On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

On tour in the Midwest, South, and Northwest

Evie Ladin and Keith Terry dance their songs, sometimes in perfect lockstep, sometimes in lovely tension. Ladin’s voice, clawhammer banjo, and effortless footwork leap and sway between Terry’s quicksilver beats, shuffles, and snaps, the distinct language of body music. Both move to the rhythm with a gentle commitment that never overpowers Ladin’s tales, finding grooves both welcoming and unexpected.

The partners share a passion for audible dance: Ladin grew up playing banjo and performing Southern Appalachian clogging, gaining professional training on tour with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes. Terry shifted from drums to body percussion as he engaged with the tap revival scene in the 70s while playing drums with the late great dancers.

Ladin has performed and recorded widely as part of a variety of Americana groups, including the Stairwell Sisters, who’ve appeared everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center. Terry’s pioneering work has taken him and Ladin, a frequent collaborator, around the globe from Brazil to Bali, and won him a Guggenheim Fellowship.

This February, March, and April bring them to the Midwest and Upper South for a series of performances and workshops.

{full story below}

When Ladin and Terry joined households—they are partners in life as well as art—they discovered that among their two thousand-odd CDs, there were no duplicates. “We have very different musical backgrounds,” laughs Terry. Yet they found their passions intersected on the dance floor and in explorations of African-rooted traditions.

Tradition is a fluid thing for the duo, however: “I’m interested in opening the box of traditional music to contemporary sounds and other grooves,” reflects Ladin, “and Keith has such an inventive musical mind that once we start thinking of how to do things with our own stamp on it, many different ideas start flowing. We trust one another's taste for the most part, so if someone is opposed to an idea, it gets discarded fairly quickly. If we both like it, on we go.”

They go deep into old-time tunes and jazz-inflected rhythmic licks, into beautifully crystalized tales and subtly improvised claps, stomps, and snaps in songs like the feisty “Dime Store Glasses.” Some of their most dynamic and quirkiest moments spring from their differences. When, say, Ladin wants to go over the top with a madcap swing number, but Terry feels the call of a 7/8 cha cha. They let the disagreement stand, and “Out came a hysterical, nuanced performance of a couple in a dance competition, devolving into a slapstick fight,” chuckles Terry, describing the duo’s crowd-pleasing “Tea for Two.”

The duo will be exploring new material, originals Ladin penned in a marathon session last year and due to appear on an album in 2016. Ladin retreated to a cabin in the woods and wrote 21 songs in a handful of days, the best of which she and Terry developed into rousing, engaging tunes that harness their deep love of rhythm, American and Afro-diasporic traditions, and vivacious storytelling.

Bali’s Kecak (KEH-chak) has captured Western dance and filmmakers’ imaginations for a century. With gripping coordination of movement and sound, it draws on trance dance and Hindu epics, elevating and wildly entertaining by turns.

Body musician Keith Terry is no exception: “I’ve been collaborating with Balinese artists for more than three decades, and have always been particularly drawn to their Body Music style, Kecak. The interlocking vocal patterns, coupled with synchronized movement, story, humor, plus the incorporation of new ideas, specifically my own Body Music style, into the genre, has been a thrilling, ongoing intercultural collaboration.”

Now, cultural explorers will get a rare opportunity to live and breathe the art form in its place of origin, as the 7th International Body Music Festival (IBMF) heads to Bali, Indonesia. For 9 days (July 3-12, 2015), participants will stay at the Suly Resort in Ubud, travel to villages, see exceptional concerts, participate in workshops led by local kecak performers and International Body Music artists, as well as e  njoy traditional cuisine, study gamelan, tour cultural hotspots, and savor the beaches and spas.

“If you’re curious about Balinese culture, if you’re drawn to the music and dance, there is no better opportunity to experience it from the inside out than this edition of the International Body Music Festival,” explains Terry, the festival’s founder and artistic driving force. “The community celebrates the music and dance coming solely from the instrument we all share. It transcends cultural boundaries and provides in-roads to cross-cultural experience. This particular IBMF will give participants the opportunity to delve deep into a rich local cultural experience, unlike any other Bali vacation.”

Confirmed teachers/performers (more announced weekly):

Jep Melendez (SPAIN)
KoBaGi (BALI)
Molodi (USA)
Theatre A Tempo (CANADA)
Tupac Mantilla (COLOMBIA)
Yolanda Gonzalez Sobrado (SPAIN)

Bourask (CANADA)
Corposonic (USA)
Barbatuques (BRAZIL)
Pedro Consorte (BRAZIL)
Cambuyón (SPAIN)
Cudamani (BALI)
I Wayan Dibia (BALI)

For more information and to reserve your Seat on the IBMF Bus:
www.internationalbodymusicfestival.com

The International Body Music Festival has become the meeting ground for the various styles of global Body Music. Since 2008, the IBMF has traveled the world, from Brazil to Turkey to Italy, though every other year it returns to its home base of San Francisco.

Music you can see and dance you can hear, the Festival is a moving hub for performers who engage with humanity’s first instrument: the body itself. The shushing of palms, the snapping of fingers, the stomping of feet, and the seemingly infinite potential of the throat and mouth have inspired people worldwide to create moving music, audible dance. Tap, stepping, hambone, flamenco, beatbox, every style that forefronts the sounds of bodies in motion. It’s the oldest music on the planet, and it’s brand new.

The 7th IBMF Bali will be a Body Music adventure like no other. In addition to concerts, workshops, cultural collaborations, after parties, the 7th IBMF Bali will culminate in a Colossal Kecak, featuring 400 Balinese artists. A seat on the IBMF Bus grants participants full access to all events, plus resort lodging, ground transportation and meals. Immediately following the Festival on Bali, is the July 15 holiday of Galungan, when the entire island is festooned with bamboo ornaments, mythical lions dance in the streets, and people are dressed in their finest.

A featured performance throughout the 7th IBMF Bali will be the final Body Tjak Project, since 1980 an intercultural collaboration between Indonesians and North and South Americans that has won awards in both regions. This current collaboration, which premiered at the 6th IBMF San Francisco, features members of Bali’s Cudamani, Oakland, CA’s Corposonic, and Brazil’s Barbatuques, bringing full circle Terry’s lifetime of Body Music inquiry. Body Tjak has always included a mash up of Terry’s Body Music and Balinese Kecak, artistic ideas that have become integral to new choreography in contemporary Indonesian companies.

“Every year the IBMF community grows, and every year we get feedback from audience and artists alike how special the gathering is,” Terry reflects. “We all have the same body yet how we make music/dance with its sonic capabilities really varies form culture to culture. Still, the essence, the pulse, the sincerity of the presentation bring the audience close to something familiar, something hugely powerful.”

Decades ago, Texas native and dance/music pioneer Keith Terry left the Lone Star state for artistic intensity of New York City. Over the years, as he worked with many elder statesmen of the tap dance world, as he traveled the globe and engaged and collaborated with tradition art forms from Bali to Brazil, Terry developed his own singular, grooving approach to movement and music. He founded his own migrating festival, his own ensembles, and became a sought-after performer and teacher of body music, that music/dance created by clapping, snapping, stepping and vocalizing.

Born in Waxahachie and raised in Lancaster, now Terry is coming home to Dallas. Thanks to Rhythm in Fusion Festival (RIFF), the freshly minted tap dance festival, he will perform and teach at the city’s first festival celebrating tap and its seminal role in the dance community.

Terry will perform solo in the festival concerts, as well as teach several body music classes for dancers and musicians of all levels. When asked about his approach to soloing, “ I’ll start out with a groove, and then improvise from that,” he explains. “In my head, I’m playing a tune, like the head in jazz, and then I’ll solo. Then I often come back to the head.” He brings everyone in the audience deeper into the beat, too: Using non-verbal cues, Terry will get the whole theater clapping, stomping, and singing together, in a spirited burst of body music.

Rhythm in Fusion Festival, January 16-19, 2015
Majestic Theater, Dallas TX
For class/performance schedules and ticket information, see www.rhythminfusion.com

Terry’s popularity among tap dancers is no surprise, even if his own work is a departure from tap in the strictest sense. "I’m a bit of a step-child (no pun-intended) when it comes to tap. I was a drummer first, and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t play the drums,” Terry explains. “I was in my 20s, when I started dancing, while playing drums for elder tap greats.” 

The first a-ha! moment for Keith came in 1978 while he was rehearsing with the Jazz Tap Ensemble, a group he co-founded and that played a key role in that decade’s tap revival. Always intrigued by the gray area that blurs movement, music, and dance, he suddenly realized that he could transfer the music he was playing on the drum kit elsewhere. “I stood up and moved what I was playing on my drums to my body. That’s how I came to it," remembers Keith.

Encouraged by Charles "Honi" Coles and Charlie "Cookie" Cook—great jazz tap stylists who recognized both the ingenuity of Keith's music and its similarity to the Hambone they'd performed in vaudeville—Keith launched into a boundary-breaking career now known as body music. Body music turns to the universal resonator, our oldest instrument, to explore beats, grooves, and melodies via slaps, claps, shuffles, steps, snaps, and vocalizations. It’s a remarkably rich palette of sound, and there are dozens of traditional forms around the world.

Now based in Oakland, California, Terry’s career has taken him far and wide -- from founding a festival of his own (the International Body Music Festival, held this July in Bali); to intensive touring, artistic collaborations, and teaching residencies in Europe, South America, and Asia; and to receiving a Guggenheim fellowship in 2008.

He revels in the balance of performing and teaching. In transmitting the audible choreography he has developed over the decades, “It’s first and foremost about building rhythmic skills, which are often underemphasized when we study music and dance in the western world,” Terry explains. By exploring the sounds of the palms, fingers, legs, feet, and torso, Terry shows festival participants how to find diverse grooves in and on their bodies, “how to embody and internalize rhythmic skill for dancers, musicians, even rappers and film editors—anyone who is manipulating time.” These rhythmic skills also reflect fundamental math concepts, as Terry explores in his new book for mid-grade teachers and students, Rhythm of Math: Teaching Mathematics with Body Music (out in February 2015 on Crosspulse Media).

Terry looks forward to performing and teaching at RIFF. “I love festivals,” he enthuses. “People come together and share common interests. The tap dance community has a lot of transferable skills to what I offer, and that makes it a joy to create body music with them.”

For more information on Keith Terry and body music, see www.crosspulse.com.