Wendy Graham (Durango, Colorado), self-described “dance maniac,” is thrilled to be back at Cumberland dance week. Her passion for music, song and dance caught fire in 1991 on a Danish-American Exchange (DAE) youth dance tour to Denmark. Today, Wendy leads English and American folk dances and teaches social dance across the country and abroad. She proudly served on the Lloyd Shaw Foundation and Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) boards, and the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award committee. She loves building community and sharing the joy of music, song and dance with people of all ages and abilities.   

www.perkypantsdance.com

Seth Tepfer calls dances for adults and children like you've never seen before. Since 1997, Seth has been calling dances and festivals in almost every state in the union and around the world. Known for his infectious energy, his short walk-thru's, and his 'hash-contras', Seth's warm enthusiasm is contagious, and gets everyone moving, smiling, and having a great time. Whether squares, contras, English, waltzes, Zweifachers, Cajun, Swing, or community dances, you can be certain that all involved - novices and experienced dancers alike - will amble away happy and eager to dance more! 

Chris has been organizing, performing, & teaching traditional dance since discovering the folk world as a teenager.  He enjoys working with new & experienced dancers with a focus on contras, squares, clogging & rapper sword.  Chris has been on staff at dance weeks and weekends throughout the

U.S., Canada, and Denmark, including BACDS American Week, Berea's Christmas Country Dance School, and others.  Chris is a co-founder of our sister week, Terpsichore's Holiday, and suggested the name for the event having learned of the Greek Muse Terpsichore from a Fred Astaire movie. 

Born and raised dancing and singing and want to share that joy whenever and however I can! 

With a fearless curiosity and multi-instrumental virtuosity (clarinet, accordion, keyboard, electronics, voice), Clara Byom has forged a successful musical career as a versatile performer, composer, and arts administrator whose work stretches across multiple genres—from classical (new and old) to traditional folk, indie rock to electronic music. Clara has premiered over 40 new classical works as soloist, collaborator, or with the New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble, which she co-founded in 2016 with Dalton Harris. Since 2020, Clara produced three solo albums of electronic/electroacoustic music, two collaborative albums with lo-fi hip hop/experimental artist Dan Dan, and experimental improvisation albums with Patrick DeBonis, Barry Chabala, David Forlano, and Muni Kulasinghe. She performs around the United States as a soloist and as member of the award-winning alt-rock band Dust City Opera and folk dance duo The Parson Sisters. Clara serves as Development Director for the Klezmer Institute and coordinator for Yiddish New York. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico in Clarinet Performance and Musicology (2017) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College (2012). In fall of 2024, Clara began doctoral studies at Texas Tech University, where she is researching groove and danceability.

Jacob Chen is a public school music educator, composer, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Norman, Oklahoma. A classical pianist since the age of six, Jacob's early passion for music sparked an ongoing love of learning a wide array of instruments, from clarinet and guitar to mandolin, accordion, fiddle, bass guitar, and ukulele. His classical musical journey took a unique turn when he began playing for contra and English dances, immersing himself in the rich traditions of participatory music-making. 

Jacob's rounds include intricate harmonies and delightful lyrics, with his works sung in classrooms, folk circles, and countries around the world. His dedication to music as a communal experience has made him a sought-after presenter at workshops, dance camps, and folk events nationwide. Known for his warm, inclusive approach, Jacob effortlessly creates spaces where participants connect authentically through music and dance—respecting the traditions while infusing each gathering with joy and energy. 

When he's not teaching or performing, Jacob can be found writing new tunes, crocheting, baking bread, playing board games, or hunting for the next colorful piece of fabric to add to his ever-growing wardrobe.

Mirinisa (she/they) is, among other things, a musician who started with classical violin in childhood and has since branched out to many other genres, with a recent focus on fiddle styles for dancing. They enjoy the energy shared between dancers and musicians and are enthusiastic and grateful to be immersed in that connection this week at Cumberland! 

Sarah Wendtlandt grew up in Germany dancing and traveling throughout Europe with her parents’ International Folk dance group. From a young age she also studied ballet, tap, Irish step dance and ballroom. In 2005 she received her associate's degree in modern dance and choreography in Austin, Texas. Sarah toured throughout Texas with the Hungarian Folk dance performance group Csardas for a few years before relocating to Staunton, Virginia in 2018. Here she has discovered her love for contra and is eagerly planning on starting a Balkan dance group in the Shenandoah Valley. Sarah is a massage therapist and specializes in Ashiatsu, where she ‘dances’ on the massage table using her feet to massage clients. She is very involved in the local community theater as an actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Sarah is very excited to share some of her favorite folk dances with families this coming summer at Cumberland Dance Week!

Joshua (Josh) Loiacono is an avid fiddler, tunewriter, round-singer, and dancer. A long-time Cumberland attendee, his favorite activities at camp include porch jams, sharing rounds/songs/stories with other campers, and getting out of the cold water at the swimming hole! He is a member of contra bands Mixed Nuts and The Curtesy Turners. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability at Tennessee Tech University.

This year he is excited to co-lead the Revelers' Song & Music class and Teen Jam with his sister, Maia. 

Maia has been a member of the Cumberland Dance Week family since the age of five and hasn’t stopped spreading her love of music and dance since. She is a trained classical violinist at Northern Kentucky University and can be found playing contra dances throughout Kentucky with Mixed Nuts. She loves to dabble in other genres such as jazz, dubstep, and Celtic music. Maia studies acting and voice and loves teaching songs and games for all ages. As a teenager, Maia made it her goal to help foster an inclusive and welcoming camp environment and co-founded the teen jam to encourage young musicians to explore the contra music scene. She is thrilled to be on staff for the first time. 

Sam is a traditional musician known throughout the United States for his mandolin, banjo, and guitar playing as well as his original music. His compositions have been profiled on NPR’s All Things Considered and his playing has been featured on the Thistle & Shamrock, and in two Ken Burns documentaries, Prohibitionand The Dust Bowl.

Sam has recorded with a virtual who’s who of traditional musicians, among them: Garry Harrison, Paul Brown, Eden MacAdam-Somer,  Rafe Stefanini, Pete Sutherland, Dirk Powell, Rodney Miller, David Greely, and Rick Good.

Sam is also a master entertainer, and author of The Best of Stuntology (Workman, 2008) which is sold internationally and translated into Finnish and German. As an artist, Sam has for the past 20 years played a role in the resurgent interest in the 19th century entertainment form, the moving panorama, or “crankie show.”    www.sambartlett.com/

Jared Kirkpatrick (Starling, Flamingo Sketches) has been immersed in the contra dance world all his life, and has been lucky enough to play with multiple dance bands. With very broad musical influences and interests from Balkan harmony singing to fusion and jazz music, he loves focusing on the possibilities that arise when these styles influence each other and come together. Having studied jazz vibraphone at Temple University, Jared is now based in NC - taking every excuse to travel to dances across the country, with either a mandolin or a mixing board in tow. 

Jonathan is an avid dance fiddler, pianist, and melodeon player coming to us from Chicago. Drawing from a variety of British Isle-based traditions, he regularly performs for contras, squares, Irish sets, and English country dances. He is also a dancer and musician for both Pullman Morris and Sword and Fox Valley Morris. Being a dancer himself, he brings intricate, energetic and tasteful music to his performances. His current musical endeavors include the Cosmic Otters (founding member), Chicago Reel, and I Am Ireland (a nationally touring show featuring the personality of Paddy Homan).  thecosmicotters.com/

Eric Schedler plays accordion, piano and banjo for contra, square and English country dancing with Midwest-based bands the Cosmic Otters and Supertrad. With his playing firmly rooted in traditional Irish music, Eric has performed and taught at camps and festivals around the country, and currently serves as program director of the all-ages Cumberland Dance Week, a project of the Lloyd Shaw Foundation, of which Eric is also a member of the board of directors. Eric lives in Bloomington, IN with his wife, Katie Zukof, where they run a family dance series, raise their two daughters and operate a brick-oven bakery. thecosmicotters.com

Meg Dedolph plays guitar and drums for the Cosmic Otters and is a dance caller in the Chicago area. She also teaches parent-child music classes for the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Wiggleworms program.

thecosmicotters.com

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!