Contra dance caller Chrissy Fowler cheerfully leads folks of all ages in traditional New England social dance. She is gifted at building community through dance and movement.

Chrissy's leadership is informed by her work as a teacher. With a Master's degree in elementary education, she has two decades of classroom experience with students from pre-school to college. It brings her immense joy to help children and adults have fun learning together.

Enhance your community, school, organization, conference, dance series, festival, wedding or other joyful occasion with a dance party led by Chrissy Fowler.

Contact dance@chrissyfowler.com or (207) 338-0979 for more info.

“ Chrissy Fowler honks. Among the hundreds going up to the mic to lead a group in one of our cherished contra dances, very few can match this woman.”

Sam Bartlett, professional musician and author

“Chrissy is relaxed, witty, and non-judgmental, such that duffers don't feel awkward but are ready to give it another go on the next dance.”

Shane Hunt, reunion host

Bio

Chrissy Fowler is committed to building community, and sees traditional dancing as a vital means to connect people across age and experience.

When we join hands together in dance, we collaborate on something that is greater than our individual selves – like a virtual barn-raising with fiddle tunes. Such collaboration is invaluable for the individual and the group alike, whether they are elementary school students, professionals at a conference, graduating college seniors or guests at a wedding.

Since leading her first dance in the NH Seacoast in 1999, Chrissy has cheerfully guided people through the steps of contra dances at festivals, schools, dance series and special events throughout New England.

She is especially gifted at introducing the joys of traditional dance to the uninitiated in educational, community and professional settings.

Besides teaching people how easy it is to do-si-do or swing, Chrissy offers workshops on the art of calling and principles of dance management, happily sharing her insights and experiences. She co-founded two successful monthly dances:

A Maine native, Chrissy hails from the active coastal community of Belfast, where she is a dance caller and freelance educator.

Special Events

Chrissy's welcoming manner and accessible calling style is in high demand at special events and celebrations.

Easy-to-learn contra dancing helps a group of individuals forge connections that endure long after the music has stopped.

What a wonderful way to celebrate a rite of passage, honor an anniversary, send off a graduate, break the ice for a conference, entertain campers or bond with friends and family!

Traditional New England dancing is especially well-suited for weddings, and Chrissy ensures that the newly married couple enjoys themselves as much as their family and friends.

Conference participants who begin their work together with dance and movement can continue that collaboration throughout the professional gathering and beyond.

Chrissy works with skilled musicians who will delight everyone with their engaging arrangements of dance tunes, and she tailors the musical ensemble to the occasion.

To arrange for Chrissy to bring dancing to your special event, contact her by telephone at (207)338-0979 or by email at dance@chrissyfowler.com.

"Thank you for calling for the JCDS retreat. Everyone raved about you and your group!"

Laura Miller, parent at Jewish Community Day School of Boston

"(At) family reunions whose participants ranged in age from 6 to 75, …Chrissy’s dance program was a roaring success. The little kids loved it, the old geezers loved it."

Shane Hunt, reunion host

Residencies & Workshops

Chrissy is available for traditional dance workshops and residencies at schools, universities and other settings.

Contra dance is an important facet of New England's living history and is relevant to a host of subject areas, from social studies and mathematics to music and physical education. Workshop content is designed to help participants place this accessible and enjoyable dance form in a social and historical context.

Contra dancing weaves the social fabric of community, to backdrop of lively tunes. The dances are inextricably linked with the folk music heritage of New England and beyond, from Quebec and Ireland to the Southern Appalachian mountains.

The repeating patterns and simple footwork of these inclusive traditional dances enable everyone to participate. Contra dancing relates to the whole person and makes use of these multiple intelligences:

  • bodily-kinesthetic - to move with coordination to the music
  • musical - to listen and respond to the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms
  • logical-mathematical - to follow the repeating patterns of the dance figures
  • interpersonal – to cooperate with each other and interact through hand and eye contact
  • visual-spatial – to understand how the dance flows through space and one's body moves in a given direction

Chrissy's leadership is informed by her work as a teacher. With a Master's degree in elementary education, she has two decades of classroom experience with students from pre-school to college. It brings her immense joy to help people of all ages learn and have fun together.

To plan a residency with Chrissy, contact her by telephone at (207)338-0979 or by email at dance@chrissyfowler.com.

“Chrissy Fowler is an absolute star with high school kids. She jumped right in... taking charge with good humor and clarity so that the kids were dancing, laughing, and enjoying themselves immediately.”

Brad Robinson, Phillips Exeter Academy faculty

“Chrissy was patient with a wide array of skills and energy levels on the part of participants.”

Deb Hensley, educational consultant and performing artist

Testimonials

"Chrissy Fowler honks. She doesn't bore people. Ever. She doesn't leave people out. Ever. She likes fun music and fun dances. She ratchets up the intimacy and power in a room and ultimately leaves people on the verge of hysterical happiness. Or over the verge. These days, it seems like everyone thinks they're a dance caller, but let me tell you that among the hundreds going up to the mic to lead a group in one of our cherished contra dances, very few can match this woman."

Sam Bartlett, professional musician and author

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for filling our wedding reception with joyful dancing and togetherness! You played a key role in creating some of the most wonderful and memorable moments of our lives, and with so many of our loved ones. What a beautiful gift for us to cherish in our memories for the rest of our lives."

Lori & Willis Beazley, wedding couple

"Thank you so much for calling our dance. We had a great time! Please come visit us again."

Beech Hill School After School Program in Otis, Maine

"You can take a room of people - all ages, friends, strangers, it doesn't matter - and add Chrissy Fowler to the mix, and soon everyone will be dancing for joy! Chrissy just has that effect on folks."

Shawn Brenneman, caller, dancer, and dance organizer

"Thursday nights at our camp for families was the best night of the week. That was the night Chrissy would show up after campers feasted on lobsters and mussels and get them all worked up into a contra dance frenzy. It was always a sight to see five year olds dancing and skipping, hooting and hollering with their friends, their parents and their grandparents, all smoothly orchestrated by Chrissy. Each week, a totally different crowd took to her immediately and eagerly awaited her every call. And at the end of each week, campers consistently noted contra dancing as one of the best activities at camp."

David Brunner, Director, Medomak Camp

"You are like the Johnny Appleseed of contra dancing."

Keith Davis, musician

"Chrissy is a great teacher and extremely supportive. She was patient with a wide array of skills and energy levels on the part of participants. Chrissy was enthusiastic about the dance community, about dancing itself, about the music and the bands, and about calling and teaching."

Deb Hensley, educational consultant and performing artist

"For the past two years, Chrissy Fowler called contra dances for a pair of family reunions whose participants ranged in age from 6 to 75. She selected the program, provided the music, showed us what to do, and called the dances while we did it. Chrissy's dance program was a roaring success, both years. Much of the success was due to her personality. Chrissy is relaxed, witty, and non-judgmental, such that duffers don't feel awkward but are ready to give it another go on the next dance. The little kids loved it, the old geezers loved it. We even had some Peruvian senoritas who know the latest salsa moves, and they loved it, too. At the end, we all counted Chrissy as a friend."

Shane Hunt, reunion host

"We had SO much fun having a contra dance for our wedding reception. It was really a perfect way to cap off the Maine experience for all the folks from away. Many of our friends and family have said how much fun they had trying something new and interactive. It's been so neat to see the pictures of friends and family paired up during different dances. The set of dances Chrissy called was a perfect fit for the beginning- level of guests and really fun and festive."

Carrie Lee & Rob Elleman, wedding couple

"I have worked for many years and at a wide spectrum of events with Chrissy Fowler and I highly recommend her for many reasons: She is charismatic and a great 'front person'; she knows what beginners need to know; her instruction is clear, practiced, and cheerful; she knows how to read a crowd of dancers, what dances to choose for a program, and when to adjust the dances for the crowd. Chrissy also has a deep understanding of calling and how the music fits the dancing - she communicates clearly what music she wants for dances. This all adds up to many gigs where everyone feels that it's a success."

Glen Loper, professional musician

"Thank you for calling for the JCDS retreat at Camp Yavneh. Everyone raved about you and your group. We loved the music and your energy as well as the terrific dancing."

Laura Miller, parent at Jewish Community Day School of Boston

"Chrissy is a well-organized, enthusiastic and gifted teacher."

Kim Roberts, dancer and caller

"Chrissy Fowler is an absolute star with high school kids. She jumped right into working with a gymnasium full of ninth graders, taking charge with good humor and clarity so that the kids were dancing, laughing, and enjoying themselves immediately. She knows how to make dancing fun and gets our entire community dancing together. Many feel her dance is the highlight of the year. She is the best!"

Brad Robinson, Phillips Exeter Academy faculty

"You were so wonderful to work with. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. What a special day!"

Bridget Walker, birthday party host, Concord, Massachusetts

"Community dance taught our students so much more than dance steps. Chrissy set the stage for a positive outcome from the very first moment. A safe environment was created wherein any pairing worked - and was fun! The students also learned a great deal of social etiquette, which translated into positive behaviors throughout the school community. Kindergarteners who were initially fearful of the "big kids" were soon sitting with them at lunch. I would highly recommend Chrissy and Community Dance to any school."

Anna Wood-Cox, elementary school teacher in Northport, Maine

Experience

Chrissy has led traditional dance at:

  • professional conferences
  • retreats
  • workshops
  • weddings
  • birthdays
  • family reunions
  • bar/bat mitzvahs
  • graduation parties
  • community celebrations
  • fundraisers
  • agricultural events
  • arts events
  • school assemblies
  • classrooms
  • college campuses
  • science centers
  • outdoor education centers
  • summer camps
  • contra dance series
  • special contra dances
  • dance weekends and camps
  • fairs
  • festivals
  • and more!

Contact

Chrissy can be reached via: