Chart Guthrie

Chart Guthrie calls participatory dances for all ages. Everyone will be up dancing and having fun before they know it. Teaching is kept to a minimum and dancing is maximized. All performances are done to live music usually with a three piece band. The band plays lively traditional music.

Chart Guthrie has been calling dances for more than twenty years and dancing since he was in fifth grade. He has called dances from Maine to Washington DC, but calls primarily on Long Island. His easygoing style and clear teaching technique gets even beginners up dancing before they know it. Chart always works with live music. He has worked with many different bands and can arrange for the proper band for the occasion.

Historic Dance
Chart has been the Dance Master for Old Bethpage Village Restoration since 1991. At the Village Chart teaches and calls dances for the Old Bethpage Village Dancers, a troupe that performs dances from the Civil War Era for the19th Century Restoration Village. Chart is also a registered artist with the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Arts-In-Education Program in Suffolk County, New York, and has conducted School Programs on the Roots of American Traditional Dance for grades K - 6. Recent programs included 4th grade dances for West Middle Island School and Coram Elementary School (fifth annual appearance for each school) and K-5 at the BOCES Westhampton Beach Learning Center. Chart also calls Revolutionary War era dances and called for the Quogue 350th Anniversary and the East Hampton Historical Society.

Contradances
Chart runs the regular Contradance sponsored by the Long Island Traditional Music Association (LITMA), and has done so since 1984. That dance is now held on the 2nd Friday of the month in Smithtown, NY. (For more information on the dances check out www.litma.org ). In addition to calling for LITMA, Chart has also called for Country Dance New York (CDNY) in New York City, The Princeton Country Dancers in New Jersey, The Round Hill Dance in Stamford, Connecticut and the Friday Night Glen Echo Dance in Washington, D.C. Chart calls flowing contradances with plenty of swinging. Teaching is kept to a minimum, but every effort is made to include both beginners and experienced dancers in all of the dances. Chart also composes dances, his best known dance is “Hay in the Barn”.

Fun Dances for Children of All Ages
Chart calls many private parties, weddings, school parties and other events where most of the participants are not regular dancers. He has a wide repertoire of fun and easy dances that anyone can do and can tailor the dance to any age group or range of ages. Recently, Chart called for the Manhasset Girl Scouts (fifth annual appearance), the Hallockville Museum Barn Dance (eighth annual appearance) and the St. Patrick’s Church of Smithtown Annual Father Daughter Square Dance (tenth annual appearance).

We provide music and sound. all that we need are three armless chairs, an electrical outlet and space for dancing. Dancing can be done indoors or out. If outside, the band will need cover from the sun or light if done at night. We cannot perform in inclement weather and will need a suitable indoor alternate location if the weather is bad..