the Dancing Bears
Contra Dancing in Anchorage, Alaska
Start Summer 2020 with Dance Camp!
The Dancing Bears Dance Camp at the Kings Lake Camp near Wasilla is a wonderful way to finish an exciting dance season, and begin another Alaska summer with activities you cherish. Dance Camp is held annually during Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Dance Camp activities served with a scenic view of Kings Lake and the Chugach Mountains!
Dance Camp features nationally acclaimed guest bands and callers!
For 2020, please welcome…
Guest Bands -- DRIVE TRAIN and THE CANOTE BROTHERS STRING BAND
Callers --- JANINE SMITH and DAVID SMUKLER
Camp in your own tent or RV, or bunk in one of many available cabins. The camp property is large, so there is plenty of room spread out, stroll through the woods, and get away for quiet time when you want to.
Your Dance Camp registration fee includes meals, camping space or cabin, dance workshops, and evening dances.
An action packed three day weekend of Fun!
REQUIRED!
REQUIRED!
Guest Callers and Bands -- They are Fabulous!
JANINE SMITH --- Janine calls contra, square, ceilidh, and family dances in the Washington, DC area. She shares her humorous (OK,sometimes goofy) and infectious passion for music and dance and has delighted dancers from Glen Echo, MD to Seattle,WA, and now Alaska!
DAVID SMUKLER --- As a teen in the mid 1960s, David started doing this thing called “contra dancing” at a summer camp in New Hampshire and loved it! Dancing became a lifelong habit. http://davidsmukler.syracusecountrydancers.org/
DRIVE TRAIN --- Edward Howe is an exceptional fiddler, and a maestro of improv who delights in weaving in and out of tunes—building energy and resolving tension. Stuart Kenney is one of the most popular upright bass and five-string banjo players on the U.S. contra dance and acoustic folk music circuit. Eric McDonald has been a professional performer and instructor of traditional and acoustic music for a decade. Brian DeMarcus has a music and dance career dating almost five decades.
THE CANOTE BROTHERS STRING BAND --- Twin Brothers GREG AND JERE CANOTE have been taking advantage of their genetics for as long as they can remember; -the twins know their stuff inside out and perform with an affable friendly approach that invites you into their genetically matched world for a little while. Plus DAVID CAHN. We welcome back David Cahn, a versatile instrumentalist who has played banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, and accordion in numerous northwest bands over the past twenty years.
Registration would have started on March 15, 2020. However....we regret that due to concern of Coronavirus spread, Dance Camp has been canceled.
We offer Online Registration. You may to choose to pay by credit card or by physical check, which you will need to mail to the Registation Bears, Bob and Peg at the address shown below. A convenience fee is added to credit card payments.
If you are a Dancing Bears member (paid up!) you will receive a registration form in the mail…if not, you can download a form from this website.
If you do not use the Online Registration option, you will need to snail mail the forms to the Registration Bears.
The 2020 Dance Camp Registration Form will be here March 15 -- after 5PM Alaska Standard Time.
Due to concern of Coronavirus spread DANCE CAMP 2020 has been cancelled. Please consider supporting guest artists who would have performed by purchasing one or more of their CDs here!
The Registration Form and the Waiver Form must both be filled out and signed and returned to register for camp.
CAMP 2020 ACCEPTANCE PACKET (Available March 15)
Dance Campers! We have made many changes since previous years, so please read all about them to help make your Camp experience the best it can be! Please check out all the NEWLY REVISED and UPDATED Camp info by clicking on each of the tabs below! We ask that you read the info thoroughly...even if you have been to Camp before. You can print any pages that you may need. Thank you for helping our Camp to run smoothly.
Acceptance Letter Basic information about Camp—what to bring and what to expect.
Parents’ Information What you need to know if you’re bringing kids to Camp.
Guardianship Paperwork -- THE FORMS AND INFO YOU NEED TO HAVE IF YOU ARE BRINGING MINOR CHILD TO CAMP WHO IS NOT (LEGALLY) YOURS.
Read more about the Dance Camp Auction.
Click, Auction SOLD!
Camp Rules -- Yes it does!!
Dance Camp is located at King's Lake Camp
3313 Lakeview Road, Wasilla AK 99654
Dance Camp Notices and Announcements:
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH YOUR DANCING FRIENDS!
Please tell your dancing friends that we strongly encourage them to sign up for the listserv if they are not on it already. We will post all the latest info on Camp to the listserv and we would hate for them to miss some significant tidbits because they aren't getting listserv messages. Signing up is easy...just jump online and go to: thedancingbears.org where they will find a white box 3/4 down on the right-hand side of the Home Page to “Subscribe to Listserver”. Clicking on the box will get them to another box in which to type one’s email address. (If there is a problem contact Linda at [email protected]). It is also easy to remove one’s name from the list after Camp should one not want to continue to receive Bears and dance-related emails.
DANCE CAMP NEEDS YOUR TALENT!! JOIN OUR CADRE OF AMAZING WORKSHOP TEACHERS AND MUSICIANS!
Greetings All! The Dancing Bears Dance Camp is coming Memorial Day
weekend, May 22-25. We are looking for folks who want to teach us to
dance, as well as musicians who will play for those classes. In past years, in addition to our "usual" dance and music classes, our classes have included yoga, massage, Irish dance, juggling, rounds, and shape note singing--all taught by talented locals. It's a great way to be a part of Camp and you even get paid a little!! We always have kids coming to Camp every year so a kid or family workshop could be just the thing. If you have a workshop in mind that you would like to offer, please send me a short description and information on what your workshop would need in the way of music/supplies/space and we'll give it our consideration. If you know of folks who might be interested but aren't on this listserv please share this request with them. Feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or call 907-258-1937 (Anchorage). I'm looking forward to seeing you at Camp!!!
Keep Dancing!
Linda
DANCE CAMP REGISTRATION STARTS MARCH 15TH!!
The excitement is building!! We are closing in on registration! If your membership and address are current, your paper copy should on its way to you later today, so it should be in your mailbox by the 15th. Registration will go live on the website (thedancingbears.org) sometime on the 15th. Click on the Dance Camp tab and then the registration tab. Don’t forget to include the signed Waiver Form if you mail in your registration.
We will have online registration available again this year. The link will go live on the 15th and will be noted on the Registration Form. (https://dancingbears-dance-camp-2019.cheddarup.com) If you choose to use a credit card, there will be an added convenience fee. You are welcome to send a check if you prefer not to incur that cost. Details will be online.
The Playshop Schedule is still being created and is not available at this time.
AGAIN THIS YEAR—DANCE CAMP DISCOUNT RATES FOR
STUDENTS 19-25!!
We are pleased to continue to offer a discount for students 19-25
—Perky Student Bears (with an ID and registering before April 30)
will be able to attend Camp for only $220…a $75 savings from the
regular adult cost for Camp. Student Bears (19-25) on
Scholarships will also be discounted to one-half the cost of the
discounted tuition. Please be sure to register early, and if you
want a scholarship please read the Scholarship info below.
A REMINDER ABOUT DANCE CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
Cost for this year's Dance Camp will be $295 for Perky Bears
($220 Perky Student Bears)…and it gets more expensive as you
procrastinate on getting your registration in. As always, if you
might be looking for a way to lighten the financial load for Camp
“tuition”, we have several scholarships available. Scholarships
cover half the cost of your Camp fee and entail participating in 7-8
hours of Camp work, generally helping in the kitchen, but there
are also some for other activities such as helping with the Silent
Auction and Camp and bathhouse cleanup.
Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis. A
scholarship does NOT guarantee that you will get into Camp...you
still need to register as usual. And you must be CONFIRMED as a
Scholarship Bear BEFORE registering as one. The details of the
tasks and the registration process may be less confusing if we
chat about them verbally, so if you are interested in a scholarship
or have any questions about them, please contact Barbara
Rowland (223-2327 in Anchorage, or email
[email protected]) soon to get the scoop!!
Happy Dancin'!! We can't wait to see you at Camp!!
Buttons to pdf file links
You Want to Go --
Here is what you Need to Do
BUT WAIT ! THERE'S MORE !
Really important stuff
We regret that due to concern of Coronavirus spread
Dance Camp for 2020 has been cancelled.
***DO NOT SEND THIS FORM TO THE DANCING BEARS P.O. BOX! **
Send registration form with check to:
Dancing Bears Camp (Make check out to“The Dancing Bears”)
c/o Bob Hume and Peg Faithful
3101 Brookside Dr.
Anchorage AK 99517
DANCE CAMP, May 22 - 25, 2020
The full schedule of everything to do at Dance Camp! What! Where! When!
Details of Camp Schedule and Playshops are Currently under development and will be available as soon as possible.
What are Playshops? They are like workshops, except they are Fun!
As events are cancelled one by one and your weekend plans begin to loom before you, please take a second to consider the artists, venues, and event organizers who will be impacted by these closures.
No matter what the effect of this virus may be to its victims and our overloaded healthcare system, our response is ALREADY having an impact on a portion of our society that gets by largely on a love of art, a few tossed coins, and the hope that you will fill the seats. As cancellations start to flood in, many of these artists will face real despair.
We don’t wish to discourage anyone from social distancing and prudent healthcare measures. But you can’t enjoy the arts if you & your loved ones aren’t here next year. But if you’re able, find another way to support that musician you were planning to see. Before you ask for a refund, decide whether you can leave a little money behind for that event planner to cover cancellation costs. Buy a CD online, order a print from your favorite painter. Skype someone you love and make plans to go to every festival and show you can afford next fall - maybe even book some tickets. Be safe & happy, friends.
Links to CDs, products, services from guest artists who were scheduled to perform at the 2020 Dance Camp.
Pick up some great tunes to absorb while in Quarantine or practicing Social Distancing!
