For immediate release: November 1, 2016

CONTACT:Rebecca Bailey, Publicity Coordinator/WriterHopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth Collegerebecca.a.bailey@dartmouth.edu603.646.3991

Moonlit magic and mischief in Québec in this year’s Christmas Revels!Sparkling traditional music, dance, stories and pageantry

Photos (from top): La chasse-galerie, courtesy of Washington Revels; Genticorum (L-R: Yann Falquet, Pascal Gemme, Nicholas Williams), photo by Evan Oxenham; Québécois social dance in Christmas Revels, photo courtesy of Revels, Inc.; Chartrand, courtesy of Washington Revels.

EAST THETFORD, VT—This year’s Christmas Revels travels to the beautiful province of Québec in a magical, mischievous French Canadian tale embellished with traditional music, dancer, storytelling and tomfoolery, December 15-18 at Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover NH.

In the story of The Flying Canoe (la chasse-galerie), a group of lonely voyageurs in the northern timberland go to extraordinary (one might say devilish) lengths to meet up with their faraway sweethearts on New Year’s Eve. This traditional tale gets the full Revels treatment with colorful, high-energy songs, dance and pageantry, a multigenerational local cast and chorus, and guest artists steeped in the traditions: Québécois musical trio Genticorum and step dancer and choreographer extraordinaire Pierre Chartrand.

Now in its 42nd season, The Christmas Revels is a show of music, dance, storytelling and pageantry that each year focuses on a different one of the world's cultures and its winter holiday traditions. A talented local chorus of dozens of children, teens and adults are joined by guest performers expert in the traditions represented in that year's show. Recent shows have focused on Appalachia, Irish-American immigrants, Elizabethan England and Scottish culture.

This year’s guest musical group Genticorum has become, over the past 15 years, a fixture on the international world, trad, folk and Celtic music circuit. Infusing traditional music with the dynamism of modern

performance, they weave precise and intricate fiddle and flute work, gorgeous vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion and guitar and bass accompaniment, enhancing their distinctive sound with abundant humor and stage presence. The trio’s five albums have met with critical acclaim in Canada, the United States and Europe, and the group has given more than 800 concerts in more than 15 countries. Writes the music journal Sing Out!, “For a three-piece, Genticorum makes a very full and glorious noise, both instrumentally and vocally…This is a band that’s going to go places.”

Guest dancer Pierre Chartrand is recognized, both at home in Québec and abroad, as a master dancer, choreographer, dance caller and teacher. A professional since 1971, he has performed solo or in groups at festivals across the US and Canada. He was the co-winner of a 1997 traditional dance medal at the Jeux de la Francophonie in Madagascar. In 2005, he won the Best Choreography Award by the Independent Reviewers of New England for his choreography and solo dancing in the Québécois Christmas Revels that he co-created with the Cambridge, MA, Revels—which subsequently was performed by the Revels companies in Houston, San Francisco, Washington and, in 2010, in Hanover. In 2008, he received a grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec to collect folk dances in rural Québec and Acadia. Upper Valley audiences known him as a frequent headliner at the annual New World Festival in Randolph, VT. He and his wife Anne-Marie Gardette are the founders of Danse Cadence, an organization dedicated to traditional dance.

This year’s show is the first under the leadership of Nils Fredland, the new artistic director of the Christmas Revels and its parent organization, Revels North. Fredland served in last year’s Christmas Revels as music director under Maureen Burford, the previous Christmas

Revels/Revels North artistic director. A graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Fredland is an engaging and charismatic community builder who has been bringing people together through traditional dance, music, song and story for almost 20 years. He is an internationally renowned contra and square dance caller, and a classically trained trombonist and singer adept at performing in many different styles. In addition to keeping a full-time touring schedule in the field of traditional dance, music and song for the last 15 years, Fredland also brings experience in public speaking, choral conducting, traditional song and dance camp directing, curriculum development, and project management. He is a published author and editor of two books on traditional singing squares, and widely regarded as being a leader in the effort to keep this unique

tradition alive and growing. In addition to his position with Revels North, he works as a project manager and education specialist with the Country Dance and Song Society in Easthampton, MA, and also is the music teacher at the Newton School in South Strafford, VT.

Founded in 1974, Revels North is a grassroots community arts nonprofit organization that has called Hanover its home for over 40 years. Revels North has provides over 11,000 individuals in the community the opportunity to connect in meaningful ways as we bring traditions to life through music, dance, song and theater, in programs throughout the year. The organization relies on varied funding streams to deliver programs of the highest quality to the Upper Valley. Leading up to the Christmas Revels shows are a number of public events, many of them free, aiming to share French Canadian culture:

French Canadian Tradition Bearers Workshops Sunday, November 6, 1:15-3 pm, The Freight House Hall, 188 S Main Street, White River Junction, VT: Québécois dance and music experts Pierre Chartrand, Alexis Chartrand and Nicolas Babineau lead workshops on dance, violin and

guitar. $15 for age 13 and up, $6 for under 13 (5 and under free), $30 for a family; free for Revels Traditions Members. Information: info@revelsnorth.org or 866.556.3083.

French Canadian Presentation, Community Dance, and ConcertSunday, November 6, 3:30-5 pm, The Freight House Hall, 188 S Main Street White River Junction, VT: Québécois dance and music experts Pierre Chartrand, Alexis Chartrand and Nicolas Babineau join us for an afternoon of live music and dance from the rousing Québécois tradition. Free. Information: info@revelsnorth.org or 866.556.3083.

Revels North Seasonal Pub SingSun, November 20, 6-8 pm, Norwich Inn, VTCome to the Norwich Inn for a fun and casual evening of song and merriment! Bring the whole family, and come ready to make new friends as we share song. Songbooks will be available for everyone to join in; if you have a favorite song, share it with us! Grab a bite to eat (before we begin) and maybe a pint or two at the Inn while enjoying the company of people who love to sing for fun. Admission by donation. Information: info@revelsnorth.org or 866.556.3083.

Tree Lighting and Revels North Carol SingFriday, December 2, 5-6:30 pm, various locations, Hanover, NH; freeJoin Revels North in song as we sing carols at the Tree Lighting.3:45 pm: Community members who want to sing with us, meet at the tree on the Dartmouth Green

5-5:30 pm: Singing and Tree Lighting on the Dartmouth Green (cookies and hot chocolate served)5:30-6 pm: Singing down Main Street to The Skinny Pancake, Lebanon Street.6-6:30 pm: Celebrate the Season at The Skinny Pancake

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CALENDAR LISTINGThe Christmas Revels: A French Canadian Celebration of the Winter SolsticeChristmas Revels 2016 travels to the beautiful province of Québec! In the story of The Flying Canoe (la chasse-galerie), a group of lonely voyageurs in the northern timberland go to extraordinary (one might say devilish) lengths to meet up with their faraway sweethearts on New Year’s Eve. This classic French Canadian tale gets the full Revels treatment with colorful, high-energy songs, dance and pageantry, a multigenerational local cast and chorus, and Québécois musical trio Genticorum and step dancer Pierre Chartrand, who originated the show 12 years ago in partnership with Revels, Inc. An Upper Valley family holiday tradition since 1974. Thursday, December 15, 6 pm (youth tickets $8, this show only)Friday, December 16, 7 pmSaturday, December 17, 1 and 5 pmSunday, December 18, 1 and 5 pm$25/32/46, Dartmouth students $10, 18 and under $11/13/15/20 ($8 for December 15 show only)Information: https://hop.dartmouth.edu/Online/christmasrevel2016 or 603.646.2422

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Founded in 1962, the Hopkins Center for the Arts is a multi-disciplinary academic, visual and performing arts center dedicated to uncovering insights, igniting passions, and nurturing talents to help Dartmouth and the surrounding Upper Valley community engage imaginatively and contribute creatively to our world. Each year the Hop presents more than 300 live events and films by visiting artists as well as Dartmouth students and the Dartmouth community, and reaches more than 22,000 Upper Valley residents and students with outreach and arts education programs. After a celebratory 50th-anniversary season in 2012-13, the Hop enters its second half-century with renewed passion for mentoring young artists, supporting the development of new work, and providing a laboratory for participation and experimentation in the arts.