dancing shoesDanceable Feast

DANCEABLE FEAST PRESENTS

WILD ASPARAGUS, calling by GEORGE MARSHALL

and swing dance music by TWO CATS AND A SONGBIRD

November 11-13, 2011, Sky Camp, near Eugene, Oregon

Thanks everyone for a great time. Next year's Danceable Feast with Wild Asparagus, a great swing band and Annie's yummy cooking will be the weekend of Nov 10-12, 2012 (always the second weekend in Nov).

Please check back in the spring for updated info.

Wild Asparagus
Drawing upon music from New England, the British Isles and Canada their creative, driving tunes keep you flying while George’s smooth, efficient calling makes challenging contras seem easy as pie. Hold on to your hats as they take you to the top of the Ferris wheel and bring you right back down to Earth breathless and begging for the next dance. George Marshall is a master caller who also plays concertina, bodhran and bones. Ann Percival plays irresistible piano and guitar rhythms and provides mellifluous vocals. David Cantieni, the woodwind wizard, plays flute, tin-whistle, oboe, saxophone and bombard. Becky Tracy graces you with her elegant, energetic fiddling. Add in rhythm king Mark Hellenberg on percussion and bassmeister Mark Murphy and you’ve got one great big sound.

Two Cats and a Songbird
Paul Anastasio - Jazz, swing, western swing, country, bluegrass and Mexican folk violin; this amazing Northwest fiddler does it all. He’s studied with Joe Venuti, and performed with Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Larry Gatlin, Tony Marcus and Asleep at the Wheel to name a few. Paul will delight you with his extensive repertoire and accomplished fiddlecraft. Tony Marcus, singer-songwriter and jazz vocalist extraordinaire, plays swing guitar as well as other string instruments. A member of Cheap Suit Serenaders and Cats and Jammers, he’s also performed with Geoff Muldaur, Kate Wolf, Patsy Montana, the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra and, and, and .... His infectious music will keep you grinning from ear to ear with delight. Songbird Chris O’Connell, the original female vocalist for Asleep At The Wheel (America’s premier Western Swing Band) has appeared on Austin City Limits and won a Grammy for her dynamic guitar playing. Her vocal repertoire includes Western Swing, jazz, jump and rhythm and blues. Chris’s delicious vocals have the power to get you hoppin’ or break your heart. Anything goes with this fab swing trio. They’re sure to rock the joint.

Melissa Roane
So you want to dance vintage swing? Then you’ve come to the right place. Inspired by the styles and music of the 30's and 40's Melissa has studied with international champions and has been teaching and performing Hollywood, East Coast Swing and balboa since 2003. Her swivels will turn your head and if anyone can put a little zip in your swing, it’s the divine Miss M.

Annie Johnston
No Siree, camp food never tasted like this before. From homemade granola, scones and jam to a salmon entrée, there’s nothing ordinary about Annie’s delectable dishes.

Your taste buds will be as tickled by Annie’s fine fare as your toes will be by the fine tunings of Wild Asparagus and Two Cats and a Songbird. And what could be better than happy taste buds and toes? It’s not called Danceable Feast for nothing!

Registration Information

We will start accepting registration applications postmarked Wednesday, June 1st. Applications postmarked from June 1 - 10 will be placed together in a lottery to fill camp and determine positions on waiting lists for couples and singles. If your application or payment is mailed after June 10 and we are full, we will add your name to the appropriate wait list. Camp will be gender balanced.

To register, click on the Registration tab above. Regardless of whether you register on-line or use a paper registration, you'll still need to send payment by mail and we'll use the postmark for the lottery.

Cost:

Adults & children over 10$200 ($215 after June 30)
Children 6 - 10$110
Children 2 - 5$55
Children under 2free but must be registered

Cancellations - Up to 2 weeks before camp starts, full refund less $20. Within 2 weeks, refunds are dependent on our finding someone to take your place; usually, we're successful.

Scholarship Opportunites:

Coffee/Tea Crew - A few $65 work scholarships are available. Check the box on your application if interested.

The Donna Ranae Scholarship Fund - Two $100 scholarships are available; click on the Scholarship tab for more information.

Local Dance Communities - Ask your local dance group or folklore society for support. Many have help available for their members.

Registration Information

If possible, please use the on-line registration form below. If you need a paper form, download this application. Double-check your email address and phone numbers (required only for the first person) because these are the methods that we will use to communicate with you. Don't submit multiple single registrations on the same form. If there is a second person, please enter their information; we will not assume that the second person's address/phone/email is the same as the first. Enter information as you'd like to see it on your button and the attendee list.

Trust us, impromtu couples do not give anyone an advantage in the lottery. If a wait-listed couple later splits to gain acceptance for one, the other goes to the end of his/her respective single wait list.

After you submit your registration, an acknowledgement email will be sent with the payment information. Please be patient. Sometimes, getting the email through our mail server is slow. Print the email and mail it along with your payment to:

Danceable Feast Committee
c/o Tren Haselton
6423 SE 34th Ave
Portland, OR 97202

Ride-share and attendee lists: None of the mailing address fields are required; however, if you omit the city/state/zip fields, you will not appear on the ride-share list that we email before camp. If you check the name exclusion, you will not appear on either the ride-share or attendee lists.

If you encounter a problem with on-line registration, please send a message with details to Tren. For other registration questions, contact Ellen.

First PersonSecond Person
Name, Phone, Email Name, Phone, Email

Donna Ranae Scholarship

donnaDonna Ranae was one of the founders of Danceable Feast and a beloved member of the dance community. She passed away in the summer of 2008. The Donna Ranae Scholarship Fund was established to honor her love of dancing and its significance in building community. Dancers have contributed to a fund in her memory to make the Danceable Feast camp accessible to those who might not otherwise be able to participate due to financial need.

We welcome contributions to make the Donna Ranae Fund able to provide more assistance. To help, please send a check to:

Danceable Feast Committee
c/o Tren Haselton
6423 SE 34th Ave
Portland, OR 97202

Danceable Feast is a nonprofit affiliate of CDSS. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

To apply for the Donna Ranae Scholarship:

We are happy to be able to provide two scholarships this year. Recipients will get a “lottery free” space in camp and a $100 scholarship.

Please tell us in writing what the dance community means to you and how it has inspired you in your life. Please, no more than 500 words.

Email your essay as a PDF (preferred) or Word document to Deborah. The remainder of your registration application should be mailed as per the instructions on the Registration tab. On the Registration form you will find a question asking if you are interested in a scholarship. Please choose Donna Ranae from the drop down list.

We will be accepting responses from now until the end of the registration window on June 10. You do not need to wait until June 1 to send your registration form as it is lottery free. If we are not able to award you a scholarship this year, we will place your name in the lottery pool for camp.

We look forward to hearing from you! Please also help us get the word out to anyone you think might enjoy this opportunity!

Danceable Feast Schedule 2011

Friday

6:00Registration
7:30 - 9:45WARM IT UP - Wild Asparagus
9:45 - 10:30Break, Snack AND Swing Demonstration by Melissa and Colin
10:30 - 11:45OH! OH! SWING IT; PART 1 - Two Cats and a Songbird Swing Band - Paul Anastasio, Tony Marcus, Chris O’Connell

Saturday

8:00 - 9:00Breakfast
9:00Registration for Late Arrivals
9:15 - 10:45
  • Wake Up Contras: Wild Asparagus
  • Advanced Swing Dancing Workshop - Balboa: Melissa Roane and Colin Livesey (For dancers with previous swing dance experience)
11:00 - 12:00Workshops
  • Sing Out: Ann, Pokey and Mark
  • Swing Fiddle Improv Achording to Paul
  • Fiddle‘n Jigs: jig (= French: gigue), a lively dance in compound time: Becky
  • Guitar Workshop, Chord Melody Playing: Tony
  • Wind Instruments Workshop: David
  • Basic Swing Workshop, Ah-1 and Ah-2: Melissa and Colin
12:30 - 1:30Lunch
2:00 - 3:30Challenging Contras: Wild Asparagus Workshop
3:45 - 5:00Intermediate Swing: Melissa and Colin
6:00 - 7:00Dinner
7:30 - 9:30WOW DANCES - Wild Asparagus - “Wow!” dances demand a dancer’s attention. They grab you and shake you by the collar, excite your emotions, and make you want to dance more.
9:30 - 10:15Break, Snack and Announcements
10:15 - 12:00OH! OH! SWING IT; PART 2 - Two Cats and a Songbird
12:00Midnight Madness
  • Kitchen Jam (Campers, come with your instruments and party on!)
  • Wild Card Dance with swing, waltz, and, zydeco CD’s

Sunday

8:30 - 9:15Breakfast
9:15 - 10:30Gospel Singing: Ann, Pokey and Mark
9:30 - 10:15Waltzing with camper band
10:45 - 11:15Wild Asparagus Concert
11:30 - 12:00Two Cats and a Songbird Concert
12:00 - 1:00Pack and Clean out Cabins; take-out lunch
1:00 - 3:30FINALE - Wild Asparagus Dance
3:30 - 4:00CAMP CLEAN UP AND DEPARTURE - So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedesehen, Adieu...
4:00Empty Camp!

Directions to Sky Camp

Sky Camp is located on a point looking westward over Fall Creek Reservoir (sunsets can be quite beautiful). From Lowell, it takes about 25-30 min to get to camp; the road around the lake has more than a few curves. If you come around the south side, the camp is a bit beyond the point at which pavement resumes after a section of gravel road. You can use the dropdown list to get directions from a short list of northwest cities. This PDF, (map with directions from Eugene and Springfield) may be helpful.

For access to the full range of Google Map features for this area, click on Google (lower-left corner of the map).

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