About the Staff – Fall
Fall Weekend Staff – 2024 (Oct 4 – 6, 2024)
3 Wheel Drive
The trio of River Scheuerell and brothers Dante and Eros Faulk is quickly becoming one of the most exciting, innovative, and sought after contra dance bands in the Pacific Northwest. Longtime friends and collaborators, they have been playing together in various forms since childhood. Each a multi-instrumentalist, these three create a rich, sonic palette with fiddles, guitar, cello, and bodhran. With their love and excitement for traditional music, they bring people together in a refreshing new manner through music and dance.
Jesse Partridge
Jesse Partridge is known for his welcoming ways and infectious smile. He is an amazing fiddler, caller, and multi-instrumentalist who inspires those around him. He started playing the fiddle early in his life, and later became a contra dancer, dance organizer, and a sought-after dance caller. Jesse is an essential part of the Olympia music and dance community and helps to inspire new generations of musicians to take up fiddling and traditional music. Jesse can often be found at local contra dances from Seattle to Portland as a musician, caller, or participant. He lives in Olympia with an orange tabby cat named Sunny.
Suzanne Girardot
Suzanne is know for clear and enthusiastic calling, and has been sharing dance around the country for decades. Dancers love her diverse selection of contras and squares, including dances in the Quebecois tradition. Her knowledge of the tradition stems from workshops and friendships with Quebecois callers and musicians, and some research as well. Suzanne is a step dancer, teaching and performing Appalachian clogging, tap, and Quebecois step dancing. Her relaxed teaching style breaks steps down so everyone can leave the workshop with a sense of fun and accomplishment.
La Famille Léger
Harking back to a time when family and friends gathered in the warmth of Québec and New Brunswick kitchens to play and dance time-honored tunes together, La Famille Léger keeps the rich tradition alive. The Légers play the dance music of French Canada – music handed down through generations in the New World. Patriarch Louis Léger leads the band on the one-row melodeon (a type of button accordion), son Devon plays fiddle, and Dejah, Devon’s wife, is on guitar and piano. This proudly “old school” family band will have you dancing and joining in on the fun.
