STAFF

Roguery formed in 2008 to record Impropriety, an album to go with Brooke Friendly and Chris Sackett’s first volume of dances. Since then, they have met in the Rogue Valley of Oregon to record six more albums. The band’s varied influences include English, contra, early music, classical, Breton, Scottish, Irish, Cape Breton, Galician, French, Balkan, jazz-fusion, gospel, Scandinavian, and Greek.
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Anita Anderson brings a dancer’s sensibility (plus a generous fund of improvisation) to playing piano for English country dancing. Clarity for dancers mastering complex instructions is first, followed by creative fun; she never plays any tune the same way twice. Her long experience playing for contra (Spin, Bag o’ Tricks, Play for Keeps) as well as ECD (Tricky Brits, Roguery) provides a wide range of musical ideas to add beauty and wit to her music.

Mandolin/cittern/guitarist Dave Bartley has played for ECD for 35 years. He’s also a prolific tune writer, and you probably have danced to tunes he has written. He currently plays for ECD with Roguery and the Tricky Brits, for contra dance with Contra Sutra and the recently retired KGB, ballroom dance with the Joy Street Orchestra, and Scottish and Irish songs and tune sets with Keltoi.

Dave brings to the table a background in classical guitar and percussion, playing rock music for school dances in the 70’s, and later playing for ballroom, swing, contra, Balkan and international folk dance. His most recent classical foray was playing mandolin for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Seattle Symphony.

Multi-instrumentalist Shira Kammen has spent much of her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music of all kinds. A member for many years of the early music Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, storyteller/harpist Patrick Ball, singers Azam Ali, and Joanna Newsom, the Balkan group Kitka, Anonymous IV, the King’s Noyse, the Newberry and Folger Consorts, Roguery, the Oregon, California and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to providing music on river rafting trips. She has worked with students in many different settings, among them teaching summer music workshops in the woods, coaching students of early music in such schools as Yale University, Case Western, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and working at specialized seminars at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, Italy and the Scuola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. She has played on a number of movie and television soundtracks, when weird medieval instruments are needed. 

Jim Oakden started playing piano and clarinet at an early age and stumbled into early music from the classical music scene. After six years performing early music, he discovered the world of traditional and ethnic music. Having diverse tastes, he has played in many bands and performs on an absurd number of instruments, including accordion, mandolin, several styles of bagpipes, recorders, whistle and zurna (to name but a few). A dancer himself, he specializes in playing for dancers in a bunch of bands for ECD, contra, morris, Irish, Breton/French, Greek, and Bulgarian. He has been on staff at myriad dance camps throughout the country. In addition to the Roguery CDS, his recordings include three albums with Persons of Quality.

Sarah Bellows is a flutist, private flute-teacher, and public school music teacher based in Oklahoma City, OK. She spends much of her time teaching and performing in OKC, and touring as a member of the folk duo, Panda Stomp. Growing up in a musical family with both parents as full time public school band directors, exposure to instrumental music was a natural part of her life.  At the age of 6, Sarah began taking piano lessons, then later started studying the flute at age 10.  At a young age, she was inspired by the works and artistry of composers like Dimitri Shostakovich, Aaron Copland, and artists like Stevie Wonder, Hubert Laws, and the band Chicago. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree in Flute Performance from the University of Oklahoma (2020), and is passionate about passing on an excitement for music to her students. When not teaching or playing the flute, Sarah loves to rock climb,  experience the great outdoors, thrift,  drink french-press coffee, and hang out with friends as often as possible. 

With a fearless curiosity and multi-instrumental virtuosity (clarinet, accordion, keyboard, electronics), Clara Byom has forged a successful musical career as a versatile performer, composer, and arts administrator whose work stretches across multiple genres—from classical (new and old) to traditional folk, indie rock to electronic music. Clara has premiered over 40 new classical works as soloist, collaborator, or with the New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble, which she co-founded in 2016 with Dalton Harris. Since 2020, Clara produced three solo albums of electronic/electroacoustic music, two collaborative albums with lo-fi hip hop/experimental artist Dan Dan, and experimental improvisation albums with Patrick DeBonis, Barry Chabala, David Forlano, and Muni Kulasinghe. Clara frequently plays for contra, English Country, and International Folk Dance as a soloist and with The Parson Sisters. She is a founding member of the award winning folk rock band Dust City Opera. Clara serves as Development Director for the Klezmer Institute and coordinator for Yiddish New York. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico in Clarinet Performance and Musicology (2017) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College (2012). In fall of 2024, Clara began doctoral studies at Texas Tech University, where she is researching groove and danceability.

Jacob Chen is a public school music educator, composer, dancer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Norman, Oklahoma. Growing up playing piano at the age of six, he developed an affinity towards learning various instruments and eventually started playing for contra and English dances. His passion for participatory music and dance has led him to be a presenter for workshops, sessions, dance camps, and dance weekends around the country. His warmth and community-driven ambitions keep folks engaged in gatherings and sessions. Jacob’s contagious enthusiasm for sharing music and dance create authentic connections between participants while respecting the musical traditions he has absorbed. When he’s not in the classroom or playing music, Jacob enjoys writing tunes, playing board games, baking various breads, and scouting the next piece of colorful fabric to wear.

Mirinisa Stewart-Tengco (she/they) is a classically-trained violinist with a lifelong passion for folk music. In addition to the contra, English Country, Scottish, and Irish folk music they have become known for through the band The Parson Sisters (a duet with Clara Byom), they have performed Balkan, Scandinavian, and bluegrass, occasionally dipping into other genres and instruments as well. When not performing music, she works in software and trains and performs various styles  of dance and other performing arts.

Jenny Beer calls Philadelphia her home dance community. She leads English Country Dancing, and occasionally Scottish and Contra.  A joyful caller, she strives to give everyone in the hall a good time — the long-time dancers, the musicians, the now-and-then dancers, those with high energy, those who are feeling less spry; the ones eager to experience new dances, the ones who love old favorites. Post-pandemic she has started a new community contra dance series mentoring callers and musicians, and an afternoon “Gentle English” dance. And, yes, she crafts a new dance now and again, and will bring some of those with her to NWP.

Brooke Friendly is known for her warm yet commanding personality, clear and concise teaching, creativity, and sense of whimsy. She has a strong sense of what makes for a good community, and makes the learning experience fun and relaxing. A dancer for more than 40 years, she teaches English Country Dance and community dance using global/positional language and strategies in a variety of settings including college academic credit and for older adults. Brooke has been on staff at weeklong dance and music camps, weekends, festivals, and events throughout North America, England, and Australia. She has led numerous workshops for callers, including online courses, using a balance of engaging material, lively discussions, and interesting exercises. A dance choreographer, she, with her husband Chris Sackett, has published six books of dances (Impropriety Vols. 1-6) and produced seven CDs with the band Roguery.

Highly regarded by dancers, musicians, and callers for his high-quality sound work, John Oorthuys has handled the board for many dances, balls, camps, and special events for PCDC and surrounding Pacific Northwest communities. He has been the camp sound engineer for years and years, where his wizardry makes the sound fantastic.

John spent his working career translating and disseminating sound from stadium rock concerts to very expensive headphones for fighter pilots. Always on task, he will make sure all that passionate, dynamic music gets full throated into your ears.