I have been busy this fall, with book events, workshops, dances, and concerts in California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, North and South Carolina, and as far away as Alberta, Canada, where I went for a weeklong residency at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton. My visit to Canada was hosted by folkwaysAlive!, an archive associated with Smithsonian Folkways that houses a nearly complete collection of Folkways Records. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there sharing my research with ethnomusicology classes, meeting local musicians, scholars, and folklorists, teaching a flatfooting workshop, calling square dances, and most important, giving a talk about my book, Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics. It was interesting to see how many of the dance issues that are discussed in the book are also relevant in Canada.
folkwaysAlive! University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (November 25, 2015)