Welcome to my DJ, music and dance website!
Hello, and thanks for stopping by! If we have not yet had the pleasure to meet in person, I invite you to explore my humble contributions to the world of music and dance. Having spent countless hours experiencing music and dance in various forms since childhood, I firmly believe that both of these have immense power to bring folks together in the most wonderful ways and to motivate people, quite literally, to live in harmony. Music and dance are my passions, and I deeply enjoy sharing that passion with friends new and old, wherever they may be.
In 2010 I launched my mobile event DJ business as a very part-time venture, eventually joining the Thumbtack.com community which greatly expanded my reach. I love providing music and dance for wedding receptions as well as birthday parties and all types of celebrations. If you are shopping for a DJ for your special event, I invite you to either go directly to my DJ Page or take a few moments first to explore my arts background and perhaps discover some additional possibilities that I am happy to offer at no extra charge with my core DJ services.
Always captivated by music even as a young child, I started playing clarinet in 4th grade, soon adding saxophone to my skill set initially to be able to join my school's jazz band. In junior high and high school I was principle clarinetist for several years, and I was presented a John Philip Sousa Band Award at graduation. Despite going on to major in engineering, I continued my love of woodwind playing with various types of ensembles in my native New York, later New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and now Virginia. I am currently active in several music scenes in the Charlottesville area including community concert bands, jazz/swing bands, contra dance bands as well as theater.
Since 2009 or so, contra and square dance lovers around the United States have come to know me as a "rising star" dance caller who loves to travel to call (and of course, dance) in new communities. In the spring of 2014 I was a featured caller at the nationally-known Catapult Showcase weekend in Atlanta. I am currently based on beautiful central Virginia, where I organize the Sunday night Greenwood contra dance near Charlottesville. Nowadays I tour frequently both in Virginia and all over the mid-Atlantic states as well as occasionally to New England, Toronto, the Midwest, and even the West Coast. But I love the dance itself and plan to always be a "dance gypsy" who will travel to join friends at dance weekends near and far just for the pure fun of it.
In 2010 I launched my mobile event DJ business as a very part-time venture, eventually joining the Thumbtack.com community which greatly expanded my reach. I love providing music and dance for wedding receptions as well as birthday parties and all types of celebrations. If you are shopping for a DJ for your special event, I invite you to either go directly to my DJ Page or take a few moments first to explore my arts background and perhaps discover some additional possibilities that I am happy to offer at no extra charge with my core DJ services.
Always captivated by music even as a young child, I started playing clarinet in 4th grade, soon adding saxophone to my skill set initially to be able to join my school's jazz band. In junior high and high school I was principle clarinetist for several years, and I was presented a John Philip Sousa Band Award at graduation. Despite going on to major in engineering, I continued my love of woodwind playing with various types of ensembles in my native New York, later New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and now Virginia. I am currently active in several music scenes in the Charlottesville area including community concert bands, jazz/swing bands, contra dance bands as well as theater.
Since 2009 or so, contra and square dance lovers around the United States have come to know me as a "rising star" dance caller who loves to travel to call (and of course, dance) in new communities. In the spring of 2014 I was a featured caller at the nationally-known Catapult Showcase weekend in Atlanta. I am currently based on beautiful central Virginia, where I organize the Sunday night Greenwood contra dance near Charlottesville. Nowadays I tour frequently both in Virginia and all over the mid-Atlantic states as well as occasionally to New England, Toronto, the Midwest, and even the West Coast. But I love the dance itself and plan to always be a "dance gypsy" who will travel to join friends at dance weekends near and far just for the pure fun of it.
As an extension of my twin passions for community dance and music of all types, in 2011 I started
Club Contras with my brother Clayton. It is a wonderful blend of these two loves - the joy and connection of contra dancing mated with a DJ playing a wide variety of popular music styles such
as disco, classic rock, electronic dance, current top 40, and even a little country.
Please reach out and let me know how you like my site, share your favorite music or dance memory,
or whatever is on your mind. See you around!
- Brian Hamshar
Club Contras with my brother Clayton. It is a wonderful blend of these two loves - the joy and connection of contra dancing mated with a DJ playing a wide variety of popular music styles such
as disco, classic rock, electronic dance, current top 40, and even a little country.
Please reach out and let me know how you like my site, share your favorite music or dance memory,
or whatever is on your mind. See you around!
- Brian Hamshar