Dudley Laufman

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Wikipedia

Dudley Laufman
Laufman in 2009
Laufman in 2009
Background information
Born1930 (age 95–96)
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenresDance
OccupationsCaller, musician
Instruments
LabelsF&W, Front Hall

Dudley Laufman (born 1930) is an American contra and barn dance caller and musician widely credited with helping spur the revival of contra in the 20th century.[1][2]

Early life

Laufman was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1930 and grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts.[1]

Involvement with contra dance

Laufman attended his first dance as a boy while working at the Mistwold Farm in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1948. In 1959, he moved to Canterbury, New Hampshire. He was a founding member of the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra in 1965.[3]

He began calling and playing for dances, which became known as "Dudley Dances".[4] At times, he was the only remaining callers of contra dances with live music.[1] He worked to spread the tradition, which ultimately caught on and has since spread across the United States and internationally.

Beginning in 1978, Laufman started working with the New Hampshire Artists-in-the-Schools program, teaching contra dances to children.[1]

Recognition

Laufman is a recipient of a 2009 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[5]

Discography

With Canterbury Country Orchestra

  • Mistwold (F&W Records F74-FW-5, 1974)
  • Swinging On A Gate (Front Hall Records, 1974)
  • Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra With Dudley Laufman (F&W Records CD-01-FW8, 2001)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Guide to the Dudley Laufman Papers, 1962-1998". Library. University of New Hampshire. December 14, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ Pich, Tom (2009). "Picture Perfect". NEA Arts. Vol. 2009, no. 3. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dudley Laufman: Dance Caller and Musician". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. ↑ Vallimont, Julie. "Episode 1: Dudley Laufman". Contra Pulse (Podcast). Country Dance and Song Society. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  5. ↑ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2009". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.