Dance Exhibit on Display at the State Library

On Wednesday, October 14, there was an opening reception for the exhibit “Gents Bow- Ladies Know How”: Traditional Dance in the Monadnock Region, 1750-2015, at the NH State Library in Concord. This exhibit, a collaboration between the Monadnock Folklore Society and the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, was on display here at the Monadnock Center from January to May of this year. It will be on view in Concord for several weeks, and then next spring will be set up at the University of New Hampshire. This is a milestone event for the Center – to have an exhibit go on the road.

This exhibit features the music, artifacts and stories that document the long and continuous tradition of country dance in the Monadnock Region from the days of the early settlers to the present. Drawing on photographs, early records and stories, documents and music, the exhibit will take the viewer on a journey from the community dances of the 18th century, kitchen dances of the 19th century and the days of Ralph Page and his Orchestra in the 1940s. Featured in the exhibit will be an audio compilation of music and text developed and curated by Randy Miller who wrote the authoritative book, The New England Fiddler’s Repertoire. The exhibit will be complimented by a program series that includes dances and music presentations.

The State Library is open Monday – Friday between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm. It is closed on legal holidays. Handicapped access is available at the side entrance. If you need assistance, please call 603-271-2616. The library is at the corner of North State St. and Park St. in the center of Concord.