You are warmly invited

Community Spiral of Light

December 5, 6pm

Please come in silence and leave in silence.

Join us for our quarterly series An Evening of Advanced Contra at Mettabee Farm and Arts! With dances called by Bob Isaacs and music by The Lucky Five! This dance will be called with Ladies and Gents, you're welcome to dance either part! Suggested admission $15 per dancer or $40 per family. No partner necessary, come alone or bring friends!

Schedule of Events:
7-7:30 - Swing/Waltz/Two-Step/Polka
7:30-8:30 - Contra
8:30-9 - Break
9-10 - Contra
10-10:30 - Swing/Waltz/Two-Step/Polka

This series primarily focuses on challenging dances for more experienced dancers. Intermediate and advanced contra dancers are welcome! For the purpose of this series we’ve defined an advanced dancer as someone who can dance an intermediate contra without a walk through. They should understand common Contra Dance figures such as: star, courtesy turn, hey for four, allemande, right and left through, gypsy, promenade, box circulate, contra corners & butterfly whirl and be able to dance them without instruction.

If you’re not quite there yet don’t fret! Attend the Columbia County Contra Dance hosted the first Saturday of each month at Mettabee Farm or the Lenox Contra Dance hosted the third Saturday of each month at Lenox Community Center! You’re always welcome back whenever you feel ready!

CHILDREN’S FUNDRAISING LYRE CONCERT

Come listen, enjoy and support!

Young and older local lyre players are excited to go to the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland 🇨🇭next summer, where the 100th birthday of the modern lyre will be celebrated in a big international lyre conference.

As travels and accommodations are costly, we are playing some fundraising concerts through the course of this year and hope for your generous contributions to help the children get there.

Lyre Duo Voice of Silence, (Sarah Stosiek and Christina Porkert) and lyre students of Monica Talaya will perform music from Ireland, Wales, Sweden, Norway and Germany on Sunday, November 23rd:

4 pm @ Mettabee

Workshop: Eurythmy and poetry…Tools to Unveil the Life of our Alphabet
With Claudia Fontana

Saturday, November 22,
9:15 A.M – 12:30 P.M.
at Mettabee “The Hive” - the big barn.
$25-40

Aristotle was immersed in the cultural life of his time.
From it he contracted the “Ten Categories”, a classification of concepts relating to language. With the support of poetry and Eurythmy we will embark on an exploration into the life of the symbols, the sounds of our alphabet…..which will be a process of expansion.

Contradance

Lyss adkins Calling

Music by Spintuition

7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Spintuition Bio:

From Quebec to Georgia and everywhere in between, Spintuition has been making a splash on the contradance scene. With Samuel Foucher on accordion, Willy Clemetson on fiddle and foot percussion, and Silas Hamilton laying down the groove on Guitar, this trio has a grasp of dynamics and dance energy that has been honed over many years of playing dances together. Based in the Northeast, Spintuition was formed in 2018 and has gone on to be featured all over at festivals, dances, and dance-weekends, such as Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, New World Festival and nearly every New England dance you can think of. In addition to playing dances, they also sing in bold three part harmony. Presenting a compelling mixture of spicy new tunes and songs and glorious old ones, Spintuition has cultivated a vital sound that will leave you hungry for more.

Lyss Bio: 

When you ask a Muppet to masquerade as a human and call a contra dance, you get Alyssa [Lyss] Adkins. Dancers consistently describe their teaching and calling as clear, joyful, and energetic. An experienced contra dancer, folk waltz and fusion dance teacher, she stays precise and concise in her communication so everyone can more fully enjoy the dance, the music, and each other.

Jesse & Kevin 
A Drop of the Pure album release tour 

WITH SPECIAL GUEST CT STATE TROUBADOUR KALA FARNHAM

Friday November 14th
7:30 PM 

$15-$40 suggested ticket price (sliding scale)

Kevin Elam is a multi-instrumentalist and All-Ireland singing champion and considered one of the finest interpreters of Irish and Scottish songs in the United States. 

Jesse Ofgang has his masters degree in Scottish music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His playing was featured on the series finale of the television show Blue Bloods and most recently he was the featured piper in the Alan Cummings produced musical Ceilidh, directed by the 2025 Tony award winner for best play Sam Pinkleton. 

Based in the Eastern US, Celtic duo Jesse and Kevin are an unprecedented combination of world-class talent in Scottish and Irish traditional music. Bagpipe guru Jesse Ofgang’s expertise and years of intense training on the great highland pipes, border pipes and uilleann pipes are the perfect complement to All-Ireland champion singer Kevin Elam’s enchanting ballads and inventive accompaniment on the guitar, bouzouki and harmonium. 

In the Light of the Moon
Stories, poems and songs with actor John McManus,
mezzo soprano Hailey McAvoy and pianist Gili Melamed-Lev

November 8th at 7:30pm at Mettabee Farm and Arts

Tickets can be purchased at www.jazzandclassicsforchange.org or by calling 518.929.5950

Swing Dance! Austin Scelzo and Friends 💃 🕺 

7PM Dance Class
8PM Start

$15-$25 Sliding Scale

"Austin Scelzo is a renowned New England / NY based musician, teacher, and performer most known as a bluegrass fiddler and singer. He fell in love with traditional swing music as an attendee and now teacher at Ashokan's "Western and Swing Week" and "New Years Winter Camp" - where the swing dance tradition is kept strong and vibrant in a fun and inviting atmosphere. His repertoire and feel for traditional swing runs straight from the Ashokan community and his many mentors and peers such as Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, Dave Davies, Kevin Wimmer, and NYC's Krissie and the Kranks.

His biggest influence is the Country Western and bluegrass fiddler, Bobby Hicks, but he will be drawing influence from Bob Wills, Stephane Grapelli, and the modern country western group "Asleep at the Wheel". Learn more about Austin here: AustinScelzo.com""

Experience Chinobay: Music as a Listening Space for the Soul

Acclaimed Ugandan musician, educator, and cultural ambassador Chinobay invites you on a journey of rhythm, melody, and connection. His solo performance guides the audience into Listening Spaces—a project born from his deep belief that music can heal and restore our capacity to listen to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. 

Known for his evocative fusion of African traditions with contemporary expression, and in a world often dominated by noise and distraction, Chinobay’s music serves as a sanctuary—a place where listeners can escape, reflect, slow down, heal, listen deeply, and rediscover the profound joy that comes from being fully present in the moment.

More than just a concert, barriers dissolve in this immersive learning journey where Chinobay delves into the songs, stories and profound history of Africa, enriching the audience's understanding and appreciation.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19th

CONTRA

Fundraiser Evening with caller JORDAN KAMMEYER

5pm PICNIC bring your own meal to enjoy beneath the willows

5:45-6:45 pm FAMILY DANCE Children of all ages especially welcome

7pm CONTRA DANCE we will transition ~815pm to advanced contra

Pay what you can!

All Proceeds Go To Jordan's Mission in Romania

more info: consolatio.org/portfolio-item/jordan-k

ANY QUESTIONS?

email jordantkammeyer@gmail.com

Coco Contra 
1st Saturday of the Month Dance
 

Waltzing 7:00 - 7:30 pm, 
Contradance 7:30 - 10:30pm 

Dance Admission:
Adults: $15- 20
Students: $10
Family $ 35
Children Age 7-14: $7
Children under 7: Free

All Welcome!
All Dances Taught

For More Info Contact

Aldo Lavaggi
lavaggi.aldo@gmail.com
 

French Trios with Flaire

FAURÉ TO FRANÇAIX

Friday, October 3, 7:30pm

Cantus Trio

$35 suggested donation

Film Screening on September 13, 6pm

Name of film: How to Save Democracy

About film: Please join us for a special screening of How to Save Democracy, a new feature documentary film by Saratoga Springs based filmmaker, author, and acupuncturist Michael Wayne. A discussion led by the filmmaker will follow the screening.

The film has been enthusiastically received by audiences at UAlbany, Union College, and Tufts University and is scheduled to be screened in the fall at Harvard University. It features interviews with experts on democracy and the issues facing the U.S. in the present day. The people -- Pulitzer Prize winners, journalists, authors, activists, constitutional scholars, and historians -- all give depth and perspective on what it would take for the U.S. to realize the true aspirations of democracy.

With democracy in the U.S. teetering -- the U.S. is currently rated a flawed democracy -- and Donald Trump testing the limits of democracy, How to Save Democracy is a film that looks at what democracy is, how it's defined, the roots of democracy, the periods in time when democracy flourished and struggled, and how things can be restored to the promise of what democracy offers. 

While the times we live in right now seem dark, we can't give up hope, and this film will surely give you that hope. It tells the story of where things went wrong, and shows how things can go right.

Cost: Sliding scale of $15-$30, though no one will be turned away

Website: https://savingdemocracyfilm.com/ (The trailer can be seen on the website)

For more information: 518-210-1557

Join us for an Evening of
Advanced Contra
Sunday, August 30th at 7:00pm
At Mettabee Farm & Arts

Called by Bob Isaacs
With Music by Clara Stickney & Peter Siegel

Suggested $15 per dancer
Call: (518) 567-5802 with any questions

Website // Spotify // Facebook // Instagram // Youtube

Live Videos: 

Banks of the Brandywine at Ghost Hit Recording

Red Mary at Ghost Hit Recording

The Bully of Skidmore Town at Caffe Lena

House of Hamill is a Celtic/folk trio that specializes in upcycled murder ballads, high-energy instrumentals, and sophisticated original songs. A fixture at folk venues and on festival stages across the US, House of Hamill writes about stories and characters that inspire them, found in dusty books of ancient folk tales or late-night episodes of true crime podcasts. Whether they’re ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, singing Appalachian-inspired songs full of lush three-part harmonies, or cracking up a crowd with stories from the road, House of Hamill puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note.

Video Views: 20,000,000+ Video Shares: 400,000+

Instagram Reach: 4,000+  Facebook Reach: 18,000+

Spotify Monthly Listeners: 12,000+
Grand Prize Winner - 2024 John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Folk)
Best Group - International Acoustic Music Awards 2024 (Finalist)
"Wildfire" #1 Album FAI Folk Charts, August 2024
"The Highwayman" #1 Song FAI Folk Charts, August 2024
#1 Overall Artist FAI Folk Charts, August 2024
Selling 100-150 hard tickets in MA, CT, PA, NY, ME, OR, VA, OH, FL
50+ hard tickets in GA, MI, IL, WA, AL, TX, NM
Sold out: Shalin Liu Performance Center, Caffe Lena, The Guthrie Center, The Parlor Room, FolkStage
Notable Festivals and Venues:
Milwaukee Irish Festival - Philadelphia Folk Festival - Lancaster Festival - KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival - Ed Reavy Trad Fest (Ireland) - Natalie's - Caffe Lena - The Kate - Shalin Liu Performance Center - The Ark - The Guthrie Center - Sellersville Theatre - The Ramble - Bethlehem Musikfest - Great American Irish Festival - Celtic Classic - St. Augustine Celtic Festival - Celtic Fling

Intro to Infant CST protocols & Fascia Release Techniques with Lori Hendrickson Hosted by Bea Butler 

On July 26th Lori Hendrickson CST will be teaching a day long workshop at Mettabee Farm from 12pm-6pm. Lori is an amazing baby bodyworker and her aim is to empower and teach parents how to work on their own children as well as teach any other practitioners that work with infants. In the workshop you will learn a series of connective tissue and fascial stretches that significantly facilitate cranial sacral therapy protocols. These stretches address plagiocephaly, torticollis, acid reflux, an inability to form a good latch while breastfeeding, tongue lip and Buccal tie restrictions and a myriad of other pathologies that can arise with babies.

Lori is a warm, open, and interactive teacher that encourages asking questions and collaboration with her students. If you have an in-arms baby you are welcome to bring them (letting Bea and Lori know) and there might be an opportunity for Lori to work with them during the class as a demo. 

Links to sign up: 

https://lorihendrickson.regfox.com/intro-to-infant-cst-protocols-and-techniques-hillsdale-new-york

https://www.facebook.com/events/536944795560770/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22:%22null%22%7D&ref_source=newsfeed&ref_mechanism=feed_attachment

Village Harmony
Teen World Music Ensemble led by Sinead O'Mahoney, Carl Linich, Hannah Levy, Ethan Sudan

Presenting music from South Africa, Bulgaria, and Georgia, with Renaissance choral works and American shape-note songs

Friday, July 18, 7:00pm Mettabee Farm & Arts 551 Harlemville Rd, Hillsdale Sliding scale donation at the door Information: villageharmony@gmail.com

Host families needed for the visiting children. If interested, please email Elizabeth.
Potluck dinner before the concert.

"Gareiss' dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance..." 

- New York Times

Bio:

Nic Gareiss & Simon Chrisman

Nic Gareiss (he/they, percussive dance, vocals) and Simon Chrisman (he/him, hammer dulcimer, vocals) met in 2007 at a fiddle festival in the Californian redwoods and have been exploring sound and movement together ever since. Both leading innovators within their practices, Nic and Simon melt their unique approaches, weaving traditional percussive dance, instrumental tunes, improvisations, traditional songs, and new compositions through interlocking rhythms and dynamic textures. Well-known for his work with the groundbreaking new acoustic string bands Kittle & Co. and the Bee Eaters, Simon's music combines "chamber music’s finely calibrated arrangements with bluegrass’s playful virtuosity and pop music’s melodic resourcefulness." (Boston Herald) One of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch," Nic Gareiss has been hailed for his "dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance" (New York Times). Together, Nic and Simon adventure into the world of time and timbre to create a breathtaking evening-length performance of song, instrumental music, and percussive dance. 

Links:

www.facebook.com/simonchrismanandnicgareiss

@NicGareissLFI

www.nicgareiss.com

nic gareiss

he · they

dancer · musician · dance researcher

www.nicgareiss.com

@nicgareisslfi

NPR's "Best Roots Music of 2022" list

Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch"

Come join us on Sunday, June 29th at 4:00 pm
at Mettabee Farm in Hillsdale
short reading from the script and a fundraiser
Appropriate for ages 16 and up. We will have childcare available
RSVP:
hillarybaack@mac.com / 626-375-6581
forcestudios.com/helen (pw:Keller)


As a deaf and disabled woman, Helen Keller’s life has been incredibly personal to me, and telling her story in this way has become a calling.
This event is a small fundraiser and reading from my feature film script,  HELEN.

(If one goes to the website which is at the bottom of the invitation picture, they can see all of the cast and crew who are attached thus far.)

This has been a passion project of mine for ten years. I’m moving closer to the starting line, of shooting this film, which I plan to do mostly in our beautiful county, and wanted to share a slice of the story with an audience, to share the creative spark. We’re also welcoming any contributions to help cover development costs, and of course, there are investment opportunities, if anyone is interested.

The event will last about one hour, (4-5 pm) with the focus on a lively reading with actors.

About me--
Hillary has been acting, writing, and directing theater and film professionally for the past 20 years (and for fun since I was a little girl.)
I’ve also loved sharing American Sign Language and Deaf culture with people of all ages, taking photographs of families, and raising my 3 children, amidst my theater and film work. Credits include Close to You, The Sound of Metal, You & Me,  and The East, as well as several off-Broadway plays, with Deaf West and The Barrow Group in NYC. Hillary graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in Theater and English.

Thank you for being a part, and do share this invite with anyone you think might feel called to listen and and watch and support!

Swing Dance
with
Austin Scelzo & Friends
May 24- 8 pm
Dance Lesson 7 pm

Austin Scelzo is a renowned New England / NY based musician, teacher, and performer most known as a bluegrass fiddler and singer. He fell in love with traditional swing music as an attendee and now teacher at Ashokan's "Western and Swing Week"  and "New Years Winter Camp" - where the swing dance tradition is kept strong and vibrant in a fun and inviting atmosphere. His repertoire and feel for traditional swing runs straight from the Ashokan community and his many mentors and peers such as Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, Dave Davies, Kevin Wimmer, and NYC's Krissie and the Kranks.

His biggest influence is the Country Western and bluegrass fiddler, Bobby Hicks, but he will be drawing influence from Bob Wills, Stephane Grapelli, and the modern country western group "Asleep at the Wheel". Learn more about Austin here: AustinScelzo.com

 He and his friends Matt Curley (Bass) and Tom Polizzi (guitar) (And many special guests!) will bring you a night of fun not to be missed!

[minor projects Presents: Into Loving Hands
A Documentary by Victoria Kereszi w/ Q&A after the film

 May 23rd, 2025 at Mettabee in the Hive
7pm Screening - doors open at 6:30pm 
8:15pm Q&A panel discussion 

https://intolovinghandsmovie.com/

In the fall of 2012, Chris and Rebecca Williams were thrilled to be expecting a second child, but halfway through their pregnancy at a routine ultrasound, they discovered that prenatal testing indicated that something was terribly – fatally – wrong. The couple, staunchly pro-choice, was subsequently faced with momentous decisions as they grappled with the hand they’d been dealt while also trying to navigate both the medical community and society.

This film chronicles nearly a decade of the Williams’ journey, from their initial grief to the unexpected miracle of life, the midwife’s exam room to the pediatric OR at Boston Children’s Hospital, capturing the emotional challenges and triumphs of what it’s like to raise a child with Down Syndrome and multiple heart anomalies.

https://intolovinghandsmovie.com/

The Path of Individuation- A Systemic Constellation Workshop
There comes a time in life when the roles we’ve inherited no longer define us, when the need to belong must give way to the deeper calling to become. This inner turning point marks the beginning of the path of individuation—what Carl Jung called the emergence of the Self.

But individuation doesn’t mean turning against our family. It means finding peace with our origins, taking our rightful place in the larger system that gave us life, and then turning inward to hear what life is uniquely asking of us. We are each born with an individual soul, yet we arrive through the gateway of a family. That soul becomes intertwined with a larger field of memory, loss, and love—what systemic constellations call the family soul.

This one-day workshop will explore the threshold between belonging and becoming. Using Family and Systemic Constellation work, we will trace the soul’s journey from unconscious fusion with the ancestral field to a more differentiated connection with the Self. This process does not unfold on the level of the mind alone—it is a movement of the soul that must be witnessed, embodied, and felt.

Constellation work helps us see how many of the struggles we experience—whether in relationships, identity, purpose, or vitality—are not purely personal. They often stem from hidden loyalties and unresolved grief in our lineage. These entanglements are not faults; they are expressions of love. But to take the next step on our path, we must acknowledge them, release what isn’t ours to carry, and take responsibility for what is.

The Self is not something we manufacture through personal will or preference. It is revealed through life’s initiations, through suffering and awakening, through inner necessity. It comes forward when the soul is ready—and when we create the right conditions for it to emerge.

This workshop offers a space to honor that emergence. Through guided constellations, group ritual, experiential practices, and quiet integration, we will open a space to meet the truth of where you are now and where life is asking you to go next.

We will explore:
– The movement from family soul to individual soul
– The role of systemic entanglements in shaping personal destiny
– The Orders of Love and how they support individuation
– How to work with withdrawal as a sacred movement toward the Self
– Constellation practices that illuminate inner thresholds and soul-level choices

Whether you’re in a time of transition, longing to understand a repeating life pattern, or simply seeking a deeper connection with your purpose, this gathering offers a sacred field of inquiry and renewal.

You do not need any prior experience with constellation work to participate. All are welcome.
Lucian Schloss, MA, LPC, LMHC
Psychotherapy, Family/Systemic Constellations
503-830-4224

www.lucianschlosscounseling.com
Book an appointment online @ lucian-schloss.square.site

Foot Tapping Piano Concert!

Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 pm
A piano Concert with Sky and Sandy Blackiston 

Sky and Sandy, identical twin brothers from Clermont, New York, perform their own duet renditions of popular tunes from the rockabilly, swing, jazz, and blues genres, spicing them up with their own boogie-woogie strides and melodic riffs. They perform either as four hands on one piano or as two hands on two pianos or keyboards, depending on the space and needs of the venue. Some sample pieces from their repertoire include "In The Mood," "Mr. Sandman," "Blue Moon" and "Don't Be Cruel." It's great fun to come and just listen though their groovy, foot-tapping style entices people of all ages to get up and dance.