To avoid disappointment, please register soon for Echo Summit Dance Camp on September 14-16, 2018, as the cabins are likely to fill up within a few weeks. Don’t miss Lisa Greenleaf and Lindsey Dono calling to the music of the Latter Day Lizards and Toss the Possum!
Join us in the mountains for a weekend of great contra dancing and music with friends old and new. Camp Sacramento is two hours east of Sacramento, off Highway 50 just west of Echo Summit, at an elevation of 6600 feet. Nestled in the tall trees of the Sierra Nevada, Camp Sacramento’s refinished wooden dance floor and rustic small cabins are waiting for you to enjoy. Camp staff sell espresso drinks in the morning, and beer and ice cream in the afternoons to keep your dance energy going.
THE CALLERS
Lisa Greenleaf
Lisa Greenleaf calls regularly in the Boston and New England areas and has been a staff member at dance camps and festivals throughout the country and beyond. Her specialties include traditional and contemporary contras, fun squares, challenging dances of all shapes and sizes, and callers’ training. Lisa likes to emphasize community and communication in her workshops, guiding participants to get the most out of their dancing or calling experience. She has a keen interest in understanding group dynamics as well as the power of positive leadership.
Lindsey Dono
Northwest mainstay Lindsey Dono delights in traveling to share her love of dance with an ever-expanding network of “contra family.” Known for serene and sunny instruction, Lindsey transforms newcomers into avid regulars while keeping veterans piqued with sophisticated programming. A dancer for more than twenty years, Lindsey incorporates her knowledge of waltz, lindy hop, blues, jazz, and ballet to lead a variety of workshops. At last count, Lindsey had more than fifty swing variations in her repertoire! Off the dance floor, Lindsey can be found practicing archery, hiking, gardening, and excitedly chattering about science.
THE BANDS
The Latter Day Lizards
The Lizards are a New England dance band featuring a trio of musicians fervent with the desire and talent to ignite flames under dancing feet. With a wide ranging and hopelessly eclectic repertoire including everything from Irish and Scottish traditional jigs and reels to Balkan, blues and swing tunes (often juxtaposed next to each other), the Latter Day Lizards bring excellent musicianship, playfulness, drama and unrelentingly infectious rhythm to their dance performances. With Kate Barnes on piano, guitar and flute, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, sax and drum, Corey DiMario on bass, and Dave Langford on guitar and fiddle, they blend swing, rock-and-roll and jazz influences with traditional foot-stomping dance music to make an innovative, spontaneous and rhythmically inflammatory sound. Shared among all the Lizards are decades of experience in getting people’s pulses racing and feet moving.
Toss the Possum
Toss the Possum, a family band, puts a unique twist on Celtic, Southern, and old-time fiddle tunes, including rock n’ roll and jazz influences. They are known for their driving renditions of traditional tunes, and also love the excitement of creating color and rhythm on the fly! Hear Rob Zisette bend and sing on his acoustic fiddle and sizzle on his electric five-string fiddle. Add to that his sense of humor, improv looping, fantastic beat boxing, vocals, and other surprises. With Laura Zisette backing it all up on keyboard, you’ve got a band that is ready to create some magic with the caller and the dancers! Joining Toss the Possum is guest Bonnie Insull, a leading light of the Southern California English and contra scenes. With her dynamic jazz influences, her incredible flute beat-boxing chops, and her energetic foot percussion, she’s a great complement to the band.
Sound by Victor Garza.
THE PROGRAM — Registration starts on Friday at 5 pm, a potluck dinner is at 6 pm, and the dancing starts at 8 pm. The weekend includes dances, dance and music workshops, and concerts by the bands. Camp ends at 3:30 pm on Sunday. Five meals are included. There are no beginner’s lessons at camp.
LODGING – Lodging is in small rustic cabins, with bathrooms in separate buildings nearby. Couples get their own cabin; singles get a cabin with one to three other people of the same gender. The cabins are unheated and nights can be near freezing. BRING WARM BEDDING. Space heaters and heating pads are not allowed because of old electric wiring. You are allowed to sleep in your vehicle (van or car); no large RVs or trailers are allowed due to access issues in case of fire. No tent camping is allowed because of bears. For those who prefer other housing, please make your own reservations offsite. We are unable to reduce the camp fee if you stay offsite.
Don’t forget SCDS at the Big Day of Giving on May 3rd! These funds pay for special events for our dance community, including talents like Ryan McKasson and Jacqueline Schwab, waltz and schottische workshops, and outreach to high school students.
