So I'm a newbie on this mailing list -- I think it's great there are so many good resources on the web for callers, including sharedweight.net. By way of introduction, I've been calling what might roughly be identified as New England-style dances, from the late 1980s onward, mostly in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, but occasionally in other parts of the state or over in New Hampshire. I don't really work with a legitimate band, but there is a social/music group called the NIPS who sometimes get organized enough to show up for an actual event, in which case they're technically the Parsnips.
I get more requests to call than I can usually meet; the rest of my life only gives me a certain amount of room to indulge this pleasure. But for the last few years I've been the monthly caller for a small family Dance in Danville, VT organized by fiddler David Carpenter. The two regular venues I enjoy most are short series: for four consecutive Sunday nights in July/August, the Parsnips do a great little community dance at the Caspian Lake Grange in Greensboro, VT; and every winter we join George Wilson and David Kaynor for three Wednesday nights when they're doing workshops with the always-delightful Elderhostel groups at the Craftsbury (VT) Outdoor Center. It's been very edifying to browse the archives of sharedweight.net. I think I've come across more interesting odds and ends about dances in the few weeks since I joined than I have in the last few years. Thanks to all the thoughtful contributors and especially to the site's creators! Chip Hedler
