Dance Musicians’ Week graced the John C. Campbell Folk School campus this July, kicking off a week of exuberant tunes and rounds of toe-tapping, hand-clapping Appalachian fun! Musicians, dancers, and callers waltzed their way onto campus to immerse themselves in the tunes.

Continuing a tradition stretching over three decades, Dance Musician’s Week began in 1994, when the Folk School recruited David Kaynor and others to create the program. Now, 30 years later, DMW brings together folks from all over to immerse themselves in the melody of shared learning.

This year, members of the Atlanta Contra Dance Group traveled from Georgia to sing, dance, and grow together in harmony. This year is the first time Dance Callers’ Week and Dance Musicians’ Week coincided, drawing a record-breaking number of participants to the Caller’s class and elevating the week’s energy into new heights.

At the center of this dynamic gathering is Music and Dance Programs Coordinator Wendy Graham, whose presence is as unforgettable as her radiant turquoise earrings and kinetic, tensile hair. She can often be seen with an instrument slung over her shoulder and a smile ready for anyone who crosses her path.

“It’s called folk dance because it’s for the people,” said Graham. “There’s no fancy footwork; you don’t need to take lessons. What’s so amazing about what we do on a Tuesday or a Sunday with our dances, is you can come and in the first five minutes, you are already doing it.”

When she isn’t bridging communication between institutions or managing the many facets of an event, Graham is in the classroom—guiding dancers, callers, and fellow instructors through lessons pulsing with compassion.

During this week of music and dance focus, the lunch line transforms into a jubilant band of melody and motion. Fiddles and guitars provide a festive soundtrack to the midday shuffle. Graham is part of the lunch-line accompaniment, her accordion tucked under her arm as she plays in step with a lively fiddle lead. Together, their impromptu duet produces a jovial melody inspiring the nodding of heads and the shuffling of feet.

“I can tell you with 100% certainty our program is completely unique. There is nothing on the level of intensity and deep diving like this. It’s really immersion,” said Graham. The Country Dance & Song Society is sponsoring at least six people to come and take the Dance Musicians and Dance Callers Class. On top of that, other people from Atlanta decided to come.”

In the heart of the humid Southern night, where the city of Atlanta hums with traffic and ambition, Corinne Wilkinson found where she needed to be as a member of the Atlanta Contra Dancers.  Wilkinson is a multi-talented artist, embodying the heart of the event as a dancer, musician, and caller herself.  

“I went to this contra dance, they had a beginner lesson, I joined the circle, and the caller had a very warm, motherly, very inclusive feel in the way she spoke and moved and taught,” said Wilkinson. “So, I actually started to tear up, like, ‘oh, I know where I should be.” 

The Atlanta Contra Dance Group, originally known as the Chattahoochee Country Dancers, have found unification and community through their love of folk traditions, southern tunes and communal self-expression since 1975. Outside, Atlanta pulses with deadlines and the daily grind, but inside the Trolley Barn and the Decatur Recreation Center, time is quantified in rounds and song. 

“We don’t have the opportunity to try and fail. If you’re going to call, you got to be on it, but here [at the Folk School], we can make a ton of mistakes, work through things and show vulnerability,” said Wilkinson. 

Amid the vibrant dance groups in Atlanta or the bustling contra dancers in the Community Room on Tuesdays, the world isn’t measured in hours or productivity, but rather the instance of music and the way a stranger’s hand finds yours without hesitation.  

TJ Odom, another Atlanta-based musician, has found his calling not just dancing, but in playing for the room, crafting a soundscape others can move through.  

“For me, it’s really not the dance, so much as it is getting to play for the dance. I have this romantic picture in my head of playing fiddle in the corner while other people are dancing and falling in love.” said Odom. 

On the dance floor, students culminate their joy in celebratory dance—floor shuffling, laughter rising, and bodies moving in unison across the floor. Music fades and pairings drift apart; a quiet stillness settles over the room. Yet, something essential lingers: a bond formed by rhythm, risk, joy, and shared passion. 

“I’m thankful for opportunities to practice because back home, the only opportunities we have are also performances,” said Odom.  

Bright-eyed and ambitious, Music & Dance Events Coordinator T-Claw Crawford is easily spotted on-campus with his helmet and bike, dashing to Keith House on busy afternoons. Behind-the-scenes, Crawford is responsible for almost 500 events in a year, livening up the Brasstown Valley with blends of multicultural tunes and dances sure to entertain.  

“My goal is that there should be something for everyone, in an idealistic community-minded sense, whether you’re appreciating listening to music, the cultural stories behind its tradition, or whether you’re singing along.” said Crawford.  

Valuing togetherness and driven by his love for music, Crawford is passionate about accessibility and ensuring everyone feels cared-for and welcome. When he’s not busy sound-checking or networking with performers, he’s enjoying being the one to throw the party. 

“I feel like people need to connect; we don’t have many ways to physically or spiritually connect with strangers. It’s kind of healing and fun, and I want people to know that it’s very forgiving. You don’t have to be a good dancer or a dancer or a singer at all to participate in our programs,” said Crawford.  

As contra dancers, musicians, and callers all pack up, Crawford and Graham get in tune for another week of excitement.  As the final instrument is laid in its case, Dance Musician’s Week comes to an end. Those who entered as strangers exit as newfound friends. Sharing space for music and dance evolved into more than a gathering: but a manifestation of community, born of shared rhythm and movement.