Dance Caller – Susan Kevra

Contra & Square Dance Caller

Sample of Contra & Square Dance venues where Susan has called or played

Ashokan Fiddle and Dance, Ashokan, NY
Augusta Heritage Festival Dance Week, Elkins, WV
Berea Christmas School, Berea, KY
Dance Flurry, Saratoga Springs, NY
Dansekonventet, Silkeborg, Denmark
Eastbourne International Folk Dance Festival, Eastbourne, England
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Port Townsend, Washington
FolkMADness Music & Dance Camp, New Mexico
Furthest Dance Camp North, Fairbanks, Alaska
Gender Free Dance Camp, Becket, MA
Ashokan Fiddle and Dance, Ashokan, NY
Augusta Heritage Festival Dance Week, Elkins, WV
Berea Christmas School, Berea, KY
Dance Flurry, Saratoga Springs, NY
Dansekonventet, Silkeborg, Denmark
Eastbourne International Folk Dance Festival, Eastbourne, England
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Port Townsend, Washington
FolkMADness Music & Dance Camp, New Mexico
Furthest Dance Camp North, Fairbanks, Alaska
Gender Free Dance Camp, Becket, MA
Grand Bal de l’Europe, Gennetines, France
John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC
Lady of the Lake Music & Dance Week, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival), Black Mountain, NC
Le Carrefour mondial de l’accordeon Montmagny, Quebec
Pinewoods CDSS Camps, Plymouth, MA
Ralph Page Legacy Weekend, Durham, NH
Rencontres Internationales de Luthiers et Maîtres Sonneurs de Saint Chartier (Indre, France)
Sierra Swing, Mendocino, CA
Wash the Winter Away Dance Weekend, Osted, Denmark
Grand Bal de l’Europe Saint Gervais, France

Susan is noted for her warmth, clear teaching, and a lovely voice. Dancers on both sides of the Atlantic appreciate her diverse repertoire of singing squares, Western patter calls, contras and English Country dances, all delivered in dulcet tones and without pretension. She has choreographed a number of well-loved contra and square dances, including “Trip to Phan Reel” and “The Hume Fogg Reel.”

Susan Kevra burst onto the contra dance scene in the early 1990s, quickly emerging from the rich dance soil of the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts as one of the most in-demand dance callers in the country.

Although she began as a contra dance caller, Susan’s innate musicality pushed her towards square dance calling, allowing her to feature her beautiful voice in singing squares and her spot-on rhythm in Southern and Western squares.

Her calling is driven by a deep interest in social dance history and what has and continues to be an activity that brings us together. Susan’s teaching is at once clear, playful and imbued with warmth, pushing dancers to improve their skills, understand the traditions the dances emerged from while creating an atmosphere of levity and play on the dance floor.

Sample of English Country Dance venues where Susan has called or played

Ashokan Fiddle and Dance, Ashokan, NY

Bare Necessities Weekend at Folklore Village, Dodgeville, WI

Berea Christmas School, Berea, KY

Dance Flurry, Saratoga Springs, NY

Eastbourne International Folk Dance Festival, Eastbourne, England

John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC

Grand Bal de l’Europe Saint Gervais, France

Ann Arbor Dawn Dance Weekend

Set for Spring, Dallas, TX

English Week at Pinewoods, Plymouth, MA

Fairfield, Iowa Bare Necessities English Country Dance Weekend

Harmony of Song and Dance at Pinewoods

English/American Week at Pinewoods

Fall Frolick English Country Dance Weekend Monte Toyon, CA

Star of the North English Country Dance Weekend, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Footfall Dance Weekend. West Virginia

Nashville Playford Ball

Fandango Atlanta Playford Ball Weekend

Pitt’s Maggot English Country Dance Weekend Pittsburgh, PA

Elm City Assembly New Haven, CT

High Tea and Whiskey Saint Louis, MO

English Country Dancing

Susan’s first forays into English Country dance calling came in the mid-1990s. She is in demand at dances, camps and balls around the country. Her experience as an English country dance clarinetist gives her a keen appreciation of the link between the music and the dance figures, something she brings to her teaching. It is also key to her ability to create pleasing dance programs, arranged not just for the dance figures but the musical moods evoked by the tunes.

As with her contra dance calling, one of her greatest assets her total, utter flexibility. A packed hall of experienced dancers looking for a challenge or a room full of beginners is both in equally competent hands with Susan. Her pedagogical ability, depth of repertoire, and unflappable nature have equipped her well for every possible situation

Susan also represents a new voice in English country dance choreography. Tunes by her bandmate, Rachel Bell, have inspired her to choreograph a dozen English dances and counting, including “Trip to Provence” and “Moonflower” which are making their way onto dance floors and ball programs in the US and England.

As an English country dance musician, Susan’s clarinet playing bring a kind of chocolatey warmth and triumphant countermelodies. Her playing is founded on many years of English dancing and calling with her deep knowledge of what’s needed to make a tune complement the dance.

Susan is equally adept at teaching beginners and experienced dancers. She has developed a series of classes for beginners at adult education programs in Nashville and at Vanderbilt University and has newcomers up and running (well, setting and turning single) with grace and confidence in no time.