Local Hero: Dan Pearl

Outside of the Boston area, Dan Pearl is known as a caller of contra and square dance. But closer to home, Dan has also served the dance community for more than 30 years, taking care of the behind-the-scenes jobs that keep several of our dance organizations thriving. His roles for the New England Folk Festival Association have ranged from chairing several of the festival committees to helping found and chair the Thursday Night Dance Committee which hosts the Boston area's most successful weekly dance. Every Thursday, Dan is still the first one to arrive, the last one to leave, often setting up and running the sound system, taking care of the finances, and dealing with sensitive issues that occasionally arise in dance communities.

Dan is also a guy with lots of ideas and opinions. The Bare Necessities recording project, which has produced 15 CDs of dance-length English country dance music, was his idea and he still manages sales and stores the inventory at his home. Dan has been one of the dance editors for the Country Dance and Song Society newsletter and wrote Contra Connection articles with Ted Sannella and Larry Jennings back in the 1980s and 90s.

There are lots more ways in which Dan has played an important but quiet part in the running of NEFFA, CDSS, CDS-Boston Centre and the Framingham Folk Dancers. Thank you, Dan, for all that you do!

    - Submitted by Sue Rosen