Meet the MaupinFest Judges
Gina Dilg
Jacob Fennell
Gina Dilg is an Appalachian flatfoot and buck dancer, old-time fiddler, and dance educator based in Southwest Virginia. As both a musician and dancer, Gina brings a perspective rooted in the relationship between the feet and the tune. She regularly dances in performances, at festivals, jams, and competitions, and believes that traditiona
Gina Dilg is an Appalachian flatfoot and buck dancer, old-time fiddler, and dance educator based in Southwest Virginia. As both a musician and dancer, Gina brings a perspective rooted in the relationship between the feet and the tune. She regularly dances in performances, at festivals, jams, and competitions, and believes that traditional percussive dance is as much a musical conversation as it is a visual performance.
Gina has taught flatfooting at festivals and workshops across the country, including the Swannanoa Gathering, the Floyd Country Store, Handmade Music School, and the California Bluegrass Association's Father's Day Festival. She was also featured in the PBS documentary Life in Virginia's Appalachia: Flatfooting, which explores the continuing tradition of Appalachian percussive dance.
Jacob Fennell
Jacob Fennell
Jacob began his dancing journey at the ripe old age of 5 with Tommy Jackson out of Franklin, Tennessee. For a couple of years, many wondered if the boy who loved dancing so much would ever figure out how to get his love of dance to his feet, but then, one day, it just clicked, and off he went, and he has not looked back. In or around the
Jacob began his dancing journey at the ripe old age of 5 with Tommy Jackson out of Franklin, Tennessee. For a couple of years, many wondered if the boy who loved dancing so much would ever figure out how to get his love of dance to his feet, but then, one day, it just clicked, and off he went, and he has not looked back. In or around the year 2016 he started working with Thomas Maupin at various festivals and events. In 2017 he and Mr. Maupin began work with the Tennessee Arts Commission through their Tennessee Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program with Mr. Maupin as the master and Jacob the apprentice. Jacob had already won a few dance competitions prior but after having worked with Mr. Maupin exclusively he began to win everywhere he went including Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree in buck dance the years of 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, in flatfoot the years of 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, clogging national championship in 2018 and 2019, and in the year 2024, he won first in buck, clog and flatfoot. It is only the 3 rd time in Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree history that the same person won all three of their age categories. In 2024, he also won his age divisions in both buck dance and flatfoot at the Wilson County Fair and won 1 st place in the dance contest at the 2024 Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention and both his age division and the grand championship in flatfooting at the 2024 Appalachian String Band Music Festival. At the Robert Spicer Tennessee State Buck-Dance Championship for his age group for the years 2018, 2019 and 2021 and in 2022 and 2023 he won his age group and the state championship. He won the National Champion Authentic Old Time Dance Jr. Division in 2018 at Uncle Dave Macon Days, and the youth buck dance division at MaupinFest in 2019 and 2021, and in 2022 at MaupinFest, he won the National Buck Dancing Championship. At the ACHF Nationals, he won grand champion in flatfoot for 2021 along with a variety of other ACHF awards in both buck dance and flatfoot. Jacob currently does private lessons for any that want to learn. He has had the honor to teach flatfoot at The Fontana Clogging Workshop, the first time flatfoot has been taught there in its 20 year history and he will be going back again this year. He also did a workshop at the CLOG National Convention in November 2023. He has taught young and old the art of squaredancing and participated on many squaredance teams with first place wins. He loves spending time at The Grand Old Hatchery in Dickson where he also teaches on Saturday nights both buck dance and various line dances to children and adults. He has been asked to dance with The Hickory Flat Hoedowners the past two years at a folk festival in Asheville, NC and at the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention. He also dances with the Cripple Creek Cloggers and just returned from the Czech Republic where he danced representing the United States at a folk festival there and participated in the International Folk Festival held in Murfreesboro each year. He began judging in 2024.
Mason Winfree
Mason Winfree
Mason P. Winfree is an award-winning old-time musician and flatfoot dancer who has earned numerous ribbons, including first-place honors, at bluegrass and old-time fiddlers’ conventions across North Carolina and Southwest Virginia, such as the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention and the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. Over the years, he has per
Mason P. Winfree is an award-winning old-time musician and flatfoot dancer who has earned numerous ribbons, including first-place honors, at bluegrass and old-time fiddlers’ conventions across North Carolina and Southwest Virginia, such as the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention and the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. Over the years, he has performed with several groups and has shared his craft by teaching and showcasing flatfoot dancing both nationally and abroad, including on PBS’s Song of the Mountains