NGI Recipient: Alden Witman
Session Attended: CDS Boston Centre - Swing into Summer (2017)
This spring I attended the Swing Into Summer weekend at Pinewoods and it was an experience like no other. I never thought of it as a possibility for me until someone told me about the NGI scholarship program. With the help of that scholarship I had the luxury of coming to this beautiful forest and camping for a weekend, surrounded by nothing but good friends, good food, and even better dancing.
I’ve been a part of the dance community for many years now and I’ve been hearing about Pinewoods for just as long. Stories that seemed to almost be legends they sounded so good. I thought “this camp must be overhyped, it can’t be as good as I’ve heard!” And I was right; It was even better.
I really enjoyed dancing outside in the dance halls. The open sides made for a much cooler dance environment which everyone could appreciate. It was a great break from indoor dance halls that often get too hot. After the dances people would go jump into the lake to cool off, which was always my favorite part.
The band was also exceptional. Nova has a great sound, and I love that more contra time was created because they wanted to play more. The English dancing was fun too. I had never English danced before this weekend and I had a blast. I’m sure I’ll dance more of it in the future.
What I can’t forget to mention is just how incredible the food was. The cooks created delicious spreads for every meal and each one was a delicacy. I was a little worried that, since I don’t eat dairy, I might miss out on some of the meals. To my delight the substitute food that the cooks prepared was always just as good as the main course; sometimes better. (I’m talking about you, pasta pesto! You delicious dinner, you!)
A big thank you to CDS Boston Centre and Pinewoods Camp, Inc. for this amazing opportunity. With all the different activities and workshops going on, there was something for everyone there. I hope to return some year so I can experience it all over again.