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Dance Materials
Alabama Gal - Nine Never-Fail Dances & Singing Games for Children
2011. Edited by Mary Cay Brass, Andy Davis, Peter Amidon and Mary Alice Amidon.
Published by GIA Publications, Inc.
Alabama Gal, edited by Mary Cay Brass, Andy Davis, Peter Amidon and Mary Alice Amidon, contains nine favorite selections from the 100+ dances and singing games in the New England Dancing Masters five current collections, all together in one convenient volume.
Alabama Gal includes complete written instructions to the dances, a DVD with Mary Cay, Andy, Mary Alice and Peter teaching each of the dances to children, and an audio CD to accompany the dancing.
$30 for combination book/CD/DVD
Chimes of Dunkirk: Great Dances for Children - 2010 Edition
Spiral wire binding, 50 pp. Edited by Peter Amidon, Andy Davis and Mary Cay Brass
2010 revision of New England Dancing Masters’ classic collection of 20 traditional dances for children. First published in 1991, the editors have improved and updated the dance descriptions, and added several sections on teaching dance to children including tips on calling a dance and various strategies for choosing partners with children.
Includes simple longways dances, circle dances, square dances and contra dances. Ideas for teaching dance successfully in schools, a glossary of dance terms and transcriptions of the dance tunes are included.
CD recording features some of New England's finest dance musicians playing all the music needed to teach the dances. The revised CD includes three new recordings. Reels, jigs, polka and waltz are played dance length. The two square dances include singing calls on the recording.
You may also wish to consider our Chimes of Dunkirk instructional dance video.
Book $15.00, CD $15.00
Sashay the Donut
Even More Dances for Just About Anybody
Edited by Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, Andy Davis and Mary Cay Brass.
Our third collection, designed to compliment Chimes of Dunkirk and Listen to the Mockingbird. A collection of 22 more dances that we have used successfully in classrooms and at community dances. Dance instructions are carefully worded with accompaning photos, diagrams and glossary. Includes longways, circles, contras, squares and scatter mixers. Companion CD features dance length recordings of appropriate music for the dances. Music captures the excitement of dancing to live music in a community dance setting. The two square dances include singing calls on the recording.
Book: $15.00
CD: $15.00
Music For Dance CD Series
Any Jig or Reel
Becky Tracy - fiddle, Andy Davis - accordion and Keith Murphy - piano/guitar/foot percussion.
Nine medleys of classic New England style jigs and reels - plus three waltzes. These arrangements are intended to be used in the classroom with our Chimes and Mockingbird dance collections. Want some fresh recordings for the contras, circles and squares that you are already teaching your students? This is for you! Andy Davis on accordion, Becky Tracy on fiddle and Keith Murphy on piano, guitar, and feet percussion. Each medley is dance length. High energy, with a classic New England sound!
64 minutes. includes 12 jigs, reels and waltzes in traditional New England/French Canadian style, ranging in length from 3.7 minutes to 7.7 minutes
CD: $15.00
Other Side of the Tracks
Assembly. Sam Amidon - fiddle, Keith Murphy - guitar/mandolin, Thomas Bartlett - piano, Stefan Amidon - percussion.
Hypnotic, pheromone producing, hormone popping, T-cell enhancing groove music geared for older elementary age children, this is also a great listening and dancing album for any age. These are longer cuts than usual with a wide range of moods represented by this young, cutting edge contra dance band.
67 minutes. includes 10 jigs and reels with a wide range of moods, ranging in length from 4.5 minutes to 8.5 minutes
CD: $15.00
Instructional Materials
Chimes of Dunkirk: Teaching Dance to Children, the video
Edited by Gerret Warner; directed and narrated by Peter Amidon.
Filmed throughout with two cameras by Warner & Company of Chapel Hill, NC , the video includes:
- footage of 18 of the dances in the 'Chimes' collection including teaching tips for most of the dances.
- Dance teaching and calling by 'Chimes' editors Peter Amidon, Andy Davis and Mary Cay Brass.
- Dance teaching by two music teachers and one physed teacher from an elementary school in Cambridge, MA.
- An evening community dance in Connecticut, an evening community dance in Vermont, and an evening adult contra dance in Massachusetts, all with great live music.
- Dance sessions with children in elementary schools in Massachusetts and Vermont.
- A section on the basics of teaching traditional dance to children, including discussion on holding hands, choosing partners, gent/lady issues, etc.
- Narration by Peter Amidon throughout the video.
“Your DVD is absolutely superb--both as a documentary (the notions
of community and dance culture come through so convincingly), and as a piece of film-making (the quality is outstanding--it's
technically superb, beautifully edited, and a joy to watch). Thanks for sharing your philosophy
and techniques with a wider audience!”
-Sean & Bonnie Walmsley: early education specialists,
authors of Children Exploring Their World - Theme Teaching in Elementary
School
“After a few minutes, I just wanted to jump into the television
and get onto that floor to dance!”
-Tossi Aaron: dance educator, author of Musicbook O
62 minutes; Available in DVD or VHS format. Produced by New England Dancing Masters and Country Dance and Song Society.
DVD: $20.00
Listen to the Mockingbird: More Great Dances for Children
Edited by Andy Davis, Peter Amidon and Mary Cay Brass
A collection of 24 more dances that have been time-tested in classrooms and at community dances.
Includes longways dances, circle dances, square dances and contra dances. New chapters on teaching dance in the classroom, building a sense of community, choosing partners, tips on calling and creating new dances with children. Glossary, tune transcriptions, and combined index for Chimes and Mockingbird also included.
Cassette/CD recording features some of New England's finest dance musicians playing all the music needed to teach the dances. Reels, jigs, polka and waltz are played dance length. Four square dances include singing calls on the recording.
Plastic binding, 64 pp.
Book: $15.00
CD $15.00
Jump Jim Joe: Great Singing Games for Children
Edited by Peter and Mary Alice Amidon.
Instructions to 21 of the Amidon's favorite traditional singing games from the US and British Isles. Includes tips on teaching dance in the classroom, transcriptions of the melodies and a glossary of dance terms. Cassette recording features the Amidon family singing all the songs accompanied by a variety of instruments. Great tape for learning the songs at home or in the car!
46 pp. Plastic binding
Book: $15.00
CD: $15.00
Down in the Valley: More Great Singing Games for Children
Edited by Andy Davis and Peter and Mary Alice Amidon.
This new collection of traditional singing games is similar in format to Jump Jim Joe. Andy Davis and the Amidons have put gathered some of their favorite singing games and music/movement activities collected over the last ten years since the Amidons published Jump Jim Joe. Andy joins the Amidons and some local children (including Andy's son Arthur) in a wide range of arrangements of the songs to the singing games for the CD. The book has the clear instructions that characterize all of the New England Dancing Masters materials.
56 pp. Plastic binding.