CASCADIA
  An English Country Dance  
Weekend
  Seattle, Washington — May 1-3, 2020
  Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.




Gene Murrow  

 

 

Gene Murrow        
Dancing Master        

 

 

 

 

 

        Rosemary Lach
        Special Caller

  Rosemary Lach

Gene Murrow has been an English country dancer and musician since 1965, and has taught and called at clubs, workshops, festivals, and balls throughout the United States as well as England, Europe, Canada, and Japan. He has attended Pinewoods Camp as a CDSS staff member almost every year since 1965, and has chaired Early Music Week, English Dance Week, and English/American Dance weeks several times each.

In 1996 Gene created the Amherst Assembly (now New London Assembly) in connection with the Amherst Early Music Festival, a week-long conference devoted to a scholarly and practical look at the English country dance. He presented a paper at the 2001 EFDSS/Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society conference in London marking the 350th anniversary of Playford's English Dancing Master, and in 2004 he was honored as the featured country dance caller and teacher at the gala 50th anniversary of England's Sidmouth International Festival. He has toured England several times for calling engagements, and has appeared at the Eastbourne, Lichfield, Whitby, and Southam Festivals. In the fall of 2006, he toured Japan for two weeks teaching English dance workshops, where he returned in 2011 and again in 2019 to lead the Folk Dance Federation of Japan national teacher workshops.

He is author of a resource guide and training curriculum on musicianship for English country dance teachers--the basis of a course offered at the Pinewoods, Mendocino, and Berea country dance workshops in the United States.

As a dance musician, he has made four recordings of music for dances of Fried Herman and Gary Roodman, and he is the producer of the 15-disc series of English dance recordings featuring the Boston-based band Bare Necessities. A professionally-trained musician, Gene is the founder and Executive Director of Gotham Early Music Scene, a service and advocacy organization for early music in New York City.


Rosemary Lach has been dancing all her life and calling English country dancing for twenty years. When she attended Cascadia in 2000 her love of English dancing re-surfaced. Back home in Victoria, BC, she immediately sponsored the first annual Hands Across the Water dance and workshop weekend which attracts dancers and callers from far and wide. She also founded the Victoria English Country Dance Society, calling its weekly dances for many years, while encouraging the growth of new callers.

Laurie Andres - Music Director. Laurie has been a musician and caller for over 35 years. He picks the perfect match of musicians for each workshop. We have the best musicians in the Northwest, and Laurie superbly combines them for your dancing pleasure. With this year's combination of caller, musicians, and sound engineer, your dancing experience will be unparalleled.

Frank Brown - Sound Engineer. Frank has been our exemplary sound engineer for the past six years. We are delighted that he is returning this year.


Location - Seattle Latvian Center, 11710 3rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125.   
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