Susan Kevra - Biography

Susan Kevra lives in Nashville, Tennessee, teaches dance and plays music on both coasts and both sides of the Atlantic. She began calling and teaching traditional dances in 1991, appearing in New England grange halls in tiny, snow-covered villages as well as major festivals and dance camps throughout America. She spent 2000 - 2001 in France and traveling throughout Western Europe teaching contras, squares and English Country Dancing – and learning French dances.

Susan is noted for her charm, wit and respect for the traditions she shares. Dancers on both sides of the Atlantic appreciate her clear teaching and diverse repertoire of singing squares, Western patter calls, contras and English Country dances. She has choreographed a number of well loved contra and square dances and is the author of "Trip to Phan Reel" and "The Country of Marriage."

A fine clarinetist and singer, Susan is also a member of the English Country Dance Band, "Meeting House." Her calling and singing can be heard on the critically acclaimed CD, "Full Swing" featuring some of New England's finest contra dance musicians. The CD contains a lengthy and entertaining booklet she wrote tracing the roots of New England contra dancing and a guide for new callers.

Susan teaches French and American Studies at Vanderbilt University, and in the fall of 2007, will offer a new course, "American Social History through dance."