Squirrel Moon Contra Dance Weekend
Squirrel Moon 2022 happened September 16-18, 2022!
Save the dates: September 22-24, 2023!!
Save the dates: September 22-24, 2023!!
Squirrel Moon will be held this year at Folklore Village, September 16-18, 2022! The Cosmic Otters (Jonathan Whitall, Meg Dedolph, and Eric Schedler) will be playing with Jo Mortland and Steve Pike calling.
Participation will be capped this year to 80 participants. Please read the full list of COVID precautions that are in place to attend the event.
Registration is now open!
General Information
Squirrel Moon takes place in the lovely Farwell Hall at Folklore Village, a nationally recognized folk arts and culture center. It's located in the country just 45 minutes west of Madison, Wisconsin.
Tenting and bunkhouses are on-site, and there are several motels within a short drive.
Please register early; we sell out every year.
If you're on Facebook, RSVP to the event to connect with other dancers and "Like" our page.
If you have questions, or to get on the email list, contact SquirrelMoonReg@gmail.com. Squirrel Moon is organized by the Madison contra dance community.
Folklore Village is located at 3210 County Road BB, Dodgeville, WI 53533.
"Of all the contra weekends I attend, Squirrel Moon is one that I would be most disappointed to miss." -- Dave H, Chicago
"It starts like a contra dance weekend and ends like a family reunion." -- Joel P, Chicago
"Thanks again for a fabulous weekend. The organization of your event is second to none!" -- Lori P, Salt Lake City
The Cosmic Otters
The Cosmic Otters make people dance.
They start with a solid rhythmic foundation of guitar and piano, add inventive fiddle harmonies, and finish with juicy, pulsing accordion playing and tasteful percussion.
The tunes are from the British Isles and its relatives – Ireland, England and Scotland with side trips to Cape Breton and Quebec – but definitely our own, with an unshakable drive and playful improvisations that make dancers smile.
Their gigs this summer include CDSS’s Cascade of Music and Dance Week (MD) and Cumberland Dance Week (TN).
Jonathan Whitall
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).
Eric Schedler
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.
Meg Dedolph
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.
The Callers
Steve Pike
Steve Pike has been calling a variety of contras, squares and other dances for nearly thirty years. His clear, concise, laid-back teaching style emphasizes the joy of dancing while building a sense of community among dancers and musicians. He’s called numerous weekends from Alaska to Denmark and has been on staff at CDSS’s Dance, Music and Spice Week (MI).
Jo Mortland
Chicago based Jo Mortland has been calling in and around the Midwest for over 20 years. Her goal is to provide a varied program of satisfying dances, to teach well, and for the dancers to have fun.