Mara Shea has been delighting dancers with her fiddle since the 1990s, and she has become one of the most sought-after dance musicians in North America. Whether at a grand English Country ball, a spirited contra evening, or a Regency-themed event, Mara's playing is known for its passion, warmth, and ability to elevate an entire room of dancers.

Her fiddle has carried her to dance weekends, balls, and music camps across the United States, Scotland, and Canada. She has been on the music staff at Pinewoods Camp, TAC Summer School, Blue Ridge Dance Week, Pawling Dance Weekend, and Scottish Weekend, among many others, and has played for Regency and English Country Dance workshops and balls too numerous to count. Internationally, she led musicians' workshops for the Scottish Country Dance group in Lisbon, Portugal, alongside pianist Dean Herington.

Mara has recorded with a remarkable range of artists — including Rhiannon Giddens (All the Pretty Horses) and Julie Gorka — and released her own solo English Country Dance recordings during the pandemic, available at marashea.bandcamp.com. Her collaboration with pianist Dave Wiesler on the album Heather Hills (Scottish Country dance music) has become a community favorite.

A scholar as well as a musician, Mara earned an MLitt in Ethnology and Folklore from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, deepening her understanding of the living tradition she plays. She lives in Elon, North Carolina, where she teaches Celtic fiddle online and works as a freelance writer and editor. This will be her fourth consecutive appearance at our Harvest Moon Dance Weekend — a testament to just how beloved she is by our dancing community.

Listen to Mara's music and learn more at marashea.com

Dave Wiesler is widely considered one of the nation's premier pianists for English, Scottish, and American country dance. Based in Newark, Delaware, he has built a national reputation over nearly three decades for his rhythmic drive, harmonic inventiveness, and the rare gift of sensitive accompaniment — the kind that makes dancers feel the music in their feet.

At home across a remarkable breadth of styles — contra, English, Scottish, swing, waltz, Viennese, and vintage ballroom — Dave is a regular presence at major dance camps and festivals up and down the East Coast and beyond. He has been featured at CDSS camps, Pinewoods, Pawling, and events from the mid-Atlantic to the Midwest. In early 2026, the Country Dance & Song Society featured him in a Master Class series on English dance musicianship, a recognition of his standing in the field.

Dave began his musical journey as the teenager who could "figure out the chords" in his high school garage band, and has never stopped exploring. He has recorded extensively, and his 2009 album Heather Hills — made with fiddler Mara Shea — is a treasured resource for Scottish Country dancers worldwide. His discography also includes recordings of English Country dance music featuring both traditional tunes and newly composed works.

Seeing Mara Shea and Dave Wiesler share a stage is a special treat: these two long-time collaborators know each other's musical instincts intimately, and the result is playing that is both technically brilliant and deeply musical.

Learn more about Dave at davewiesler.com

Bruce Hamilton is one of the most admired and respected teachers in the English Country Dance world — a caller whose workshops leave dancers thinking differently about movement, music, and the joy of the form.

With over 45 years of experience, Bruce brings a uniquely thoughtful and energetic approach to the dance floor. He has launched dance classes and trained teachers across the country, coached performing groups, and adjudicated festivals. As a former president of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), he has shaped the American English Country Dance community at the highest level.

A retired research scientist by background, Bruce approaches teaching with the curiosity of an academic and the warmth of a lifelong dancer. His workshops weave together dance technique, choreography, musicality, sociability, and even physiology — participants consistently say they come away with a richer, more embodied understanding of what it means to dance. He currently leads a bi-weekly English dance class in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bruce has taught workshops all around the United States and internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Dance enthusiasts may remember his appearance at our 2017 Harvest Moon Dance Weekend — we are delighted to welcome him back to St. Charles for what promises to be an outstanding weekend of teaching.