Dance in the Desert 2018

Dance in the Desert 2018

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Bands

Supertrad

SuperTrad, a band at 2018 Dance in the Desert

Eric Schedler (Cosmic Otters), Owen Morrison (Elixir), Dave Langford (Latter Day Lizards) and Sam Bartlett (Notorious, Stringrays) 

The Privy Tippers

The Privy Tippers will be performing at the 2018 Dance in the Desert.

Jesse Anderson, Jerry Ray Weinert,  Jacquie Wohl, and Dave Firestine

Adobe Brothers

Adobes Brothers will be playing at the 2018 Dance in the Desert.

Bruce Thomson (Toby), Jimmy Abraham (Jacoby), Wayne Shrubsall (Moby), and Terry Bluhm (Pierogi)

Callers

Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs, caller for 2018 Dance in the Desert

Susan Michaels

2018 T-Shirt Design by Sam Bartlett

T-Shirt Design
Camp

Only an hour and a half from Tucson and two hours from Phoenix, the Triangle Y Ranch Camp is located in the northern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. At a 5000 foot elevation, the camp’s 400 acres provide beautiful scenery and ample facilities. Dance on our custom-made, resilient wood floor, and enjoy the amazing view of the San Pedro river valley from the dining hall. Hike and explore the surrounding Coronado National Forest in the Arizona sunshine.

Check-in opens at 4:00 p.m. on Friday the 9th of November, 2018. Camp begins with supper, followed by a dance. Start Saturday with a hearty breakfast, then prepare for a full day of workshops for dancers, singers, and musicians. Saturday night’s gala dance will be followed by late night jamming. Sunday morning features more music and dance, and the weekend concludes with a dance after lunch on Sunday. Camp closes at 3:00 p.m.

Rustic cabins each house up to twelve campers in bunks and share nearby rest rooms and shower houses. Cabins are designated family, mixed-gender, or single gender, and will be available on a first-come basis at camp.  Some handicapped accommodations are available. There is plenty of space for tent camping and RV parking. The shower house for campers has been completely refurbished this year.  Please note the Y requests any use of their electrical outlets be at a minimum. It’d be really sad to have the power go out at our dance hall. You can also arrange your own off-site accommodations and receive a discount on your registration fee.

Six hearty meals (Friday supper through Sunday lunch) plus delightful snacks will be provided. There is a vegetarian option.

Making It Happen

Other than the musicians and callers, Dance in the Desert is entirely run by volunteers. Each camper is asked to do one chore at camp. Let us know in advance if you have any special needs or talents.


A limited number of partial work scholarships (2-3 hours of work) are available for those needing financial assistance. Please note on the registration form if you wish to request a work scholarship.

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About the Bands

SuperTrad
SuperTrad

Supertrad is an east coast super group that has been called the Avengers of the modern contra dance scene. They’re still wondering who said this but….. Dave Langford (of the Latter Day Lizards) Owen Morrison (of Elixir) Sam Bartlett (Notorious, Stringrays) and Eric Schedler (of the Cosmic Otters) combine musical forces to fight evil and to provide the global dance community with a vibrant energy of unknown potential. Though Supertrad’s music is steeped in the subtle intricacies of old-time, Irish, and New England tune traditions, they play with a groove and insistence more akin to the pulse of modern music.

The band is rumored to practice their music in electromechanical suits of armor, but every contra dancer knows these are some mighty gentle and friendly dudes to spend a weekend with.

The Privy Tippers
The Privy Tippers

Hailing from Tucson, Arizona, The Privy Tippers are a rock-solid dance band steeped in the Southern string band tradition. Over the past 21 years they kept one foot in the South while they stepped into several other musical traditions, such as French Canadian, New England and music of the Southwestern Borderlands. Dave Firestine (left) is an exceptional lead and back-up mandolin player who adds a danceable punch to each and every note. Jacquie Wohl (center) leads the band with her driving melodic fiddling. On string bass, Jerry Ray Weinert (right) lays the rhythmic foundation for the musical dance of the fiddle and mandolin.  Jesse Jacob Anderson brings a dynamic and powerful approach to rhythm guitar playing that can help propel dancers and musicians alike into that rare state of contra bliss. He has played with a variety of groups since moving to Arizona in 1998, including The Frayed Knots, Pick ‘n Holler, Updraft, Just Desserts, The Frisco Mountain Moonlighters, The Backsliders, and The Mars Hillbillies. He is also a talented solo artist, playing professionally on The Grand Canyon Railway since 2004 and performing regularly elsewhere in Arizona and beyond.

The Adobe Brothers
The Adobe Brothers

The Adobe Brothers‘ members are identical quadruplets born to different mothers a long time ago. They began playing together as a band in 1979 shortly after their mothers kicked them out of their homes. They started playing in local restaurants and bars in northern New Mexico and moved up to playing concerts, street fairs, and music festivals throughout the Southwest. Their initial musical preference consisted of old time fiddle music, Bluegrass, and folk music of North America, but this has subsequently expanded to Western Swing, Celtic, blues, and whatever else might be fun to play. Perhaps the greatest musical continuity throughout their existence as a band has been playing for contra and square dances; the Adobe Brothers are recognized as one of the top New Mexican contra dance bands.

About the Callers

Bob Isaacs
Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs, from New Jersey, has treated dancers across the US and Europe to his many creative dances, clear teaching, and spirited calling for many years. Whether he is calling flowing contras, hot squares, or his famous grid squares, dancers are sure to enjoy a dance that is different and fun.

Susan Michaels
Susan Michaels

Susan Michaels hails from Vashon Island, Washington and has been calling contras, squares and family dances for more then 30 years, building community, facilitating joy, and just plain having fun. Susan believes it is her calling in life to teach people how to hold hands in a circle and move to music. She loves all kinds of choreography… but specializes in dances with drive and flow that hold on to the roots of community dance but take off in new directions. Susan brings her special brand of dry quirky humor with her to every dance event and has a unique gift for making newcomers, 2 left-footers, and shy persons blossom through dance.

Susan has been a featured artist at festivals and camps throughout the U.S. including the Alaska Folk Festival, Pinewoods American and Family Weeks (MA), Lady of the Lake (ID), Mentone (AL), Contra Carnivale (CA), Harvest Moon (CA), Contrastock (DC) Raindance (OR), Chehallis (BC), Dance in the Desert (AZ), Fleur de Lis Fling (KY), Moosejaw (MN) Mountain Madness (TN), John C. Campbell Folk School (NC) and Camp Damp & Dance Camp North (AK).

Contact us about any questions you may have.