pinewoods!
|
Andy Taylor-Blenis started dancing with her parents in International Folk Dance at age 0. She began teaching international dance to Girl Scouts at age 9, enjoyed creative movement through her teen years and became certified in Scottish Country Dance teaching at age 17. Andy went on to receive her BFA in dance from UMass Amherst, where she minored in social anthropology. She taught Scottish and international folk dance through college. She has continued teaching both forms throughout her 40-year contemporary dance career. In addition to teaching modern and jazz dance throughout the Boston area, Andy is the artistic director of Boston Scottish Country Dancers, Back Pocket Dancers, and Mladost Folk Ensemble, a youth folk dance troupe that she founded in honor of her parents, Conny and Marianne Taylor. Andy has been teaching on Zoom throughout the pandemic. Every Tuesday night, she teaches from 7 to 9 pm through the Tuesday Community Dance, a weekly online folk dance.
Pinewoods is the place she teaches closest to her heart. She has been attending Pinewoods since 1975 and looks forward to being there with the July 4th weekend. https://www.andytaylordance.com/ |
John Mayberry and Jamie Beaton fell in love with traditional song a good many years ago at the legendary Fiddler’s Green folk club in Toronto. Since then, individually and together, they have been singing an assortment of British and North American songs at camps, clubs, festivals, Morris dance gatherings, pubs, and online events, especially enjoying tight two-part harmony and rousing choruses. They have also been avid Morris dancers and teachers with their own teams and at camps.
Once reputed to be reliable contacts for those renowned showmen, Sean and Seamus Bullero, they now deny any association with them, or their sister Lily. |
Laura Sprung - Crafts have been a big part of Laura’s life since she made her first shoe box wagon under the watchful eye of Captain Kangaroo. Embroidery and sewing were her favorite creative outlet for many years but now creating with paper has joined in. Folding, weaving, scorCrafts have been a big part of Laura’s life since she made her first shoe box wagon under the watchful eye of Captain Kangaroo. Embroidery and sewing were her favorite creative outlet for many years but now creating with paper has joined in. Folding, weaving, scoring, binding, punching, cutting, gluing, and otherwise tormenting paper has become a passion. Laura enjoys teaching classes in papercrafts and continues finding new ideas and projects; she has an Etsry store for her Moravian star earrings and wreaths.
|
Music Staff
Karen Axelrod left the world of classical music over 40 years ago, and has found her home in the folk world. She is highly regarded for her creative piano playing at English, American and Scottish dance events around the country (including Pinewoods Dance Camps, Ogontz, Buffalo Gap, Berea Christmas Country Dance Week, The John C. Campbell Folk School, and BACDS events) and abroad. Her improvisational playing is lyrical yet touched with humor and whimsy. Karen is a member of the bands: Alchemy, Foxfire, Peregrine Road, and the Axelrod-Martin Duo. She also plays accordion and tours with the renowned long sword team, Orion. In addition to her life as a musician, Karen is an expert dog walker which keeps her in shape as she works toward her goal to complete a marathon in every state and not come in last. Karen formerly performed comedy improv with The Villa Jidiots and loves to teach improv to adults, children, and her canine clients.
https://karenaxelrod.wixsite.com/karenaxelrodmusic |
Nicolas Babineau - Active in the traditional Québécois music scene, Nicolas Babineau is a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer appreciated for his sensitive and versatile musicality. Trained as a classical violinist at the Conservatoire de Musique de Trois-Rivières, he later studied folk and jazz music with violinist Tommy Gauthier. However, it is the world of Québécois traditional fiddlers, their incomparable style and their unobtrusively rich repertoire, that now inspires his work on the violin. As a guitarist, Nicolas is an accompanist recognized for his poignant, minimalistic approach. His duo with Montréal fiddler Alexis Chartrand, which focuses on melodies inherited from 20th century fiddlers, has performed in Québec, across Canada, in the United States and in Sweden. Numerous ensembles such as Yves Lambert Trio, La Bottine Souriante and Réveillons! have benefited from his virtuosity on the fiddle, the guitar and the mandolin during concerts in Canada, Chile, Spain, France and the United States. Since the production of his first album when he was only 13, Nicolas has contributed his talents in the sound engineering, mixing and production of more than 15 folk, traditional and pop music records. In 2022, he took part in the creation of singer-songwriter Jordane’s album Reine de Papier. He co-produced the two Babineau/Chartrand albums, and album with Jean Duval and Le Tranino, by Alexis Chartrand and Colin Savoie-Levac (Rosier), and finds inspiration in his classical music experience to capture the immediacy of unedited performances, offering recordings praised for their “soft and intimate ambiance”, which allows the listener to “focus on the smallest details”.
|
Eric Martin fronts as a violinist and violist but is covertly a virtuoso Sarrusophone player holding performance degrees from Ithaca College and the University of Limerick, Ireland. At the mere age of 14 months, Eric received rave reviews for his premier of Lars Umbeckglagaspufinnost’s Sarrusophone concerto in F# locrian with the renowned NUTSO (Nunavut Uncharted Territory Substitute Orchestra). In recent years, Eric has pioneered the resurgence of the Sarrusophone in traditional music. Dancers at numerous Contra and English Country Dance festivals and balls have commented that the notes Eric plays that are outside the range of human hearing are especially powerful, stirring, and danceable. Eric lives beneath the stage at Carnegie Hall and thus has “shared the stage” with many famous musicians who have practiced a lot.
|
Naomi Morse grew up surrounded by music and dance in the folk communities of New England. She is known for her energetic and driving fiddle playing for both contra and English Country dancing and finds sounds both fiery and flowing in various styles of roots music including American old time, New England, Irish, Quebecois, and Scottish. Her bands have included The Poor Cousins, Night Watch, Housetop, and the mega-fiddle-band Childsplay and she has toured extensively with the world music ensemble Northern Harmony. After over a decade of living in Brooklyn, she now lives in the woods of Vermont with her husband and son.
http://naomimorse.com/ |
Owen Morrison is an accomplished rhythm and lead guitarist, at home in many styles of traditional music. His playing, laced with rhythmic power and skillful finesse, has made him popular among dancers and fiddlers alike. Owen has toured the U.S. and abroad with bands such as Elixir, Airdance, Night Watch and The Morrison Brothers Band. A frequent staff member and Program Director at Pinewoods, Ashokan, Augusta, and many other camps.
https://owenmorrison.com/ |
Natty Smith is a dancer, singer, and fiddler from Cambridge, Massachusetts. His fiddle has accompanied rapper sword dancing for decades. He is also a frequent organizer of music and dance events like Youth Trad Song, the Marlboro Morris Ale, the Dancing America Rapper Tournament, and CDS-Boston Centre’s July 4th Session itself. Natty is thrilled to be coming to J4 just as a musician this year!.
|
Timi Turmel - Around the world, Timi Turmel is considered a master of the accordion. He grew up in a family of talented musicians, including his father, Jean-Marc, and his uncle, Robin, who inspired in Timi a deep passion for the instrument. So deep that even as a child, in the minutes waiting for the school bus each morning, Timi would pick up his accordion to practice just a little bit more.
From a young age, he began performing on stages and in many important competitions throughout Quebec and the United States. Crowned Quebecois Champion for three consecutive years, Timi went on to join Mackinaw, the distinguished Quebecois company of traditional dance. For many years, in his role not only as accordionist but also as pianist and musical director, Timi played in festivals all over Europe. A gifted creative, Timi Turmel is known and loved for his « joie de vivre, » generosity, and dedication to musical excellence. This commitment is at the heart of his decision to collaborate with Erin Leahy and Louis Schryer. For Timi, playing together as Cécilia is a remarkable opportunity for musical exploration that has also grown into a beautiful friendship. |
Sound Engineer
Dereck Kalish has been dancing regularly in New England since 2005. In 2011 he became both a caller and a sound engineer, with a focus on providing the best service possible to make for a fun and successful dance. He has provided great sound for weekly dances and larger events such as Pinewoods Camp, Tropical Dance Vacation in St. Croix, Peterborough Snow Ball, NEFFA, Boston Playford Ball, and CDS to name a few. Dereck can be seen calling English and contra dances throughout New England. Dereck has a strong background in the arts, having studied classical piano, and earned a degree in fine arts. He serves as the Chair for the NEFFA Thursday Night Dance Committee in Concord, MA, is a director on the board, and is a member of the Sound Committee for the annual festival. Dereck lives with his partner, Sarah, in Wakefield, MA.
|