by Val Medve and Barb Seppeler
BVD—Barbara Seppeler (pianist), Val Medve (caller) and Dan Seppeler (caller)—accompanied by Tom Medve and (in part) Tom Grande, are touring New England this month (see their earlier blog). Here’s a diary of their first few days.
Val’s post, Thursday, July 11, 2013
Ready to go (Tom Medve)
Getting ready to hit the road from our house in northern Vermont … Dan got a good rate on a minivan rental in the Rochester, NY area (his home base). We needed a vehicle large enough to carry all four of us (plus our Rochester dancing friend Tom Grande on parts of the tour), PLUS sound equipment, luggage, gadgets, calling/music aids/books, and Barb’s electric keyboard (a very long and heavy Roland FP-7). You can see how the van looked with everything loaded. Dan made a good choice of vehicle, because the seating areas were clear of “stuff” so we could ride very comfortably. Dan is doing all of the driving (bless his heart!).
Barb’s post: From the pianist’s point of view!
Val & Barb at the CDSS Office (Dan Seppeler)
First stop: CDSS! We stopped off in Easthampton, MA to pick up some giveaways. Executive Director Rima Dael, and staff members Robin Hayden, Pat MacPherson, Jeff Martell, and Caroline Batson wished us well and sent us on our way!
Reel Nutmeg dance, Windsor, CT (Dan Seppeler)
Our first adventure began in Windsor, CT at Helen Davenport-Senuta’s house for a potluck dinner before our first dance, which was a private party for members and guests of Reel Nutmeg, an English country dance performing troupe based in the Hartford area for over 30 years. We were astounded not only by the very warm reception, the great food and lively company, but also by Helen’s creative handiwork: the beautiful glass artworks (including 6 foot tall flowers) in the yard and stained glass windows inside. We were treated to a quick tour of the Monet-like garden pathways and then we were off to our dance venue. The dancers were delightful, as they were very advanced and responded so very quickly to both Val and Dan’s calling. I was very surprised to meet some dancers I knew so far from home. One of the highlights of the evening was Val’s rendition of Colin Hume’s The Sting in the Tail, which amused dancers as they progressed from their own three couple set into the other three couple set. I just had to end this dance with a slightly discordant “sting” on the end to suit the dance! Another highlight was Dan’s version of Giverny, a dance by Terry Glasspool to a tune by Charlene Thomson. It’s a dance we learned at the Binghamton Ball this past March. I love to play this, and the dancers seemed swept away with the lovely dance and tune. It was warm on the dance floor, but despite the heat and the brave fans, there were more than 24 dancers!
At Billie’s home: Dan, Barb and Val collaborating on the upcoming New Haven dance (Tom Medve)
We stayed the night at Billie Lanz’s lovely home in Hartford. What an interesting experience we had, as Billie had portraits of her ancestors on her dining room wall, and showed us maps of her family’s farm from the 1700s! There was even an 18th century chair there. The dining room table was so pretty, all set in blue and white. Tom Grande met us at Billie’s house in the “Middle of the Night” and the next day we went to explore Hartford, where Val worked and lived in the 1980s.
Val again, later that day
I presented Helen, Reel Nutmeg’s co-director, with CDSS giveaways: two ECD book/CD sets. Helen will give the sets to Nutmeggers Luanne Stiles and John Lam, who hope to start an ECD group when they relocate to one of the Carolinas later this year.
Barb’s post: From the pianist’s point of view!, Friday, July 12, 2013
The Abbey Road photo: Barb Seppeler, Tom Medve, Tom Grande, Val Medve (Dan Seppeler)
Enroute to Bushnell Park after lunching at City Steam (so Tom Medve could enjoy a brewed-on-premises beer), we were crossing the street, moving across the big painted white lines, and Dan took a photograph just like the Beatles’ Abbey Road cover! Val took us to the Bushnell Park carousel and we all took a ride. What fun!
Our dance that night in New Haven, CT was in the Undercroft of Christ Church. Yes, we were in the basement, with multiple fans running to keep us all cool. We improved our numbers of dancers, topping out at 28! Highlights included From Among Dragons by Leslie Lasseter, and Barn Elms from the Fallibroome Collection. Ooh, these are exquisite melodies! And once again I was surprised to run into a dancer I knew from Pinewoods!
Val’s post, Saturday, July 13, 2013
The New Haven dancers (Tom Medve)
We received this lovely note via email from Susan Leff (an organizer, along with Barbara Ruth and Caroline Murphy, of Friday’s New Haven dance): “Many many thanks. The programs both Thursday and Friday night were delightful. Thank you for so carefully tailoring the program to the dancers. Our new dancers seemed happy, and all the rest of us had a lovely time. Thank you.”
Tom Medve on his way (Val Medve)
And BVD travels onward…