Bruce Hamilton
I got started in the mid-60s with international folk dancing at Swarthmore College. After grad school I gravitated to just English and Scottish, because the groups I found were more social.
I’ve danced and taught morris, longsword, rapper, and English and Scottish country dancing, all over the place. In the last few years my legs have made me give up the morris and sword. I’ve served on the boards of local organizations, run demo teams, organized workshops and run balls. I’m currently on the board of the CDSS and secretary of the teachers’ committee of my RSCDS branch.
In teaching English and Scottish dance I try to form a style that captures the best of both. I think I’ve been only partly successful — the influence of the parent organizations is surprisingly strong.
In the 80s I got interested in training teachers. This, it turns out, is a completely different kind of thing from teaching dancing. I am still a student of that, and have a great time discovering, experimenting with things, and watching my students blossom.
In teaching dancing these days I try to bring together as many elements — music, history, body mechanics, wit, choreography and fun — as I can.
I’m also a research computer scientist with Agilent Technologies (used to be Hewlett Packard), working on distributed, real-time measurement and control.
Chuck Ward
Chuck Ward has been on the country dance scene for more than forty years. He was keyboardist for the Berea College Country Dance Troupe in Kentucky and toured widely with this semiprofessional dance team. He has been on the staff of the Berea College Christmas School, John C. Campbell Folk School (North Carolina), Pinewoods Camp (Massachusetts), Mendocino International Folklore Camp (California), BACDS English Week (California), and numerous weekend camps throughout the United States including Alaska. He is co-founder of the Bay Area Country Dance Society and is heard on several recordings released through The Country Dance and Song Society.
Barbara Greenberg
Barbara Greenberg plays fiddle with Hold the Mustard, A Joyful Noise, A Band Named Bob and Reunion. She's much in demand at dance camps across the country as a musician and as a leader of fiddle or band workshops. She's also passing her love of music on to her Suzuki violin students.
Daniel Beerbohm
Daniel Beerbohm, a member of Hold the Mustard, A Joyful Noise and Reunion, joins us on clarinet, flute and penny whistle. He spices our English dancing playing from a rich background of swing, Klezmer and classical music.
Last modified 3/28/05 by MRB webmaster