English Country Dance
As is common with most folk dance, English Country Dancing is a standard form of jollity and entertainment for the village, from ancient times to the present day. In addition to keeping rustic farm folk fit and agile, the dance helps reinforce a sense of community between villagers. Equally important is the historic role the dance plays in matchmaking; all of the dancers encounter each other as the couples mix and return home, and along the way learning about one another’s personality and attributes.
As found in other forms of “set dancing” English Country Dancing can combine lively steps and swirling patterns with an emphasis on visual communication with a partner as well as the other dancers in the set. In this workshop all steps and dances are taught with accommodation for various levels of experience, low to high.
About Jason Adajian
Jason initially found his love for folk dancing during elementary school Square Dance afternoons. At age fifteen (while working at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire of California) he took up Scottish and
Irish ceilidh dancing, realizing that this jolly activity was a brilliant way to have a vibrant good time with other equally jolly characters. In his late teens he joined the Pipe & Bowl Morris Men and the Newcastle English Country Dancers, known worldwide for their athletic tempos and dynamic “mating dance” attitudes. He strongly believes that the earliest forms of these British ritual and social dances were along these vigorous lines, much as other dances of Western and Eastern Europe remain to this day, and he happily teaches in this “Bruno” style.
Still an active ritual dancer and accomplished dance musician, Jason is well-versed in several other folk dance forms and has taught Morris Dance, Longsword and English Country Dancing to adults and school children for over thirty years.