SJP Orchestra Hosts a Barn Dance DATE CHANGE

The Saint John’s Prep Orchestra will host a Barn Dance on Tuesday, February 12 at 8:00 pm at Saint John’s Prep. The concert and dance was rescheduled from Jan. 31 because of weather.

This is part of our month-long residency program with Cristina Seaborn, she is one of the top fiddle and violin performers in the Upper Midwest. This activity is made possible through a grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, thanks to funds provided by The McKnight Foundation.

Seaborn received $1,800 for jazz fiddling and improvisation lessons for Saint John’s Prep Orchestra students in partnership with Orchestra Director Jeff Engholm. Her month-long residency concludes with the public barn dance performance featuring the Upper School and Middle School students. Seaborn is known for her skills as a fiddler throughout the Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. Seaborn performs and teaches using instruments including the violin, viola, cello, vocals, piano, mandolin, guitar.

Seaborn is teaching fiddling techniques and basic improvisation skills. The experience will culminate with a public Barn Dance on Feb. 12. It is free and open to the public. The middle and upper school orchestra students, backed up by the bluegrass band Random Road, will perform ten fiddle tunes and dances.

“Dance is a great way to bring a community together. Barn dance was a big part of the culture of Minnesota, and a revival is long overdue,” Cristina Seaborn says. “There is a beautiful symmetry when dancers are all doing the steps that create a kaleidoscope pattern. Dances include waltzes, circle dance, square dance, polka, and parallel line set dance. We will have a great time dancing together at an old fashioned Barn Dance!”

The event is free and open to the public at 8:00 pm at Saint John’s Prep in Collegeville.