Your source for live music and dance in
Grand Junction, Colorado
Fifth Reel Music and Dance
Special Guests
We are fortunate to be able to feature very talented artists who enjoy being a part of our events. Here are some you might encounter at a
Contra Dance, English Country Dance or International Folk Dance
Dance Callers
Wendy Graham is a self-described "dance Maniac" who serves up delicious and nutritious dances for all with infectious enthusiasm and a smile. Wendy calls community dances, English Country dances, contra dance weekends, and dance weeks throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has been involved with folk music, song and dance for over twenty years.
Ed Hall's goal as a dance leader is to teach clearly, call in a mellifluous style and to strive for that peak dancing experience – those magical times where the dancers, the movement, and the music are one. He has a reputation for choosing flowing dances, and to attempt enough clarity of explanation that, very often, no walk-through is needed.
Patricia Danscen's energetic calling has delighted dancers of all ages and levels of experience for more than twenty years. She delights in seeing seas of smiling faces twirling and whirling on the dance floor as she shares her passion for dance and music. You can catch a glimpse of her at work with the Grand Junction Traditional Dance Society on our Sights and Sounds page.
Richard Myers grew up in a rural community that had monthly covered dish suppers, followed by a Town Hall Meeting and then a square dance called by his father. Since 1998, he's been carrying on the family tradition, specializing in calling contra and old-time square dances for folks who have never danced before. He's been fortunate enough to have had instruction from some of the best, including Tony Parkes and Bob Dalsemer, and has been equally blessed to call with many great musicians and bands, including Balance and Swing, Poultry in Motion and many others. He especially loves those bliss-filled times when the music, dance, musicians and dancers all combine and flow as one exuberant exaltation!
Carol Fey has been a contra dancer for over twenty years. She loves movement to music, and began her "career" as a caller long ago by teaching aerobics classes. Carol is a technical trainer, specializing in electricity for plumbers and HVAC technicians, and has been a heating mechanic in Antarctica. She lives in Littleton, CO.
Fiddlers
Sue Sternberg, lately of Moab, Utah, but originally from New York, comes to us with impeccable credentials as a former member of the nationally known contra dance band Wild Asparagus. She has become a regular contributor to our contra dance series. When out in the wild west, Sue is also a valued addition to our Irish Sessions.
Here is Sue's recording of three favorite reels, "The Silver Spear," "Maid Behind the Bar," and "Cooley's" accompanied by Connie Smith on piano and Ron Young on the bodhran.
Don Paine combines his passion for music with his skill as a luthier. He is not only an outstanding fiddler and fiddle band leader, but is a splendid mandolin and violin builder as well. He and his son are owners of Pomeroy Instruments in Glenwood Springs. a master of the "Old Time" music styles, he often is a guest fiddler at the Grand Junction Traditional Dance Society
Harmony Tucker played with Fifth Reel for several years and continues to do so on occasion, even after moving to the Front Range. Her driving fiddle style has been a powerful addition to the band's Robert Burns Supper and St. Patrick's Day performances as well as in our dances.
Alisha Bean is an impassioned violinist who has explored many realms of opportunities including not only the classical world but the world of fiddling competitions, bluegrass, celtic, and cajun music as well. During her summer vacations she would travel to fiddling competitions including the Royal Gorge, Frisco, and Montrose where she reined champion for six years in a row. Alisha has performed as a classic violinist all over Colorado, Utah, Montana, Arizona, Italy and Spain. She graduated with her Masters of Music degree from Arizona State University and now lives in Grand Junction, where she has started her own private teaching studio giving violin, viola, and fiddling lessons. She is a member of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and grabs opportunities to play chamber, symphonic, and solo works whenever she gets the chance.
