Round the House is an energetic dance band and we regularly play for the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music contra dances. In the last several years, we have also played for contra dances in other Arizona communities as well as in Albuquerque, NM, Durango, CO, Glenside, PA, and Princeton NJ. Our contra dance music includes tunes from the New England, Irish, French Canadian, and old time repertoires. We contrast smooth sets of jigs for the flowing becket dances with driving and rhythmic reels for fast contra sets and squares. We use instrumental arrangements, key changes, dynamics, and combinations of rhythmic and melodic variations to keep the fiddle tunes sounding fresh and energetic. Our waltzes are often lovely songs featuring Claire on vocals, and we can also play polkas and various Scandinavian dances between contra sets.
Claire Zucker, Round the House’s vocalist, has been calling contra dances since 1994 and has developed a clear and precise teaching style to ensure that dancers of all experience levels have a great time dancing. Her energetic personality and choice of flowing and fun dances are well known throughout Arizona. In 2005, she was one of the callers at a nationally known dance camp, May Madness, held annually in Prescott, AZ. She has also called in Albuquerque, NM, Durango, CO, and throughout the northeast US. We have also been one of the main local bands at the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music dance camp “Dance in the Desert” for the past seven years.
As a band, Round the House is available to work with scheduled callers at a dance, or as a self-contained band + caller combination. Claire often plays the bodhran while she calls, so if you hire Round the House and would like her to call, be assured that you still get the full Round the House sound.
Round the House also plays for Irish step dancing and ceili dances. We regularly play for the Bracken School of Irish Dance performances and are knowledgeable about choosing appropriate music and playing the correct tempos for step dancers as well as ceili or set dancers.
