From the Mic

Episode 2 - Lisa Greenleaf

Episode Summary

In our conversation we talk about Lisa’s journey from the dance floor to the caller’s mic and the mentors she had along the way, in particular the prolific dance choreographer Larry Jennings. We explore the driving factors behind Lisa’s deep love for and commitment to leading social dance and get into the nuts and bolts of how she thinks about her role as a caller. She also shares her insights on building strong dance communities. There’s much to learn there. Enjoy!

Episode Notes

See the From the Mic website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

Soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):

Lisa calling the square dance “Contra Corners Canon” written by Ron Buchanan in 2004 to the music of Dave Langford, Lise Brown, and Kate Barnes
Lisa calling the square dance Chinese Fan in 2013 to the music of Karen Axelrod, Daron Douglas, and Anna Patton.
Lisa calling the contra dance "Summer of '94" by Mike Richardson at the 2015 Florida Snowball to the music of the Stringrays
Lisa calling a variant of the contra dance "Mad Slice" by Rick Mohr at the 2013 Balance the Bay dance weekend to the music of the Moving Violations

Other Links:

From her position as an internationally recognized dance caller and teacher Lisa has been interviewed many times! Here are a few others if you want to hear more:
- 2007 interview with Bob Brundage for the Square Dance Foundation of New England, Inc
- Lisa appears in a series of interviews in the Square Dance History Project database
Lisa's home dance, which she helps organize, is the Thursday Night Contra at the Concord, MA Scout House
- She's also very involved with the New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA)
Lisa mentions BIDA, the Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates
She also mentions dance choreographer and commentator Larry Jennings, who you can get to know through his books Zesty Contras (1983) and Give & Take (2004)
Several musicians and callers mentioned in Lisa's interview have appeared on our sister podcast "Contra Pulse!" Check them out here: