Sunny Lawrence & Jump Fingers
Jump Fingers gets a jump on the digital age as they nail down tunes from their file of polished favorites. Thumbing through their index cards, Sunny keeps the dancers in the palm of their hand while pointing out the little ring of four in the middle that loses touch. Cuticle women and handsome men will be tendon to knuckle in when this joint is jumpin’.
Sunny Lawrence grew up in New York City and began dancing there in 2011. With the tools learned through Brooklyn Contra’s Caller’s Workshop series, Sunny’s goal as a caller is to bring a clear, calm, and joyful presence to the mic, to make contra accessible to new dancers, and to strengthen her beloved dance communities.
Jump Fingers is a collaborative ensemble composed of two longtime professional musical pairs, Palmer Loux and Greg Loux and Bob McCluskie and Carolee Rand. Mat Clark joins them on upright bass. Jump Fingers hails from the Philadelphia area and the band gathers weekly to share their music, learn tunes, and craft their medleys. The members have performed at the Glenside Contra, Summit Church Contra, Glen Echo Contradance and Bumper Car Pavilion at Glen Echo, Clifftop American String Band Festival in West Virginia, and Cape Fear Contradance in Wilmington, North Carolina. The band’s instrumentation of two fiddles, added viola, guitar, bass, banjo and tenor guitar provides joyful combinations of Old Time, early Bluegrass, Ragtime, and New England music. The band is dedicated to a unified melodic and rhythmically solid sound to provide a fun and fabulous dance experience.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
- Newcomers are welcome to come at 7pm for an introductory lesson on the basics of contra dancing. No partner is necessary. All dances are taught with a “walk-through” by the caller.
- Masks and vaccines are optional.
- All dances at Swingin’ Tern are called to the gender-neutral terms Larks & Robins.
- We have open windows on three sides and air-conditioning when needed.
- Our dance is two blocks from the Chatham station on the Morris/Essex line out of Penn Station, NYC.
- We welcome contributions of home-baked [or not] goodies to share at the break.
- Please bring your own water bottle. Water bottles may be filled at the kitchen sink.
- Wear comfortable clothing. Contra dancing is aerobic. We prefer you carry in your shoes.
- We are a friendly, inclusive group. Pack plenty of smiles!
Hourly Schedule
Dance Schedule
- 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
- Beginner's Workshop
- Learn the basics or help the newcomers.
- 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
- Dance
- The main event.