First G.A.L.A. Community Contra Dance of the season

Re: First G.A.L.A. Community Contra Dance of the season featuring featuring, Liz and Dan Faiella with Byron Ricker.
Picture:  Community members dancing in the Great Hall during last winters dances.
(Wolfeboro, NH). The Community Contra Dance Series hosted by Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.) will kick off the season early this year with the first danceon Saturday, September, 24th at the Wolfeboro Town Hall’s “Great Hall”.  Dances run from7:00 to 10:00pm, with the first half hour dedicated to a brief overview of the basic steps of New England contra dance.  Dances are a fun and energizing night out for all ages and abilities, even if you simply prefer to cheer the dancers on from the sidelines and enjoy the live music. 

The first dance of the season will feature musical performance by Liz and Dan Faiella, with Byron Ricker as the caller.  Raised on contradances, fiddle contests, and Irish sessions, Liz and Dan Faiella bring to life the traditional Irish and New England music of their roots with Liz’s lyrical fiddle and vocals and Dan’s spirited low whistle and guitar.


This sibling folk duo has captivated audiences at premier folk venues, contradances, and festivals around New England. Liz and Dan have performed at Club Passim, the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the New England Folk Festival, the Acadia Trad Festival, and New Hampshire’s Seacoast Irish Festival. They have received music and dance scholarships from the New England Folk Festival Association and the Country Dance and Song Society; and have shared the stage with celebrated New England folk musicians including David Surette, Randy Miller, Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman, Matt and Shannon Heaton, and Grammy winner Dan Zanes.

Liz’s study of Irish fiddling, classical violin training, and love of contradancing have shaped her musical approach. In 2015, she was selected by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to conduct fieldwork on the history of contradancing in New Hampshire. Liz teaches fiddle lessons and coaches folk ensembles on the faculty of the Concord Community Music School in Concord, NH and teaches at her home studio in Northwood, NH. She has sung in vocal groups at the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College, and studied sean-nós Irish singing with Bridget Fitzgerald at Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Boston. Liz has led workshops for the Strathspey and Reel Society of NH, Maine Fiddle Camp, and Acadia School of Traditional Music & Arts.

Dan has performed at the Capitol Center for the Arts, the Boston Celtic Music Festival, and the New Hampshire Statehouse. He has studied with folk musician David Surette and classical guitarist David Newsam, and honed his Irish low whistle playing at Boston’s Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Boston. Dan has had the opportunity to learn from top-notch Irish and New England folk musicians including flute player Shannon Heaton, guitarist Owen Marshall, and fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger.

Their concerts feature traditional Celtic and New England music, both instrumental settings and songs. Audience members are taken on a journey through the folk traditions of the duo’s Irish heritage and New Hampshire roots, from haunting murder ballads, to the lyrical compositions of Turlough O’Carolan, to snappy and danceable jig and reel medleys, to mesmerizing fingerstyle guitar arrangements of slow airs.

Dance admission fees are as follows:  $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for 6yr-18yr olds, and 5yr and under free.  Anyone experiencing financial hardship is invited to pay what they can and no one will be turned away for financial reasons.  In an effort to protect the newly refinished wood floor in the Great Hall participants are encouraged to bring an extra pair of shoes for dancing that do not have a black sole.  If you are unable to bring extra shoes there will be a brush at the door for you to remove dirt and snow before entering. G.A.L.A. is also looking to fill a few volunteer shifts for the dances this year if you are interested.  For more information about this event or to sign up to volunteer visit their website atwww.galacommunity.org, call the office at603-539-6460, or emailjosh@galacommunity.org

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ABOUT CONTRA DANCES:
The name “Contra Dance” refers to partnered folk dance styles, where couples dance in two facing lines. Contra dance is a hybrid of English country dances and French court dances. At the end of the 17th century, French dancers began to incorporate the English country dances with steps from their own court dances and in turn called these dances contra-dance, or contredanse. Many of the moves called out during the dance originate from the French terminology. 

The contra dance was very popular throughout America from the 1700’s well into the 1800’s, but with the arrival of the square dance, waltz, swing, and other forms of dance it’s popularity was mostly confined to rural areas. It is interesting to note that before the contra dance’s revival it was not known to be called a night of “Contra Dancing.” Rather it had other names such as: Barn Dance, Kitchen Junket, Old Timers Ball, and The Dance. These dances were held in church halls, grange halls, town halls, barns, and even places like kitchens and living rooms. There was a time in New England when contra dances were so popular that one band might be booked 6 nights in a single week! 



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About G.A.L.A.
Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.) is a nonprofit organization based in Ossipee, NH working to translate sustainability education into local action that is practical, effective, and fun.  Through strong cross-sector collaborations, G.A.L.A. offers educational, skill building, and community service opportunities that help participants grow food, conserve energy, save money, and strengthen both personal and ecological health.  

The organization’s most popular program is called Sustain-A-Raisers, a volunteer driven “eco” home and yard makeover initiative modeled after the barn-raiser.  Each “raiser” consists of G.A.L.A. volunteers installing raised garden beds, compost bins, rain barrels, cold frames, and clotheslines at private homes, schools, food pantries, assisted living residence, and other community sites. 
G.A.L.A. also offers a monthly Re-skill-ience Workshop where attendees can learn skills including how to make nontoxic household cleaners, basic bee keeping, food preservation and canning, bike maintenance, campfire cooking, compass and map navigation, and more. 

During the winter months, G.A.L.A. hosts a Community Contra Dance Series and offers support for starting small sustainability Study Circles.  To learn more about programs, become a member, or otherwise get involved, visit the website atwww.galacommunity.orgor call the office at603-539-6460.