Alasdair Fraser’s 43rd Annual Fiddle & Dance Extravaganza
September 4 @ 6:30 pm
$31.50 – $37.50
Alasdair Fraser’s 43rd Annual Fiddle & Dance Extravaganza
Friday, September 4, 6:30pm Doors/pre-show dance instruction; 7:30 showtime
“A Night at the Dance” With Alasdair Fraser, Rakish, Rodney Miller and Jeffrey Spero, and the Valley of the Moon Ceilidh Band
Scottish Ceilidh with Summer McCall; New England Contra with Rodney Miller, Fiesta Castellana, with San Miguel Fraser
Check out this video of last year’s performance! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtPgLIfgReM
The Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle & Dance Camp is back at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium with the same infectious energy that’s made it legendary. This lively gathering of over 200 fiddlers, cellists, guitarists, and more will return ‘home’ to the Civic Auditorium for an unforgettable night of music, dance, song, and audience participation.
This music and dance spectacular will bring to life the joyful connection between musicians and dancers, featuring vibrant styles from New England Contra and Scottish Ceilidh to Spanish Castilian dancing.
Dances will be led by acclaimed faculty dance instructors — and joined by the enthusiastic campers with live musicians — and the evening promises to get everyone on their feet regardless of their level of experience. Dance callers/instructors include Summer McCall (Ceilidh), Susan Michaels (Contra), Maria San Miguel (Castilian), and Nic Gareiss (Step).
All dances will be called with non-gender specific terms such as “leader & follower” or “larks & ravens”. We welcome all bodies to our highly inclusive event.
For those who’d rather sit back and soak it all in, the evening offers an impressive lineup of standout performances by world-class musicians and gifted campers alike. Audiences can look forward to performances by award-winning Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, New England Contra ambassadors Rodney Miller and Jeffrey Spero, the exquisite and exhilarating Castilian Celtic duo San Miguel Fraser (Maria San Miguel & Galen Fraser), the highly acclaimed traditional duo Rakish (Maura Shawn Scanlin & Conor Hearn), master traditional cellist Natalie Haas, and “sonic magpie” Laura Cortese — plus nearly a dozen more exceptional faculty artists.
Featuring world class Valley of the Moon teaching faculty of 2026, the Fiddle & Dance Extravaganza program includes:
- Doors open at 6:30pm. An optional introductory dance lesson will be taught by dance instructors between 6:45-7:15 to learn the basic partner dance move in preparation for the evening’s dance elements.
- Feature performances from Alasdair Fraser, Rodney Miller, San Miguel Fraser and Rakish will dazzle throughout the evening
- By 7:30pm, the “orchestra blob” of campers will surprise the audience with a lively, unconventional entrance and kick off the night’s festivities. The evening will then flow into a series of featured performances by faculty and campers, highlighting the breadth of talent at Valley of the Moon.
- As the night unfolds, some musicians will stay on stage and transform into dance bands, setting the scene for participatory social dances.
- Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School takes place August 28 – September 5 in Boulder Creek California at Camp Campbell.
- Check the website for registration information for this year or next. The Fiddle & Dance Extravaganza (concert) will be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on Friday, September 4.
Tickets and event details can be found at:
https://www.santacruzca.gov/…/2026-Fiddle-and-Dance…
https://www.santacruzca.gov/…/2026-Fiddle-and-Dance…
Event by Summer McCall, Familia Luper and Alasdair Fraser
