Banjo, Fiddle, and Appalachian-Irish Dance at Mars Hill University Features Jake Blount and Nic Gareiss

Mars Hill, NC (03/11/2022) — Mars Hill University's Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies presents an evening of banjo, fiddle, and Appalachian-Irish dance featuring Jake Blount, accompanied by Nic Gareiss, in Moore Auditorium on Saturday April 2, 2022, at 7 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and is supported by a grant from the Madison County Tourism Development Authority. Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $10 to $25 and are available through the Ramsey Center and online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jake-blount-and-nic-gareiss-tickets-222158109887. Mars Hill University students will be admitted at no charge.

Blount is an award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer, and scholar. He specializes in the music of Black and indigenous communities in the southeastern United States, and features the experiences of queer people and people of color in his work. Blount has studied with modern masters of old-time music, including Bruce Molsky, Judy Hyman (of the Horse Flies), and Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins (of the GRAMMY-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops). He received the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2020 and his first full-length solo album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart.

Gareiss is a dancer who melds Irish and Appalachian dance and is one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch." Gareiss is swiftly becoming recognized as a singular voice in traditional dance and has performed with many of the luminaries of traditional music and dance including Alasdair Fraser, Bruce Molsky, the Chieftains, Colin Dunne, Darol Anger. Gareiss collapses ethnographic research into embodied dance practice. He holds degrees in anthropology and music from Central Michigan University and a master's in ethnochoreology from the University of Limerick. His M.A. thesis based upon ethnographic work with LGTBQ competitive step dancers is thought to be the first piece of scholarship to query the experience of sexual minorities within Irish dance. In 2020, Gareiss received the Michigan Heritage Award, the highest honor bestowed on traditional artists in his home state.

In addition to the evening performance, Blount will give a talk on old-time music origins and Black traditions, focusing on the banjo's origins in Black communities. The talk is free and open to the public, and will be presented in the Thomas Black Box Theatre in Day Hall at 4 p.m.

For more information contact Leila Weinstein, program coordinator of the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at (828) 689-1115 or lweinstein@mhu.edu.

About the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies:

The Liston B. Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at Mars Hill University connects the campus with the wider community to explore the history, culture, and environment of the Southern Appalachian region. The Ramsey Center preserves and provides access to resources for this study through its Southern Appalachian Archives. The Center shares Mars Hill University's commitment to local and global engagement, to service, and to experiential learning. The Ramsey Center is a proud site on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina.

About Mars Hill University:

Mars Hill University is a premier private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees, as well as master's degrees in criminal justice, elementary education, teaching, and management. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina.

www.mhu.edu

Additional information:

Jake Blount - https://jakeblount.com
Nic Gareiss - https://www.nicgareiss.com
Ramsey Center - https://mhu.edu/ramsey-center
Madison County Tourism Development Authority - https://visitmadisoncounty.com
Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina - https://www.blueridgemusicnc.com

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