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by Mary Wesley, CDSS
Host Mary Wesley takes you behind the caller's mic to explore perspectives from the people who choose to stand in that curious place between the band and a roomful of dancers. Featuring conversations with callers of American social dance forms (contras, community dances, trad squares). Why do they do it? How did they learn? What is their role, on stage and off, in shaping our dance communities?
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- 5 days ago3 min
Upcoming AADCP Episodes soon!
Hey From the Mic Listeners - happy October. It's just about the end of the month and you might be wondering if a new episode is coming out. And the answer is yes...soon! In fact, several episodes are in the works that I'm really looking forward to sharing. These interviews will spotlight callers and organizers who are part of the new African American Dance Caller Pathways Program.This exciting project trains African American and/or Black-identifying aspiring dance callers in calling technique, traditional dances, history, and culture rooted in the legacy of blackness at its core. It grew out of an event called "FWAAM Fest!" That's the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival...FWAAM Fest, started in Texas by musician, organizer, and activist Brandi-Waller Pace. The first cohort of 3 callers began learning in 2025 and this March, in 2026 they all took to the mic for the first community dance at FWAAM Fest. This fall the SECOND cohort has just begun learning with 5 brand new callers from around the country.I was super lucky to be in Fort Worth, on the dance floor for that first dance this March. From the Mic is a podcast about North American social dance calling and I really hoped to find a way to bring a glimpse into this amazing work to From the Mic listeners. Brandi and the callers have been wonderful about staying in touch and helping me to make this happen and SOON! So soon...you'll get to hear what we've been chatting about.Sorry to make you wait a bit longer but this little passion project sometimes happens at the pace of life, if you know what I mean… As a little teaser I’ll leave you with this soundbite of Audra Scott calling at FWAAM Fest this March, and I’ll see you back here with full episodes next month! See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Sep 25, 20261h 31m
Episode 36 - Emily Rush
Click here to download a transcript of the episode.Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):Emily leads a Rushfest dance during a late night session at Youth Dance Weekend 2016.Emily Rush calling with Buddy System at the first ever Catalina Dance Weekend!Emily Rush calls the Readbeard Reel by Bob Isaacs at a Rushfest dance at Butterfly Whirl dance weekend on Saturday, 23 May 2026 at Decatur Recreation Center, Decatur, GA.Other things!The Rushfest website! Great videos, workouts, samples of Emily's music mixes, and the amazing Code of Excellence! Make sure to check it out!Want to learn how to mix music like Emily does for Rushfest? Guess what!? She just did an online workshop for CDSS about this and you can watch the workshop recording right here: Mixing It Up: Making Recorded Music Work for Contra Dance with Emily Rush See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Aug 29, 20261h 27m
Episode 35 - Margaret Bary
Download the full transcript here. Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Margaret calls the English country dance Trip to Tunbridge at Pinewoods Camp in 2026 Margaret calls an English country dance she composed with her husband, Jeff—New Map at Pinewoods Camp in 2026 See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Jun 26, 20261h 59m
Episode 34 - Ghislain Jutras
Download the full transcript here. Sound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance): Ghislain calling a square dance in Sutton, QC with music by Patrice Boucher, Richard Forest, and Tristan Henderson Ghislain calling at the Comboros festival in France (recording courtesy of Ghislain) Ghislain calling at a veillée de danse traditionnelle, an evening of traditional dance in Quebec City with music by Le Vent de Nord. Other things! Gigi's Link Tree full of great videos, resources for callers, and his gig schedule. Make sure to check it out! See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Dec 12, 20251h 33m
Episode 33 - Bill Olson
Click to view a full transcript of the episodeSound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):Bill calling his contra dance Weeks on the Road at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham, NH in 2020Bill calling the singing square dance On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham, NH in 2020 See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Oct 31, 20251h 36m
Episode 32 - Lindsey Dono
Click here for the episode transcriptSound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):Lindsey calling the dance “Susie's Send-Off" by Scott Higgs with music by Audrey Jaber and Alex Cumming at the Lake City Contra Dance in Seattle on April 17, 2025. Lindsey calling the dance "Labor of Love" by Kathy Anderson with music by Pachelbel's Bazooka (Claude Ginsburg, Dave Bartley, and Anita Anderson] at the Emerald City Contra Dance at Phinney Neighborhood Center, in Seattle, Washington on February 3, 2023Other things!Lindsey's very own website. Make sure to check out:Dance choreography!Hear more wisdom from Lindsey and others in this great online workshop from CDSS: The Caller’s Toolbox: Gender-free Calling for Contra CallersCheck out a recent story from KNKX Public Radio featuring Lindsey and others from the Seattle dance community. See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- May 7, 20251h 39m
Episode 31 - Ang DeCarlis
Click here for the episode transcriptSound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):Ang calls the dance The Magpie and the Seal by David Zinkin with music from Sycamore (Cedar Stanistreet, Samuel Foucher, Michael Sokolovsky) at the Mt. Airy Contra DanceAng calls their dance Golden Girl with music by Gus La Casse on fiddle, and Pepin Mittelhauser on guitar and mandolin at the BIDA dance in July 2024Other things!Ang's very own website. Make sure to check out:Dance compositions, including the dream dance "Golden Girl"Dance Safety Illustrations See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
- Mar 8, 20251h 41m
Episode 30 - Jeremy Korr
Click here to download the transcriptSound bites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):Jeremy calling the dance 16 for Gregg by Luke Donforth with music by The Syncopaths (Ryan McKasson, Ashley Hoyer, Christa Burch, and Jeff Spero) at the 2025 Fiddling Frog Dance Weekend in Pasadena, CA.Jeremy calling a square dance with music from the band Big Fun (Marty Somberg, Rob Nuhn, Myron Grant, and Lance Wagner) at the 2012 Ann Arbor Dawn Dance. See the From the Mic website for great bonus content, including pictures and audio, transcripts, and more. And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent
About From the Mic
Host Mary Wesley takes you behind the caller's mic to explore perspectives from the people who choose to stand in that curious place between the band and a roomful of dancers. Featuring conversations with callers of American social dance forms (contras, community dances, trad squares). Why do they do it? How did they learn? What is their role, on stage and off, in shaping our dance communities?
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