Sad news

Dancers and friends, we hope you are doing well.

As some you already know, our community has lost one of its pillars last month. John Buscaglia, a founder of the Kingston English Country Dance series, passed away on August 14th after a long battle with cancer.

John and his wife, Susan Shaw, founded our dance in 2003, paving the way for so many of to discover a love of English Country Dance and forging the community that we’re all part of today.

We will miss John’s wry humor, his warm and welcoming nature, and of course his energetic and skilled dancing. If you are so inclined, donations in his honor can be made to the HopArts community, another organization he founded and loved.

John’s full obituary can be found here.

Be safe, be well, and we will one day see you on the dance floor again.

 

Photo by Joe Healey

New Year, new venue!

Good news–the 2019 dance season is upon us! Due to a large increase in rental fees, we will no longer be holding the dances at the South Kingstown Land Trust Barn. We have secured an alternative space at the Quonnie Grange in Charlestown. The Dance Committee met there this past weekend and got a run-down on operating procedures from the folks of the Friends of the Quonnie Grange. It’s going to be a great space, and it comes with its own sound system! One small drawback is the current lack of potable water – so be sure to BYOWB (bring your own water bottle). Looking forward to seeing you on the [new] dance floor!!

 

Great article in Narragansett paper!

Narragansett Times

Thanks to Kendra Gravelle who took the picture below and wrote a lovely article – she even tried a dance or two herself!

News for 2018

We’re pleased to let you know that our  regular 2018 dances will be on the second Saturday of the month – we hope that will be easier for everyone to remember. We will still take off the months of August (too hot) and December (too busy).

 

 

 

As we’ve done in the past, we will have our February dance on Sunday afternoon the 11^th (with a snow date of Feb. 25^th). This year we will hold a special Mardi Gras–themed dinner after the dance. Stay tuned for info on menu and ticket price – this event will help support this year’s dances as well as provide a fun time for everyone.

 

Our other big news is that we will begin a subscription program for 2018 – dancers can purchase a dance card for either 5 dances ($50) or all 10 dances ($100). Without a card, dances will cost $12 beginning in January 2018. Please become a subscriber! You’ll save money and help us build a reserve for the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall season starting

Fall season starting up again this Saturday, September 9th!! Joanne Reiner Wilkinson will be coming up from the Philadelphia area to call a fabulous dance for us – you won’t want to miss it. Check the schedule page to see details about the October and November dances.

Schedule Adjustment

We will be having our regular dance on October 22nd, but unfortunately our originally scheduled caller Joanna Reiner Wilkinson is unable to be with us. Luckily, we are happy to welcome Mary Jones, another favorite (and fun) caller. Music will be provided by Bill Ouimette and Barbara Pixton. We look forward to having you join us!

KECD receives CDSS grant

KECD recently received a grant from CDSS which will help us cover the gap between the money we take in at the door and the evening’s costs. Did you know that we need to have 25 dancers to meet expenses for any given dance? Ideally we would love to see 30 (or even more!) dancers each month, but until that time, this grant will allow us to continue our beloved series without running a deficit. Many thanks to CDSS for their assistance!

Great dance at The Towers!

We had a wonderful dance yesterday in Narragansett at The Towers – a record number of dancers including quite a nice group of first-timers. Martha did an excellent job of calling to the mixed-experience level crowd, and we hope many of the newer faces will join us again next month in South Kingstown at the Land Trust barn. March 19th, potluck at 6:00, dancing at 7:30. Calling by Mary Jones, music by Dawn Chung and Cindy Ladd. I’ll try to post some pictures from The Towers soon – my week is a little busy/crazy, but stay tuned!

Special time and venue this month – The Towers in Narragansett!

Join us on SUNday at 2:00-5:00 pm at The Towers in Narragansett, RI. Calling by Martha Griffin, music by the inimitable Dawn Chung and Bill Ouimette. If you’ve been to The Towers, you know how special it is. If, like me, you’ve never been inside, now’s your chance!! (We can’t promise you green trees and swim-able water, but we can promise you a superb view and a wonderful time).

Dance tonight – come “step it up”

Okay all you folks who got Up’s or FitBit’s etc. for Christmas – betcha anything you haven’t done your 10,000 yet today. Come to tonight’s dance – high number of steps per hour, plus excellent live music and great companionship. The best $10 you’ll spend all week!