Last Tuesday night, the ETSU Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music program held a square dance event at the Down Home. The music for the square dance was provided by students in the ETSU Bluegrass Program directed by Kalia Yeagle, an instructor in the Old Time program, who teaches individual instructions for fiddle.
“We have been having square dances as part of the program [for] years,” Yeagle said. “There even used to be regular dances on campus long ago, and those were all student led back then.”
The students in the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music program get to form their own bands, name them and get to perform at music gigs like the square. The music provided at this square dance was by the Curl Up and Dye String Band. The band consists of Lizzie Cahalin (guitar), Connor Steven Vlietstra (Fiddle/Banjo), Sarah Griffin (Bass) and Sawyer Moxley (banjo). The band’s experiences with performing for square dances varied.
“I have played low key gigs like this one before, but no, not square dances,” Griffin said.
Guitarist Cahalin echoed Griffin.
“Especially when I am back home, in Staunton, Virginia, I play square dances all the time,” Cahalin said. “This event was really low key and chill and almost no pressure “
The Down Home was a prime choice for Yeagle and the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music program to perform.
“They are always free and always featuring student bands from the Old Time program,” Yeagle said. “We love having them here at the Down Home because the space is inspiring, and it’s been a pretty iconic listening room in Johnson City for over 40 years.”
The students spoke on how the program has prepared them for events like this.
“It has made me more comfortable playing in front of people I don’t know,” Moxley said.
“It has prepared me immensely because I had very little experience performing in front of audiences before I came to ETSU,” Griffin said. “The teachers, and even the students, have taught me so much about what it means to be a performer.”
According to Yeagle, the square dance events are sometimes held on the first Tuesday of every month, but the next listed event is Nov. 5.
