Interested in hosting an exciting, interactive and educational Homespun Occasions Arts dance workshop? There is much to be learned about cultural history while being entertained and engaged at the same time. Students of all ages can understand the important roles of music, song and dance in society all while exercising listening skills, cooperation and coordination. Come globetrotting with Homespun Occasions’ educational programs that teach everyone from elementary school students to senior citizens about the cultures and musical traditions of Africa, Appalachia, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Our programs instill a sense of respect for other cultures with a fun and easy learning experience!
Community Programs
Homespun Occasions provides community dance and traditional music workshops that allow your group to participate in square, contra and circle dances as well as a variety of others with roots worldwide. A combined half-century of experience by our dance music educators will create enjoyable, wholesome dance events. Whether booking a seasonal event such as our popular Fall Harvest event, Cabin Fever dance, or creating your own occasion, we can work with you to create a great experience for your community group.
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Library Programs
Homespun Occasions provides fun, engaging and educational library events that teach about life before electricity in the 18th and 19th centuries. Take your audience/participants back to a time when families made their own entertainment with homemade music and dance. Peter, Paul and George will teach about the origins of traditional folk instruments including the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, clarinet, pennywhistle and recorder.
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College Programs
Provide your college students with a safe, alcohol-free and educational programming. Our Homespun Occasions dance programs can be customized to fit the studies or interests of your college students. Homespun Occasions can work with professors, student organization leaders or others involved in college communities.
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Summer Camp Programs
Kick up your heels for some live fiddle music at your next summer camp program. Make your staff orientation, camper orientation, theme night, family weekend, or farewell night a time that will be remembered long after summer ends. We’ll provide hoedowns, barn dances, western nights, old-time square dances, international folk and New England Contra Dances, among others – let us help you decide! Our program will be customized to fit the age and ability of your campers, and can run, typically, from one to three hours. Not only are our dances a lot of fun, they’re a great way to teach mutual respect and group cooperation amongst your campers.
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Girl Scout Events
Let Homespun Occasions help your Girl Scout troop earn badges with wholesome participatory dance and music events. Our workshops assist scout leaders and their girls with Try-Its, Junior Badges for Dance and Music, and Interest Project Patches for Dance, Music, and the Performing Arts. We schedule Girl Scout events year-round, with popular events such as Fall Harvest Dance, Winter Cabin Fever Dance, Spring Fling, summer barbeques and hoedowns, and a multi-cultural Food and Dance Party.
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School Dance Programs with Homespun Community Dancing
Our dance workshops are well-suited addendums for elementary school students and high-school language students interested in learning more about their chosen culture. Homespun Occasions’ workshops can include dances from Latin America, Spain, Quebec, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and more than 30 other countries around the world. These dance and music workshops can also be integrated with history and geography units. Peter Davis, Paul Rosenberg and George Wilson have been leading elementary and high school daytime workshops and residencies in traditional community dance and music, and playing for family and community dance evenings since 1994. Their repertoire consists primarily of contra, square and international folk dances accompanied by lively reels, jigs, polkas and waltzes. Their music and dances transform even the most adamant, grimacing youngsters declaring “I will never dance” into smiling dance-lovers asking, “When is the next dance?”
Although they have worked as a trio since 1994, Peter and George have each been arts educators since the mid-1970s. Peter plays guitar, piano, banjo, clarinet, mandolin, pennywhistle and many other instruments. Paul plays recorder and teaches and calls dances from America and around the world. George plays fiddle, banjo and guitar. Together, they bring Homespun Occasions to audiences young and old throughout the Capital Region of New York State and beyond. Having performed at more than 500 elementary and high schools, dozens of colleges, libraries and summer camps and countless special occasions, Peter, Paul and George look forward to each new opportunity to introduce new audiences to traditional dances. Peter, Paul and George have recorded two CDs and written companion instruction books called Peel the Banana and Dance the World Around, which present a sequence of dances from school residencies, family dances and community celebrations.
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