Expresso Yourself Year End Event on Dec 29th!

The following provided by David Stephenson. Image: THE LARGER CIRCLE BAND. Front left-right, Katrin Fischer, Shirley Riga, Susan Stromgren. Rear - Kay Bennett, Fritz Fleischmann, Nancy Kingsbury, Thea Uberall.

Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse Year End International Folk Dancing Gala

The Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse wraps up the year on Saturday, December 29 with its annual Year-End International Folk Dancing Gala.

The event will be held in the historic Meetinghouse, built in 1789, at, 26 North Street, in Medfield, from 7 to 10 PM. According to co-host Thea Iberall, “Expresso is hosting once again a New Year's Gala party for those who don't like parties.”

The normal monthly open mic spoken word formattakes an end-of-year twist: bring your stories, poems, guitars, trombones and share a memory of 2018. Open mic readers have 6 minutes to share.

The event will put equal emphasis on international folk dances, performed by the home-grown Larger Circle folk band (see sidebar) and called by Jacob Bloom. Bloom gears dances to the audience in front of him--children, teens, or adults--whether they've years of experience or
have never danced before. He loves to help beginners get to an 'aha' moment when they understand the patterns.

Unlike Expresso Yourself’s normal adult and teen emphasis, the whole family is welcomed this month. The coffeehouse has become a popular gathering place for MetroWest residents.

The refreshments will include special hors d'oeuvres and desserts, punch, juices, and a cash bar. Tickets cost $15 in advance (https://expresso-yourself-2018.eventbrite.com\).

Questions? expressoyourselfcoffeehouse@gmail.com or 413-537-7582 ($20 at door, $5 for youth).

SIDEBAR: The Larger Circle: when an informal lunch morphs into a joyful noise

It stands to reason that when an ad hoc group of local musician/readers spontaneously came together and decided to form a band, they’d take the name of a poem that’s all about sharing and
mutual support, Wendell Berry’s The Larger Circle. That was the case with the January 2015 creation of the Larger Circle Band, which will headline the Year End Dance Party at the Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse on Saturday, December 29th at the historic Meetinghouse in Medfield.

Berry’s lines that inspired the band? "Hands are joined in a dance/and the larger circle of all creatures/passing in and out of life.”

Recalls Babson Professor Fritz Fleischmann, who heads the band, its formation came about when a group of First Parish members spontaneously met for lunch and their discussion turned to a shared interest in international folk dancing and music. Fleischmann has performed in folk dance bands in the US and Germany for more than 25 years.

The band has practiced on Mondays since then, and occasionally plays a set at one of the monthly Expresso Yourself Coffeehouses, and at First Parish church services. Mandolin player Thea Iberall says there sometimes is a spiritual air to the music: “some pieces are slow, meditative, and seem to go on and on.” Pianist Kay Bennett spoke for the group when she said“the best times are with a couple of pieces that are so moving, we conclude and there’s a common sigh.”

The exact composition of the group has varied over time as members have joined and left, rather than having a pre-conceived organization. Fleischmann says, “It’s in the nature of folk bands that whoever attends can play.” The band’s eclectic repertoire includes music from Ireland,
Israel, Serbia, Germany, and Russia.

In addition to violinist Fleischmann, there are eight members from a number of MetroWest communities:

• Kay Bennett, piano (Medfield)
• Betty Blais, second guitar (Millis)
• Katrin Fischer, concertina (Medfield)
• Thea Iberall, mandolin (Dedham)
• Nancy Kingsbury, flute (Walpole)
• Meredith Poulten, double bass (Millis)
• Shirley Riga, percussion (Dedham)
• Susan Stromgren, guitar (Medfield)