American

“Great job! As a dance caller, you totally don’t suck!”

-Dance organizer, Glen Echo, Maryland

David’s repertoire includes contras, squares, triplets, four-facing-four, big circles, Sicilian circles, and a wide range of dances in odd formations.

He is an acknowledged authority on the older dances, the so-called “chestnuts” in the repertoire; in homage to one of those dances, perhaps the most famous contra dance of all time, he and his Cracking Chestnuts co-author David Smukler created the International Money Musk Moment and the following year’s International Money Musk Month. He is an advisor to the committee that sponsors the annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, an event that celebrates the best of the old and the new. For 35 years, his programs at the monthly dance with Northern Spy introduced local dances to many of the older dances.

He also delights in bringing new compositions to dancers. His huge file of dance cards keeps growing, and dancers frequently comment with pleasure, “You called some really interesting and different dances tonight!”

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