The StepCrew

Created by Cara Butler and Jon and Nathan Pilatzke (longtime touring members of The Chieftains), The StepCrew combines Irish, Tap and Ottawa Valley Step dancing, music, and song. The virtuosic cast of 11 dancers and musician, made up of leading performers in today’s Celtic music scene, has appeared on the stages of Celtic festivals all over the world.

The StepCrew is a brilliant visual and musical display of the most talented dancers I’ve seen. It’s refreshing to see a performance of this style based on pure ability as the dancers are certainly nothing less than virtuosic in their respective styles. The first time I saw Jon and Nathan Pilatzke dancing with Cara Butler was the best thing I’d seen since sliced bread. Having worked with them for the last eight years has been a true tonic for The Chieftains. The StepCrew does not simply draw their audience in, they take them by the hand and remind us what dance is meant to be about – fun.”

- Paddy Moloney, The Chieftains

The StepCrew is a show that very simply, cannot be missed. The focus, energy, and sheer virtuosity on display from the entire cast is nothing short of mind-boggling. I have yet to encounter a dance show of such unique proportions, seamlessly blending the best of three different percussive styles into what can only be called a tour de force. The StepCrew is truly one of the most exciting things I have seen in a long time.”

- Jean Butler of Riverdance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground

For 2022, the Festival’s main stage is again temporarily transplanted from our signature Tent Concert Hall in Mendocino Headlands State Park to the beautiful, iconic and historic 1938 Cotton Auditorium in nearby Fort Bragg. We’re pleased to also welcome the return of more intimate concerts in Preston Hall, our smaller Mendocino venue. While we’d hoped to be back in the Tent Concert Hall this year, the combination of pandemic-related disruptions in the availability of vital resources (such as labor) and lingering uncertainty about public health conditions this summer would have made that an unacceptably risky proposition. Meanwhile, work is under way toward our 2023 return to our home since 1985, the Tent Concert Hall on the Mendocino Headlands.