Contra dance: Las Cruces Stomp
May 10th, 2012
Archive
Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category
Contra dance: Fair trade
May 10th, 2012
Fair trade
Erik Erhardt & Cora McCold
Type: Contra
Formation: Duple-Improper
Progression: Double
Level: Int
Contra dance: Lucia’s square through
May 10th, 2012
Contra dance: Precket for Kara, #1
May 10th, 2012
Contra dance: Stars on van Vliet Street
May 10th, 2012
Stars on van Vliet Street
Erik Erhardt
Type: Contra
Formation: Duple-Improper
Level: Easy-Int
Contra dance: Salute to Richard Wilson, spirals
May 10th, 2012
Salute to Richard Wilson, spirals
Erik Erhardt
Type: Contra
Formation: Duple-Improper
Level: Easy-Int
Dance: 2012 spring newsletter for Friends of the Guiding Star Grange
April 3rd, 2012
I was touched to be invited by Val LaBelle to write the article below appearing in the 2012 Spring newsletter for the Friends of the Guiding Star Grange. It was almost 15 years ago that I became a dancer on the Guiding Star’s floor.
Old-time contra dancing, tradition and modernity in New Mexico
by Erik Erhardt, a New England transplant
At first glance, walking into a contra dance in New Mexico will have the look and feel of dances we experience all over the country: groups people in brightly colored clothing laughingly catching up since the last dance, a table with a small cashbox and dance fliers, a stage with musicians and technicians preparing the sound, and a buzz of anticipation for a fun evening of dance (and sometimes song). But if you’re from New England, as I am, you’ll start to notice little differences reflecting the culture, music, and style of the southwest. Cue harp strumming as we go back in time…
American Week 2011
December 14th, 2011
My AmWeek 2011 calling and teaching highlights: Karina and I leading couples dancing with Crowfoot, calling a techno contra, calling for camper open mic, free-form calling in evenings with Will Mentor.
(I’ll be teaching couples dance again at AmWeek 2012!)
Eric Black and Diane Zingale with many other organizers created an amazing AmWeek 2011. Visit the website and fb page and join us for AmWeek 2012! See Photos.
Mary Wesley and I attended morning calling session for squares with Will Mentor and contra with Erik Weburg. Will gave me the opportunity to mimic his freeform squares from the first night. Erik suggested that I be a little more assertive in my calling (rather than saying things in a question-sounding way).
In the afternoons, Karina Wilson and I lead couples dance workshops with the moving music of Crowfoot (Jaige, Adam, and Nickolas). The first day was waltz and moves from uncrossed-hands position, including the cuddle. The second day we did Scandinavian dance, including the Snoa and the Hambo. The last day we continued waltz with moves from crossed-hands position, including cape and skaters. In an additional “waltz-swap” session, dancers “traded licks”, which is such a great idea at dance camps with so many talented dancers.
Dance teaching handouts: waltz hambo
I got picked to call the techno contra, too. What a great surprise! I called a medley of 3 dances to music that Katie Hepp brought to camp, and Will djed (clicked “play”) from his Mac. Because the music is loud and it’s a medley, I found it helped to call most of the calls all the way through each turn of the dance, only dropping calls for “hook” moves, and having additional prompts like, “something new” or “listen up”, before transitioning to the next dance in the medley. It was more challenging to call because I was behind the speakers and couldn’t hear the music as well as I can with a live band; a monitor with the same mix as the floor would be helpful to hear both the music and my voice.
And some exciting news for me from the BACDS newsletter Winter 2012 about “American Dance & Music Week 2012″:
“Couple dancing including waltzes and other styles will be taught by returning teacher Erik Erhardt. Erik was very well received last July, and we’ve asked him to come back and do it again.”
To be invited back is the biggest complement!
The previous year, 2010, Joyce Miller and Joyce Cooper made sure we were well taken care of! Joyce Cooper, especially, went way out of her way to have a van at the airport parking lot for me and my five wonderful Santa Fe girls. Then, on the way home, Eric Black saved us by giving us (me, Karina, Laurel, Lauren, Mia, Zoe, Chelsea, Tank, Andrew) an emergency place to slumber and threw in an extra “Get out of Hell, free” card, which I hope I don’t have to use with him again… Eric and Diane’s thoughtful caring really makes life wonderful for those around them.
Contra dance: Breaking through the brozone layer
November 22nd, 2011
Breaking through the brozone layer
Erik Erhardt
Type: Contra
Formation: Becket-CW
Level: Int
Read more…
Eri-Eri-Eri-Erik, the fastest, smoothest, dreamiest swinger
August 26th, 2011
A personalized song? for me?
Artist: Katherine Sanden
Music: Eri-Eri-Eri-Erik (lyrics), March 2010
Interview (June 2010) with Katherine Sanden about music and song writing. Kat studied mathematics at Princeton University. She now tutors in mathematics, teaches music and piano, and writes sublime rhymes and beats.
For contra dance weekend Stellar Days & Nights, in Buena Vista, Colorado, February 18-21, 2010, I drove up with Richard, Laurel, and Karina Wilson, Lauren Lamont, and Della O’Keefe. During the silent auction CDSS‘s Max Newman and I got into a fierce bidding war over a custom song written and performed by Katherine Sanden. I had every intention to win, and when the bell rang, I had. In the spirit of the “new sincerity” I requested a “monster ego explosion” (after all, how many chances will I have for someone to write a song about ME!?). What I got was much, much more! I still flush with embarrassment each time I hear it. Quality headphones are recommended for a dynamic experience of the full audial range. Everyone needs a steamy power jam — lucky me!
