Blog

Dear Friends,

I’m writing about Belfast Flying Shoes (BFS) and our annual fundraising appeal. BFS’s unique nonprofit mission is to build community and cultivate well-being through the joys of traditional music and dance for people of all identities in midcoast Maine. When we stay connected, we all thrive.

Back in October, my family witnessed an extraordinary display of the aurora borealis. At the urging of our friends and neighbors, we left our comfortable living room for the yard. There, with necks craned upward, we exclaimed in incoherent wonder as fuchsia and pale green lights waved and pulsed in a celestial dance. It was awe-inspiring.

And we would have missed the aurora entirely if not for those dear friends and neighbors encouraging us to get out there and join them.

Later on, it occurred to me that the same sort of thing happens with Belfast Flying Shoes. Whether it’s an incarcerated man inviting a retired teacher to dance, or a teenager playing a fiddle tune alongside an octogenarian, helping people get out there and join in a shared experience is at the heart of all we do.

Today, we are asking you to join in and support the 5th Annual Appeal for Belfast Flying Shoes (BFS) and its participatory programs. When BFS Board President, Kay Zegel, and I were reflecting on our hopes for the Appeal, we realized that fundraising is actually quite similar to making music and dancing: sometimes challenging and exciting, often quirky and surprising, and nearly always affirming.

What’s more, music-making, dancing, and contributing are also — just as I experienced with the aurora — especially awe-inspiring when shared with other people.

BFS supporters often include brief messages with their gifts. Here’s a sample of the affirmation we’ve received this year:

• “Thank you all for your dedication & creativity in bringing traditional music & dance to our communities.”
• “Love all your programs, especially with kids in schools! Bravo!”
• “Excited to support such a worthy and important effort. As my Dad would say, ‘I don’t want to be the richest person in the cemetery.’ Dance on!”
• “Wonderful to see all the ‘joy seeds’ you’re planting with the expanding reach of BFS. Feeling that joy in the many faces smiling in your Annual Report.”

So far, 92 donors have already given $12,400 toward the 2024 Annual Appeal goal to raise $22,500 from 200 supporters. Another goal is that 60 people under the age of 40 will make a gift of $5 or more – and, all young donor gifts will be matched! (So far, 26 young donors have donated $817!) Definitely awe-inspiring and affirming!

If you want to get out there and join them, by donating too, you can:

• Mail a check to Belfast Flying Shoes, PO Box 133, Belfast, ME 04915
• Use credit, debit, or PayPal via our online payment page 
• Send a Venmo payment — @belfast-flying-shoes (code 5665, if needed)

One regular contributor described how much their donation this year surprised them. They knew they wanted to increase their giving, and had settled on a certain figure. But as they began to enter the dollar amount on their donation, they reflected once more on the impact of participatory music and dance on their life. And they gave twice the amount they had planned on contributing!

We hope you, too, will consider how much you value BFS programs in your community, from our monthly dance series to our music and movement programs for incarcerated men at the Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center, older adults in our community, and students and staff of PreK-12 schools.

One elementary school student clearly valued the BFS residency with their class. They wrote, “I love when we dance. It’s really fun and we laugh so much. You should do this dancing thing in all schools to make kids laugh and be happy.” 

Humans thrive on surprise and wonder, mutual support and engagement, and most definitely on laughter and happiness. Your donation to Belfast Flying Shoes will help keep all of these awesome qualities alive in our community, for your friends and neighbors, and for you. Thank you, one and all!

On behalf of the BFS Board*,

Chrissy Fowler, BFS Executive Director

*Alessandra Martinelli, Bella Salman, Chuck Markowitz, Ethan Tischler, Kay Zegel, Mike Wright, Peg Pickering, and Sunniva Brady

With so many unknowns in the world today, it’s worth celebrating moments of inspiration and joy.

Last weekend, the Irish group, Tigh na Coille , wowed Waldo County. It was, in the words of one participant, “Unforgettable!”

Highlights are below, and many folks made the programs happen, from Halloween through All Souls Day. The BFS Board & staff are grateful!

• The Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast for being the first stop of the tour (with costumes, face paint, and healthy food before trick-or-treating)
• The Irish session at the  Homeport Tavern for great craic on Samhain
•  WERU for a sweet interview as featured artists of the week – listen here
• 75 older adults for attending the concerts at Penobscot Shores and Harbor Hill
• 20 volunteers; 55 All Comers Band musicians; callers Lisa Newcomb; Chrissy Fowler & David Millstone; sound provider Lincoln Clapp; and hundreds of happy dancers for a rousing 1st Fri dance series at First Church in Belfast
• The 49 workshop registrants, 175 concert-goers, and Union Hall, the First Congregational Church, & Mermaid Plaza for supporting the arts in Searsport
• The Makers Guild of Maine  for arranging the venues and potluck supper
• Bagaduce Music for doing advance ticketing and the poster
• Jody Johnstone and Jim Hyland for welcoming the whole group into their hearts and home, plus Jody’s clay studio!

And, special thanks to Elvie Miller, Denis Liddy, and the 22 incredibly talented young people in Tigh na Coille, who shared their love of traditional music and dance with all of us lucky ones here in Maine!

Go raibh maith agat!

BFS programs like these are made possible by donations to the BFS Annual Appeal, including donors under 40. Donate today!

[One more thing! In the hubbub, group leader Denis Liddy didn’t make his usual video recording of the concert performance. If you can share your footage, online or via WhatsApp, please contact them directly: [email protected]]

Videos on the BFS YouTube channel:

• Irish session 
• Demos of sean-nós dance and Irish step dance
• Concert – members of the Pineland Fiddlers perform a set

Announcing a weekend of Irish music programs with Tigh na Coille (teeg nah quill-ah), an award-winning ensemble of young Irish musicians, with their leaders Denis Liddy and Elvie Miller. (Below, in italics, is a description of the group.) BFS is thrilled to partner with the Makers Guild of Maine and Bagaduce Music to host them in our area.

Tigh na Coille’s Maine programs include:

• Thurs Oct 31 – The Irish Session at  Homeport Tavern
• Fri Nov 1 – The First Friday BFS dance series (playing and dancing both!)
• Saturday Nov 2 – Music workshops led by Denis & Elvie – Tickets here
• Saturday Nov 2 – Concert with Tigh na Coille, Denis & Elvie (and workshop participants as special guests) – Tickets here

Details:  BFS calendar

Additionally, Tigh na Coille will play for two older adult communities, make a studio appearance on WERU’s Morning Maine program, and explore the Belfast on Maine’s side of the Atlantic (including the Trick or Treat scene on Cedar Street!)

Details on the BFS calendar.

Tigh na Coille, a group of talented young musicians from County Clare, Ireland, led by renowned Irish traditional fiddler, Denis Liddy, and New Hampshire native and contradance pianist/accordionist, Elvie Miller, are performing on a tour of New England October 24-November 4.

Tigh na Coille, Gaelic for ‘house in the woods’ or ‘house of wood,’ is named for the unique location in Ireland where the group originates. The group boasts numerous solo and group All-Ireland winners in instrumental, singing, and lilting competitions as well as world champion Irish step dancers. This Tigh na Coille Fall Colors Tour features a huge variety of traditional Irish instruments, high-calibre music and dance performance and participation.

Denis and Elvie have toured worldwide over the last 25 years, as both performers and group leaders. Past group tours included North America, Australia, and Sweden, and, earlier this year, Bulgaria, where Tigh na Coille performed at the prestigious National School for Folk Arts in Kotel.

The group is active in their home community as well. They have hosted Bulgarian and Swedish groups and are currently collaborating with May Monday (Karen Tweed and Timo Alakotila) in a production melding the traditional music of Ireland, Orkney, and Finland, and involving more than 150 children in music performance.

This tour is inspired by the belief that music has the power to create bonds across cultures and that children form friendships and a lifelong love of music by playing and traveling together.

Tony Parkes — an influential and inspiring dance leader, composer, and author — died on May 6, 2024. His beloved wife, Beth Parkes, wrote, “Tony left us this afternoon. I was able to be with him for much of the day and was with him when he died. It was peaceful.”

Tony was a giant in the traditional social dance community. Humble, skilled, generous, thorough, talented, caring… these are all apt characterizations of the man whose self-described debilitating shyness was overcome through his involvement with square and contra dances.

Tony possessed grace, clarity, humor, poise, depth of knowledge, and a mellifluous voice — all of which made dancing to (and with) him a delight. Among his other traits, he was graced with deep spiritual faith, was a gifted writer, and loved performing Gilbert & Sullivan.

Yes, he is in Wikipedia, although the entry doesn’t mention his latest—and utterly brilliant—contribution to dance leadership: Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century. Any caller (or dancer or musician, for that matter) can glean valuable skills and perspective from both of Tony’s books on calling; plus, his prose is a pleasure to read!

In an episode of the From the Mic podcast, Tony describes his entrance into the dance world, some early and ongoing influences, and the philosophy and values that guided his leadership practice. A bonus episode features clips from Tony’s audio archives.

Tony was a core consultant for the Square Dance History Project, and you can find more about him there (including these interviews).

The journal entries on Tony’s Caring Bridge website provide a glimpse into his last months, as mysterious health issues were diagnosed as a brain tumor (specifically, glioblastoma) and he navigated treatments before entering hospice care.

The world was a better place because of Tony Parkes, and he is already dearly missed.

Memorial Gatherings for Tony will be Memorial Day weekend:

• Saturday, May 25, 10:00 am Memorial Eucharist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, followed by interment of Tony’s ashes in the Memorial Garden and a reception in the Parish Hall.
• Sunday, May 26, (exact times TBD, but afternoon into evening) Potluck dinner, memorial, and dance with many callers and musicians at the Concord Scout House

Memorial Donations in Tony’s honor may be made to:

• The New England Folk Festival Association (Tony attended the annual festival every year, from 1969-2023. In 2024, a special tribute session honored his contributions; Tony watched the recording while in hospice care.)
  P.O. Box 2789, Acton MA 01720
  NEFFA.org
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Tony & Beth’s home church)
  100 Pine Hill Road, Bedford, MA 01730
  www.stpaulsbedford.org/donate
• Tony Parkes GoFundMe will help pay Tony’s hospital and funeral expenses

Margo Burnham joined the Belfast Flying Shoes Board of Directors in June of 2023, at an intense time in the Covid-19 pandemic. As BFS adapted in multiple ways to the upheaval, both the board and the organization itself were blessed to have Margo’s guidance and encouragement. She brought a wealth of nonprofit board & staff experience, and was an invaluable advisor regarding program development, fundraising, and nonprofit practices. We especially appreciated Margo’s ability to calmly listen and give thoughtful feedback, from straightforward suggestions for simple improvements to gentle guidance on systemic change. And her positive outlook is unparalleled!

Margo served as president of the Board, facilitating and participating in meetings with kindness, grace, and, as another board member characterized it, humane leadership. With the return of most BFS programs amidst continued organizational changes, Margo offered to extend her 3 year term by a few more months. On March 26, the BFS Board accepted Margo’s resignation with gratitude for her service to what she dubbed “the best board ever!”

The BFS Board and ED are glad to know that Margo intends to stay connected. While we will miss her leadership presence, we celebrate her taking time to drink many cups of tea, spend time with her family, and focus on other responsibilities — including working as a program advisor for the Nature Conservancy and managing the 87th year of her family’s vacation cottage business. Thank you, Margo, for your devotion to Belfast Flying Shoes!

Maine’s contra dance community lost a broad-smiling, thoughtful presence when Don Osier died on February 8. His partner, Sarah, sent us the obituary that is copied below. She explained that Don had cardiac bypass surgery this past October. In February he had surgery to correct what they thought was a relatively minor issue, but it became a major surgery and he died from complications. Don’s family is planning a celebration of his life in the spring.

On the dance floor, Don was an exemplar of gentlemanly behavior: considerate, polite, and courteous. He had a zesty swing, and delighted in sharing dancing with others (including his work colleagues, for whom he hosted a dance with the Franklin County Fiddlers upon his University of Maine retirement.)

After dancing was paused during the pandemic, Don occasionally emailed items of interest: podcasts about the human experience, songs with lyrics he found powerful, news of fellow dancers, and even an occasional photo. He valued connection, especially through singing and dancing in community with others.

There’s not always time between a do-si-do and allemande left to deeply acquaint ourselves with our fellow dancers — people who are complex, interesting, and multi-faceted. But when we take the time, we realize what a gift it is to connect with them. Don Osier was a person to treasure. He will be missed.