Bev Bernbaum has been addicted to all things contra since she was first introduced to it at the wonderful Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Albany, NY) in the summer of 1996. Not long afterwards, she made her debut as a caller: for a group of drunken students in a college pub! Seeing that things went much better than anticipated that night, she decided to keep at it.

Since then, she has been in demand as a regular caller in Toronto (where she is the past president of the Toronto Country Dancers), Hamilton, Buffalo and Owen Sound; she has also been touring in the US more frequently, calling in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Bloomington and Lansing, most recently. Bev travelled stateside again in March of 2004 with Kitchen Chair (Gail Blake and Jennifer Dotson), one of her favourite bands from Ithaca NY, and made her debut at NEFFA in April 2004!

Bev's philosophy is to call the dances that she likes to dance herself. She's always on the lookout for interesting figures or formations to mix things up. Her clear voice, calm manner and straightforward teaching style make contradancing a pleasure for both beginning and experienced dancers. Once you've danced to her calling, you'll know why Hamilton Country Dancers is delighted that she is returning for another weekend.

Dave Brown has been contra dancing for over 10 years and began calling in 1997 at the urging of the Buffalo dance community. In addition to his main love for contras, he also calls squares and Irish set dances.

In the belief that dancers come to dance, not listen to him talk, Dave strives for brief, well taught, walk-throughs and steady, precise, calls. His calm, competent presence on stage coupled with his enthusiasm for dancing enables newer dancers to learn quickly and enjoy themselves. Dave endeavours to encourage dancers to rise to more challenging levels of dancing, stimulating both newer and more experienced dancers at the same time.

Dave calls for all levels of dances, from church family groups and schools to dance weekends. Because of his family commitments, Dave's calling has mostly been limited to the area near his home in Chautauqua County NY, including such venues as Pittsburgh, Toronto, Rochester, Hamilton, and Syracuse. With the last child heading off to college Dave is looking forward to broadening this radius.

Dave calls regularly for the Queen City Dances in Buffalo, where he is also responsible for bookings for the first Saturday dance.