English Country Dance and Contra Dance Leader Judi Rivkin

Judi Rivkin
English Country and Contra Dance Leader
Based in Central New Jersey photo of English Country Dance leader Judi Rivkin by Jim Dugas

Email Judi Rivkin at
judi.rivkin-AT SIGN-alumni.usc.edu
rivkinetic.org
Past Engagements

Upcoming Engagements
Judi Rivkin has been dancing all her life, and started on her path as a dance leader when she moved to Seattle from New York in 1991. Her weekly English country dance workshops have been the source not only for dancers of all experience levels to grow and expand their knowledge and repertoire, but also for several Seattle bands to develop.
Judi's goals as a dance leader are to maximize dancing time through initial clear and concise teaching; offer "style points" to raise the level of dance; calling in such a way that dancers feel she is their “personal prompter” – you can hear the calls if you need to, without intruding on the music; and creating an atmosphere that is comfortable for all, and conducive to goodwill and learning. She never forgets that dancing and socializing in the community is meant to be fun, that discretionary time (and funds) are at a premium, and that there's more than one way to learn a dance.
Judi's main influences in dance leadership have been Genny Shimer, Sue Salmons, Brad Foster, Fried de Metz Herman, Bruce Hamilton, Helene Cornelius, Christine Helwig, and her parents, who met while folkdancing in New York City. Her dad was at one time a ballroom dance teacher at Arthur Murray's Fifth Avenue studio, and most recently, has led square and round dancing.
In November 2001, Judi left Seattle for the East Coast to be closer to her young nieces and nephews. She currently resides in Lawrenceville, NJ, and is an active participant in dance communities up and down the coast.
Her latest endeavor has been a series of English Country Dance classes taught through the Princeton Adult School. She and Sue Dupré began the "English Country Dance: Jane Austen and Beyond" class in Fall of 2005; Judi continued in the spring term, and the Fall 2006 class is scheduled to run once a week, on Tuesday evenings from October 3rd-December 5th. The class grew out of a series of workshops for newcomers to English Country Dancing, entitled "Jane Austen on the Dance Floor," co-led by Sue Dupré, which ran weekly in Princeton in the Autumn of 2004. That series ended with a gala evening, "The Austen-Tatious Assembly."
In April 2001, she went on a 10-day tour with the Tricky Brits/Bag O'Tricks, a Seattle ECD and contra band, performing at the New England Folk Festival; Amherst, MA; and White Plains, NY. In September 2001, she led a dance weekend in Victoria, BC. And in October, she was dance master at the Regency Ball, a highlight of the Jane Austen Society of North America's annual meeting in Seattle.
In addition to leading her Seattle workshops, Judi was a regular performer at the annual Northwest Folklife Festival, held on Memorial Day Weekend, and a frequent visiting caller in Vancouver, BC. Nearly every Valentine's Day for the last several years, she has presented an evening of “Romantic English Country Dances in Waltz & Triple Time,” and December would not be the same without her dance evening toasting the holidays. She led a Regency Ball for the Seattle “Somewhere In Time” chapter, and taught a special dance session for the Jane Austen Society's Seattle branch. Judi has been on staff at the English-Scottish Session at Pinewoods Camp in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Judi is currently president of Lambertville Country Dancers, and is a long-time member of both the Country Dance & Song Society and CDS Boston Centre. She helped produce the Fried-for-All Northwest in Seattle, June 16-18, 2006. She was also a founding board member of Country Dance*New York. In addition to her work as a dance leader, she has produced many English and contra dance events, weekends, and English country balls in both New York and Seattle, as well as a couple of dance websites, including one featuring several animated ECD figures, with music by Bare Necessities. She is web mistress for the Lambertville Country Dancers website. In the 2000-2001 season, she introduced ECD Open Band dances and New Voices nights in Seattle.
When not dancing, Judi enjoys time with her nieces and nephews, sings, is the events administrator for a program at Princeton University, is an ardent baseball fan, and works on websites.
If you would like to contact her about leading a dance for your group, please email her at judi.rivkin-AT SIGN-alumni.usc.edu
back to top

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS:

Saturday, January 12, 2008: Princeton Country Dancers. 2nd Saturday English Country Dance led by Judi Rivkin, music by the fabulous Hold the Mustard! [Barbara Greenberg, Daniel Beerbohm, Paul Prestopino, and Kathy Talvitie]. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton.
Thursday, February 14, 2008: Annual Valentine's Day Event, "An Evening of Romantic English Country Dance in Waltz & Triple Time" with Extraordinary Music from Daniel Beerbohm, John Burkhalter, Barbara Greenberg & Cynthia Shaw. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton.
Tuesdays, February 19-April 8, 2008: Princeton, NJ, 7-9 p.m. Princeton Adult School. Judi begins a new year of workshops tailored to learning English Country dance style, substance and repertoire, tempered with a lot of laughter, and LIVE MUSIC, in this 8-week series of ECD classes entitled "English Country Dance: Austen and Beyond." Pre-registration required.
Sunday, February 24, 2008: Ridgewood, NJ, 2-5 p.m. JUST ADDED! Judi leads an English country dance for the North Jersey English Country Dancers. Music by the Flying Romanos.
Sunday, March 16, 2008: Troy, New York, 2-5 p.m. RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute English Country Dance) dances. Academy Hall, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at the corner of 15th Street & College Ave., Troy, NY. Admission: $10. Music by Heartsease.
Friday, April 4, 2008: Lambertville Country Dancers: Judi leads this month's First Friday English Dance at St. Andrew's Church in Lambertville, with a special recognition of the 4/4 date! Music TBA
Saturday, May 3, 2008: First half of our NY State Springtime Double-Header ~ An ECD Evening in upstate NY at the Hurley Reformed Church, Main Street, Hurley, NY. Presented by the Hudson Valley Community Dances. 8-11 p.m. [newcomers session at 7:30]. Music TBA.
Sunday, May 4, 2008: Second half of the NY State Double-Header. ECD (It's Ice-Cream Sunday) in the Afternoon at the Masonic Temple, 710 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush, NY. 2-5 p.m. Music TBA. Presented by the Capital English Country Dancers. Directions: Take I-90 to exit 9 (Rt 4). Route 4 to Rt 9&20. Left on Rt. 9 & 20. Contact Nancy Yule 518-477-5684, njyule-AT SIGN-worldnet.att.net
Wednesday, May 14, 2008: Princeton Country Dancers. Wednesday evening contra dance will be led by Judi Rivkin, music by Seattle-based national favorites Laurie Andres, Cathie Whitesides, and W.B. Reid. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton. Be there!!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008: Ridgewood, NJ, 2-5 p.m. Come celebrate the Summer Solstice!! Judi leads an English country dance for the North Jersey English Country Dancers. Music by the Flying Romanos.
Saturday, September 20, 2008: Pleasures of the Town 3rd Saturday English Country Dance, South Amherst, MA. Judi leads the Saturday night dance for all, with outstanding music by Doug Creighton and Joyce Crouch, from 7:30-10:30 p.m., then on Sunday, Gary Roodman will lead a session of his own dances for experienced dancers. All this and the beauty of early autumn in New England, too!

last updated 4 February 2008

Judi Rivkin English Country and Contra Dance Leader Based in Central New Jersey	Email Judi Rivkin at judi.rivkin-AT SIGN-alumni.usc.edu rivkinetic.org Past Engagements
Upcoming Engagements Judi Rivkin has been dancing all her life, and started on her path as a dance leader when she moved to Seattle from New York in 1991. Her weekly English country dance workshops have been the source not only for dancers of all experience levels to grow and expand their knowledge and repertoire, but also for several Seattle bands to develop. Judi's goals as a dance leader are to maximize dancing time through initial clear and concise teaching; offer "style points" to raise the level of dance; calling in such a way that dancers feel she is their “personal prompter” – you can hear the calls if you need to, without intruding on the music; and creating an atmosphere that is comfortable for all, and conducive to goodwill and learning. She never forgets that dancing and socializing in the community is meant to be fun, that discretionary time (and funds) are at a premium, and that there's more than one way to learn a dance. Judi's main influences in dance leadership have been Genny Shimer, Sue Salmons, Brad Foster, Fried de Metz Herman, Bruce Hamilton, Helene Cornelius, Christine Helwig, and her parents, who met while folkdancing in New York City. Her dad was at one time a ballroom dance teacher at Arthur Murray's Fifth Avenue studio, and most recently, has led square and round dancing. In November 2001, Judi left Seattle for the East Coast to be closer to her young nieces and nephews. She currently resides in Lawrenceville, NJ, and is an active participant in dance communities up and down the coast. Her latest endeavor has been a series of English Country Dance classes taught through the Princeton Adult School. She and Sue Dupré began the "English Country Dance: Jane Austen and Beyond" class in Fall of 2005; Judi continued in the spring term, and the Fall 2006 class is scheduled to run once a week, on Tuesday evenings from October 3rd-December 5th. The class grew out of a series of workshops for newcomers to English Country Dancing, entitled "Jane Austen on the Dance Floor," co-led by Sue Dupré, which ran weekly in Princeton in the Autumn of 2004. That series ended with a gala evening, "The Austen-Tatious Assembly." In April 2001, she went on a 10-day tour with the Tricky Brits/Bag O'Tricks, a Seattle ECD and contra band, performing at the New England Folk Festival; Amherst, MA; and White Plains, NY. In September 2001, she led a dance weekend in Victoria, BC. And in October, she was dance master at the Regency Ball, a highlight of the Jane Austen Society of North America's annual meeting in Seattle. In addition to leading her Seattle workshops, Judi was a regular performer at the annual Northwest Folklife Festival, held on Memorial Day Weekend, and a frequent visiting caller in Vancouver, BC. Nearly every Valentine's Day for the last several years, she has presented an evening of “Romantic English Country Dances in Waltz & Triple Time,” and December would not be the same without her dance evening toasting the holidays. She led a Regency Ball for the Seattle “Somewhere In Time” chapter, and taught a special dance session for the Jane Austen Society's Seattle branch. Judi has been on staff at the English-Scottish Session at Pinewoods Camp in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Judi is currently president of Lambertville Country Dancers, and is a long-time member of both the Country Dance & Song Society and CDS Boston Centre. She helped produce the Fried-for-All Northwest in Seattle, June 16-18, 2006. She was also a founding board member of Country DanceNew York. In addition to her work as a dance leader, she has produced many English and contra dance events, weekends, and English country balls in both New York and Seattle, as well as a couple of dance websites, including one featuring several animated ECD figures, with music by Bare Necessities. She is web mistress for the Lambertville Country Dancers website. In the 2000-2001 season, she introduced ECD Open Band dances and New Voices nights in Seattle. When not dancing, Judi enjoys time with her nieces and nephews, sings, is the events administrator for a program at Princeton University, is an ardent baseball fan, and works on websites. If you would like to contact her about leading a dance for your group, please email her at judi.rivkin-AT SIGN-alumni.usc.edu* back to top
UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Saturday, January 12, 2008: Princeton Country Dancers. 2nd Saturday English Country Dance led by Judi Rivkin, music by the fabulous Hold the Mustard! [Barbara Greenberg, Daniel Beerbohm, Paul Prestopino, and Kathy Talvitie]. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton. Thursday, February 14, 2008: Annual Valentine's Day Event, "An Evening of Romantic English Country Dance in Waltz & Triple Time" with Extraordinary Music from Daniel Beerbohm, John Burkhalter, Barbara Greenberg & Cynthia Shaw. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton. Tuesdays, February 19-April 8, 2008: Princeton, NJ, 7-9 p.m. Princeton Adult School. Judi begins a new year of workshops tailored to learning English Country dance style, substance and repertoire, tempered with a lot of laughter, and LIVE MUSIC, in this 8-week series of ECD classes entitled "English Country Dance: Austen and Beyond." Pre-registration required. Sunday, February 24, 2008: Ridgewood, NJ, 2-5 p.m. JUST ADDED! Judi leads an English country dance for the North Jersey English Country Dancers. Music by the Flying Romanos. Sunday, March 16, 2008: Troy, New York, 2-5 p.m. RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute English Country Dance) dances. Academy Hall, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at the corner of 15th Street & College Ave., Troy, NY. Admission: $10. Music by Heartsease. Friday, April 4, 2008: Lambertville Country Dancers: Judi leads this month's First Friday English Dance at St. Andrew's Church in Lambertville, with a special recognition of the 4/4 date! Music TBA Saturday, May 3, 2008: First half of our NY State Springtime Double-Header ~ An ECD Evening in upstate NY at the Hurley Reformed Church, Main Street, Hurley, NY. Presented by the Hudson Valley Community Dances. 8-11 p.m. [newcomers session at 7:30]. Music TBA. Sunday, May 4, 2008: Second half of the NY State Double-Header. ECD (It's Ice-Cream Sunday) in the Afternoon at the Masonic Temple, 710 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush, NY. 2-5 p.m. Music TBA. Presented by the Capital English Country Dancers. Directions: Take I-90 to exit 9 (Rt 4). Route 4 to Rt 9&20. Left on Rt. 9 & 20. Contact Nancy Yule 518-477-5684, njyule-AT SIGN-worldnet.att.net Wednesday, May 14, 2008: Princeton Country Dancers. Wednesday evening contra dance will be led by Judi Rivkin, music by Seattle-based national favorites Laurie Andres, Cathie Whitesides, and W.B. Reid. At the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton. Be there!!! Sunday, June 22, 2008: Ridgewood, NJ, 2-5 p.m. Come celebrate the Summer Solstice!! Judi leads an English country dance for the North Jersey English Country Dancers. Music by the Flying Romanos. Saturday, September 20, 2008: Pleasures of the Town 3rd Saturday English Country Dance, South Amherst, MA. Judi leads the Saturday night dance for all, with outstanding music by Doug Creighton and Joyce Crouch, from 7:30-10:30 p.m., then on Sunday, Gary Roodman will lead a session of his own dances for experienced dancers. All this and the beauty of early autumn in New England, too!
last updated 4 February 2008