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NGI Recipient: Brian Cunningham-Rhoads

Session Attended: CDS Boston Centre - Swing into Summer (2021)

Attending Swing into Summer 2021 has been the highlight of the year! I cannot coherently express how much fun I had during the weekend. By attending Swing into Summer, I learned how to safely run a dance event during the COVID-19 pandemic. To attend this event, each attendee had to submit a copy of their vaccine card as proof they are/will be fully vaccinated by the date of the event. Despite being initially skeptical, I had in-depth discussions with several of the organizers about their decision to check vaccine cards, compliance of attendees, and quality control measures they had in place. I hope to bring some of the strategies used by the organizers of this event into dances held in my own community in Durham, NC.

Swing into Summer also exposed me to new dancing styles, such as Morris dancing. Prior to the weekend, I had only heard of Morris dancing – something about jumping and waving white handkerchiefs. After I saw the schedule, I knew this was a dance I wanted to try. Attending the workshop, I learned about the long, forgotten history of Morris dancing and its roots in nearly every social class from the 16th to 18th century, and it’s revival in the 20th century. The rich history, coupled with jubilant, festive processionals, made for a joyous afternoon workshop.

The melodious and creative atmosphere at Swing into Summer reignited my desire to learn the accordion. Five years ago, I lost my grandpa to Parkinson’s disease. This loss was particularly difficult because he was the person who taught me how to contra dance. My grandparents first introduced me to contra in 2000, and took me to the local dance every second Saturday of every month for nearly eight years. His love for dance and music was palpable to all who knew him, often sharing his passion with others through dancing and playing the accordion. After he died, I inherited his instrument with the hope of learning to play it someday. After a weekend immersed in a community of musicians and artists, my internal desire to learn the accordion had been stoked – as if by the bellows of this awesome instrument.

Thank you so much for helping me attend this weekend. Your generosity is truly amazing, and I hope this email conveys even a fraction of the joy I experienced at Swing into Summer 2021.

Morris class