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| International Events | The Year in Review | Resources | |
| What's on Where | FDA Contacts | Diary Dates |
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F D A |
Folk Dance Australia FDA OBJECTIVES:
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Dobar den,
I hope everyone has enjoyed this past year as much as I have. We have had some lovely workshops and weekends away, first with André at Annesley (international folk dances) and then with Kaye and Margaret at Kerever Park, where everyone enjoyed a Greek folkdance weekend.
All those who participated in the Folk Dance Teacher Training Course (TTC) this year passed their final exam in October. Congratulations. I was happy to be able to be in Canberra at their graduation and celebrate in their success.
Bulgaria was the highlight of my year and having Stefan with us, visiting his native land, was quite special for all of us. Yes, I am still talking about Bulgaria it continues to go round in my head and my heart.
Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas with lots of singing, dancing, smiling and good cheer. Nasdraveh!
| Sandra Bassetti, President |
NOTICE of FDA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Folk Dance Australia's Annual General Meeting will be on Sunday, 28 February 1999, at "The Edge", cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown, NSW, commencing at 12 noon.
The business will include receiving reports from the committee (President, Treasurer etc) and the Graduate Sub-Committee and to elect office bearers of the Association and ordinary members of the committee.
Members wishing to bring any special business before the general meeting must give notice in writing of that special business to the Secretary.
It would be great if our members from QLD, VIC, SA, WA, NT and the ACT could attend the AGM. If accommodation is required, please contact Kaye or other members of the committee for billeting.
INTERIM NATIONAL COMPETENCY STANDARDS
The new Handbook for training organisations and assessors was printed in September and distributed to all teaching organisations, Industry Training Boards, Education Departments and Ausdance branches. The Competency Standards are for use by organisations wishing to offer competency based training and were approved for publication by the Reference Group which was convened to advise consultant Kris Newton during the development process. The Australian Guidelines for Dance Teachers will remain the major reference for dance teachers however, with the Interim National Competency Standards for training organisations being based on these guidelines.
Development of training packages could be the next step, if the industry wished to proceed further in this process. To quote from the Handbook: "A formal training package will provide a framework against which existing programs (eg. those offered by TAFEs or tertiary institutions or by teaching societies/syllabus organisations) can be 'mapped', thus improving opportunities for teachers to gain recognition for their skills." The Handbook's introductory pages include much valuable information about ways in which the Interim National Competency Standards can be used and about their context in the wider training framework.
This is extracted from Dance Forum.
The Ausdance National Secretariat or your local Ausdance branch have limited copies.
Christine Battisson, facilitator.
FROM THE EDITOR
My heartfelt thanks to those who have contributed (albeit, some voluntarily, some with gentle coercion) to Footnotes, with the touches of humour and personal observation and experience in the varied, informative and entertaining articles. Without your response, Footnotes could not exist.
I look forward to next year (my last as editor) and your continuing support.
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HAMOADON ISRAELI DANCING For those Sydney-siders addicted to Israeli dancing, please note that the Hamoadon Club has changed dancing venues to: The Church in the Market Place, cnr Oxford and Newland Sts, Bondi Junction. Sessions are held on Tuesdays, 7.30 pm 11.30 pm and Thursdays, 8 pm 11 pm. |
Traveller's Comment:
I was once picked out by an energetically barking dog at Milan Airport. A Customs Officer pounced on the bottom joint of my kaval with the triumphant exclamation, "Ah! Pipe! You smoke hashish, yes?" Clearly, not a Folk Customs Officer! (reprinted from Folk Dance New Zealand Newsletter, Oct 1998, No 2) |
FOLK ON THE WEB FDA mail received: From: Aca Pavlovic of F.M.D. KOLO Neuhausen: Hallo We are a Serbian folk dance group from Switzerland. We have visited your site, and it was very interesting. For getting in contact with other organisations and managers for folk dance festivals. In this case we have some questions. - who can organize a tournee? - how we can get in contact with them? - are there organization for festivals ? It would be verry nice, when you can help us. For information about our group, you can visit our web: http://www.swissworld.com/Pavlovic Best regards Aca Pavlovic From: Myriam Lemay, DeLand, Florida, USA: Very well done and very informative! (Comment on web site) From: Erika Whitley, Fairfax, Virginia: I was wondering if you could sent me an e-mail telling me more about Australian folk dancing...where I could find out more information about it...that would be greatly appreciated...thanks... Erika From: Steve Hendel Boca Raton, FL, USA: Wow! This impressive listing of so many varieties of folk dance almost makes me wish I was down under with you! As we approach winter (which is hardly like winter in Florida), I wish you all a good spring and summer. Steve
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Sutherland Christmas Concert 10/12/98 Come and join the Sutherland Shire Folk Dancers for an end-of-year morning concert featuring a variety of dance, singing and fun items for your enjoyment, followed by Christmas lunch, on: Thursday, 10 December, 10 - Noon
Christmas Party Bush Dancing 14/12/98
You are invited to join in the Pennant Hills Workshop Christmas Party with bush dancing and Oz carol singing with the Currawong Bush Band and caller, Don Richmond.
Begins: 7.30 pm Place: Pennant Hills Community Centre Ramsey Road (opp railway station) Bring a plate for supper!!!! Sedenka Christmas Party 18/12/98 Celebrate by dancing with Sedenka on Friday evening, 18 Dec 98, 8pm, at the Village Church Hall, Cnr. Newcombe & Oxford Sts. Paddington (Sydney). Bring a plate to share. It is always fun to welcome old friends and visitors and do dances we may have forgotten or never knew. FDA - Annual General Meeting - 28/2/99 You are invited to the FDA AGM - come and participate; share your ideas over lunch:
Time: Noon - 1.00 pm Place: "The Edge", cnr King & Bray Sts Newtown (Sydney)
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FDA February Workshop - 28/2/99 Details are to be confirmed. Plans are that Indian Dance will be featured for the morning segment of the workshop. Those keen on Indian food can follow through with the theme for lunch at the Indian restaurant opposite. The afternoon (after the AGM) we are planning to present Turkish dancing. NOTE that details of both sessions are to be confirmed. The workshop will be held on: Date: Sunday, 28/2/99
At: "The Edge",
Israeli Dance Workshop - Melbourne Tuvia Tishler is an Israeli choreographer and we welcome folk dancers from all over Australia to experience his wonderful dances. The workshop will be held at Glen Eira College, cnr Neerim and Booran Roads, Caulfield on the 27th and 28th of February 1999. For registration, cost and payment details, see page 14. We are also holding a partners workshop on Tuesday 1st March, 1999. The cost will be $15.00, or $10.00 if you attend any session at the weekend. For more information, contact Jan Sapir (Machol Israeli Dancing Club), on ph: 03 9579 6118. Bowral Residential Workshop, 1999! The dates will be 23/24/25th July, 1999 and the venue will be Annesley Guest House again. Brochures will be sent to all folkdance groups early next year, and also to the 77 people who stayed at Annesley this year. 'Book early' (with the brochure!) will be the way to go!
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China Performing Arts Tour 99 Kim Dunphy will lead this fully escorted tour, which is being scheduled for April/May of 1999 and will cost approx AU$3,900 Kim will share her love of performing arts as you experience traditional Chinese mime and dance, and explore the rich history and culture of this diverse country. Enquiries: Kim Dunphy on 03 9555 0654 or InterAsia Tours on 03 9523 6555. Netherlands & Bulgaria Tour; June 99 Spend 2 weeks or so from June 14 on The Netherlands & Bulgaria Dance Seminar / Folklore tour, with Jaap Leegwater & Nina Kavardjikova as your native tour leaders. Experience the folk dance scene, the people and the attractions of the Netherlands and Bulgaria in one trip! Get involved with a Canal boat trip, flower exhibition, master classes, ethnic picnic, village visits and dancing and much more For more information, write to Jaap Leegwater & Nina Kavardjikova at Folklora Balkana, 2214 Gateway Oaks Drive, #370, Sacremento CA 95833-3207, USA. BalkanFolk'99 gives you the opportunity to choose a 2 week (July 17 31) seminar (AUD810 approx), or either week separately (ie, 17 24 July or 24 31 July) (AUD445). BalkanFolk'99 is organised by a group called SC ZORNITSA. The programme offers you sessions in Bulgarian, Turkish, Albanian, and "ex" Yugoslavian dances; Bulgarian folk singing; the Bulgarian language, gaida, kaval, gadoulka, tapan, tamboura playing, Bulgarian embroidery and pottery-making. You can choose up to 6 disciplines daily, or attend none and spend time instead wandering among the marvellous nature of the Rhodopi mountains. All courses are presented by specialist dance teachers from the country of origin and accompanied by live music. Dance sessions run for 90 mins and are divided into two groups one for beginners, one for the more experienced. The other courses (for individuals or groups) are of 60 mins duration. The cost includes transport to and from Sofia and Pamporovo, board (3 meals per day) and lodging in double rooms, audio cassettes with the music from the educational programmes, excursions to remarkable historic sites, Bulgarian individual and group performances, and a Balkanfolk '99 participation certificate.
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Should you decide to go, you'll need to send a filled-in registration form (see page 15) to SC ZORNITSA, 74, Opalchenska Str, Sofia 1303, Bulgaria, and USD50 to Bulbank Swift, BFTBBGSF, No 1108536607 SC 'ZORNITSA' by 30th May 1999. For more information, contact Rae Marnham on (08) 8356-2172 or email: rmarnham@denr.sa.gov.au or contact
SC ZORNITSA direct on (+359 2) 322 010, 334150 or email: seminar@balkanfolk.com. You can also check out their website at
Closing Date for the next issue
Please send articles for the February issue to:-
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In August, 1998, I joined eight other Australians and fifteen Germans for Belco Stanev's Bulgarian Seminar in Varna.
What a great time we had. We stayed at a resort on the Black Sea. This was very good planning since the temperature was about 39° C and a quick swim between dancing was an affective way to cool down.
But dancing was not all we did. We had singing, drumming and accordion lessons. We toured the old seaside city of Varna exploring in groups and alone the museums, Roman ruins and leafy back streets an old and fascinating city.
We went on a day trip to the ancient museum town of Nesebur where, on a small island, there are numerous churches, some in ruins, the oldest dating from the 5th and 6th centuries AD.
Another day trip took us to Dobrie, the main city of Dobrudja. Here we visited an arts and craft centre, which has been developed in an old area of the town. Here, craftsmen and women could be seen weaving, wood turning, making pottery and instruments, etc, etc. The goods were for sale and our money was quickly spent.
In the evenings of the first week, we attended the Varna Folk Festival, where groups from about 15 countries performed in a wonderful outdoor theatre - a magical setting on warm summer evenings. Other evenings were spent dancing and socialising or visiting restaurants to see performances of Bulgarian dance. In fact, we did so much, it is hard to remember it all.
As we have learnt to expect from Belco, the accommodation was very good and the food was delicious and plentiful. It was a wonderful trip, combining the adventure of learning about Bulgaria with the pleasure of friendships, old and new.
Belco has advised us that, in 2000, on the first weekend in August, there will be a major folklore festival held in Koprivshtitsa. This is said to be a wonderful gathering of performers from all over Bulgaria. To coincide with the festival, Belco is organising a 2-week dance seminar, either before or after the festival. If anyone is interested in knowing more, please contact me. I strongly recommend such a trip to everyone.
?Chris Wild (NSW)
Sunday, 22 November, dawned clear and warm after all that rain! Twenty or so people turned up at the Edge Theatre in Newtown for Chris and Sandra's Bulgarian workshop and most of us (plus new arrivals) stayed on for Jacqueline's singing workshop in the afternoon. Sandra brought along music, souvenirs and photos from our recent trip to Bulgaria to add interest and stimulate discussion.
It was a pleasure for me to re-live some moments of Belco's workshop in Bulgaria and to go through some of the dances taught by his son, Julian, and daughter-in-law, Irene. The main difference was really only the music. We had live music provided by Stojan with his piano accordion in Bulgaria and taped music in Newtown, which differed slightly in places and forced Chris to creatively add a couple of steps to at least one dance.
These were only minor differences though, and it was easy to give oneself over to the joy of the music and dancing and to be transported to Bulgaria.
Six dances were taught by Sandra and Chris:
In the afternoon, Jacqueline overcame the problems of teaching songs in a foreign language with help from Lana, a native of Bulgaria. Trying to read the music and dance at the same time, though, proved more than most of us could manage gracefully. The harmonising in the songs, "Idam ne Idam" and "Pesen ot Dobrudza" was most pleasing, despite the rough "raw material" that Jacqueline had to work with.
Altogether, a most pleasing and enjoyable day, thanks to our three teachers, Sandra, Chris and Jacqueline.
?Helmut Aimann (NSW)
Lazarka, our Taree group, has been enjoying performances this year at fairs and the big Street Party to celebrate the restoration of our main street to a quiet village-like place as a result of the Taree by-pass.
Lazarka Folk Dancers: Sandra Bassetti, Helmut Aimann, Sophie and Neville Donovan and Jenny Lester at the Victoria St Party, Taree.
? Sandra Bassetti (NSW)
In our 29th year, Sedenka continues to meet every Friday night in Paddington. This year we have been very happy to welcome some new dancers to our ranks, as well as enjoying the company of friends made over the years.
In August, four of our members (Stefan, Angelika, Roy and Chris) travelled to Bulgaria to take part in Belco Stanev's dance seminar. We all had a great time and returned with more wonderful Bulgarian dances to add to our repertoire.
But, one can't live by Bulgarian dances alone (well, not everyone!), so we still do dances from a variety of countries, though mainly from the Balkan region.
To celebrate the end of another year, we are inviting everyone to join us in our Christmas Party (see details, page 4). ?Chris Wild (NSW)
FOLK DANCING IN VICTORIA
In Melbourne we have many classes scattered in the suburbs and city. A number of these practice (or teach) Israeli, or Greek or other ethnic dances. There are also International dance groups, and I would like to report on some of the latter.
I am personally associated with 3 groups. Of these, the one which introduces new dances and maintains the old, is International Dance Workshop, commonly known as IDW. This was started in 1980 by Therese Virtue and Lexie Brandt.
Therese is now fully occupied with running the Boite, an organization which regularly engages, supports and encourages musicians and artists from various international backgrounds in a café type venue. Lexie's career has taken her to Canberra.
IDW has a small but accomplished number of devotees, many of whom contribute new dances and teach. Our repertoire is extensive and I have converted the music for this to Mini-disk, thus having the convenience of quick selection and better reproduction. It is our policy to invite visiting or overseas dance teachers to conduct workshops, either on our regular nights or at a convenient week-end.
André van de Plas is a regular visiting teacher, and this year IDW combined with Hora Israeli dance school to have Andre teach international dances. This class was hugely successful, and it introduced the Israeli dancers to a new form of dance, which thanks to Andre's talents, had everybody enjoying themselves. It was also a new experience for the people who had not been taught by this method before.
We also combined with the Box Hill Ballet school for another session, which was different but just as much fun. Jan asked some of her regular ballet pupils which dance they liked best, and to her dismay they nominated "Old Chunk of Coal"!
This year's Victorian Dance and Music Camp at Anglesea was sponsored by VOSA, (Victorian Orff Society Association) with Gary King doing most of the work, and with some input from IDW. As usual, I made the camp video which was available to those who wanted it. Gary Dawson was our main teacher, concentrating on his specialty of Hungarian dance, and Stefanos Antonio from the Greek area of Macedonia, taught Greek dances.
A group of advanced dancers came from Adelaide, and were very impressed with Stefanos' teaching of style. They hope to make it a regular date and will bring their group to perform for us in 1999. With this in mind the next camp will be held in the delightful Erskine House at Lorne. Other accommodation is also available. This will be the 8th yearly camp, featuring teachers who are specialists in their fields.
We hope that more interstate people will join us for what has become a very special weekend. Dancers are from many levels of experience and ability, and many people come just because it is such an enjoyable weekend in a wonderful setting.
The Saturday night party is a regular feature at these camps. This year we had the very popular band ZENOS providing the music, with some items from the enthusiastic folk band KAVALCADE.
SKIPPS dance group performed a tricky set of dances from Serbia and Macedonia, giving us a high standard to emulate.
As the year closes, IDW is planning the endof- year party, and have engaged the band ZENOS to play live music for dancing. The young Macedonian group ILLENDEN will also perform, and we hope to have some Renaissance dancers show us their very different style of dance.
To publicize this we have posted invitations to those whom we think might be interested in coming. Groups from my Council of Education classes and the University of the Third Age will also join in. It should be a fun night.
?Audrey Shoobridge (VIC)
CIFDA CANBERRA NEWS
1998 saw Canberra International Folk Dancing Association launch into its 22nd year of happy dancing with some of the 'pioneers' still hanging in there it's hard to daunt a dancer! That wonderful music starts and you're gone!!
Although we haven't done much in the way of performances this year, we've been happy and willing to be the 'class of 98' for Theresa Orchard and Maria Jenkins in their quest to achieve the required hours of prac teaching for their FDA Teacher Training Course. We are delighted to know that they have, in fact, graduated with flying colours and we offer CONGRATULATIONS!
Those of us who travelled to André's weekend at Bowral had a GREAT time. It's always so lovely to meet and greet our wider Dance Family and renew friendships with the Cooma, Sydney and Blue Mountains mob and, at the same time, hear more magical music and learn new dances. Paula and I got off to a flying start by going to Sydney first to join Kaye Laurendet's Sutherland Shire ladies for a day's dancing. They are always so welcoming and friendly and we have such a good time there. Out most sincere thanks to Kaye, too, for all the organising and behind-the-scenes work that made Bowral such a successful event.
We had a smattering of Overseas dancers drop in during the year, and our members took off in various directions: Reet to the Flinders Ranges, Paula and I to the Kimberlies, Alisa and her husband rode bicycles around Ireland! but the GOLD STAR Award goes to Margaret Porter who, whilst in Japan, taught a Dance Group an Israeli dance in JAPANESE! She brought back a Japanese Schottische (!) to teach us in English, thankfully.
During the year, we were sorry to say goodbye to Karren Sebire, who took off with Alf into the wilds of the Bombala area to become a farmer. It was a great excuse for a big dance party and we made the most of it; and we dropped big hints about woolshed venues for future workshops.
We are planning to commence a permanent Beginners Class early in the New Year to accommodate the less adventurous dancer. Meanwhile, those of us who love a challenge, will go on dancing our little toes off as we hope you all will, and we wish you the very best Christmas you've ever had, and a New Year full of happy dancing with your Dance Family.
? Audrey Maher (ACT)
MANDALA FOLK DANCERS:
Mandala's dancing year has flown by and we will shortly break for the Christmas holidays, resuming in early February, 1999. Earlier this year, the Mandalas celebrated their 15th year with a dance party. We have also enjoyed dance afternoons hosted by the Noosa Dance Group throughout the year.
Attracting new dancers remains a problem, but our small group is certainly enthusiastic. We have attended several workshops this year: Chris Green took a Playford workshop in Brisbane, to which many of us went; Diana Laska-Moore also offered a dance workshop on the coast recently. Danni McKenzie hosted a workshop by Maggie Coombs, who has just returned from attending Greek dance workshops in Greece, where she learned village dances from Thessaly and Pontos. We have also attended performances of Diana Laska-Moore's Folkloric Dance Company, and, on the coast here, performances of Egyptian dance by Narelle Carter-Quinlan.
We meet up with Sue Wright at Chris Green's workshop. Sue comes up to dance with us when time permits, as does Claudia Borbas. Kaye Laurendet recently visited the coast and gave two classes to the Mandala and one to the Noosa dancers. Thank you Kaye, we really enjoyed them.
Our numbers have limited performances this year, but we have danced at fetes and nursing homes throughout the year. Our last performance for this year was at Crossroads (for the intellectually disabled). This is an annual event for us, and one of our most enthusiastic audiences our favourite performance!
Although our dance opportunities are limited up here, we have enjoyed the year and are looking forward to returning to dance in 1999.
?Lorraine Moore (QLD)
FOLK DANCE CANBERRA
Folk Dance Canberra is thriving and l998 has been the best year yet. Why is this so? I would say because we offer seven classes per week. If a dancer cannot attend a particular class there are alternatives for him/her to choose from and we don't lose that dancer. It's as simple as that. However to be able to do this, an organisation needs to have several teachers. At the present time we have three paid teachers and two back-up teachers all of whom are graduates of FDA's Folk Dance Teacher Training Course.
Another reason for our continued success this year has been our willingness to diversify. We ran bush dance classes which have been real money spinners and heaps of fun attracting older children (9 - 14 years) as well as adults attending. Some of our bush dancers (including men) are now showing an interest in international dancing so I suppose you might say we are paving the way for them.
We are currently running two beginners' classes per week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. This has worked well giving beginners the option - so many times in the past we've lost beginners because they "do something else" on the only night we've held beginner classes.
This is the third year we have run children's classes after school on Tuesday afternoons for 5 - 6 years and 7 - 8 years of age. Fortunately we have had teachers who "enjoy" teaching children. This is crucial for the survival of children's classes. The dances we teach are specifically children's dances and not modified adults' dances. We quickly realised that modified adults' dances do not work. Being a little creative also helps. Occasionally we have had mums attend our adults' classes but only one or two have had the time to keep going. However an added bonus for holding children's classes are the special events we organise. These events involve the parents who love to watch their children perform and providing there's lots of goodies to eat and drink, consider these occasions very enjoyable and of course once again boost our funds.
Our advanced classes are on Monday evenings for the hard core dancers. Teaching is shared by seven FDA graduate teachers. This ensures we are "keeping our hand in" and reinforces the teaching methodology.
We hold daytime classes on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. These classes are beginner/intermediate level and consist of retirees, shift workers, part-time workers and housewives. We have built up a core of devotees in these classes which as we all know doesn't happen overnight but when it does you feel it's been worth all the hard work and effort.
Our intermediate classes are held on Thursday evenings but we have to make a concerted effort to keep the standard down to intermediate level and not fall into the trap of teaching advanced dances otherwise the transition between beginners and intermediate is too great. If intermediate dancers feel they need that extra challenge then there is the option of advanced classes on Monday evenings. We use two halls on Thursday evenings - beginners in the small hall and intermediates in the large hall. When we have our break for refreshments the beginners are able to join the intermediates and this gives everyone the opportunity to meet each other. This also assists with the transition from beginners to intermediates.
Our classes are run school term only. The school holidays give our teachers and our dancers a break which refreshes us ready for the next term. Most dancers pay term fees which works well and if the dancers do not turn up, at least we can still pay our teachers. Term fees are discounted and dancers who attend casually pay a higher rate for the 'convenience'.
We have also started running short introductory courses and workshops for both general and specific styles of folk dance. We find that some people prefer to commit themselves to a short course or workshop rather than attending folk dance classes ad infinitum.
Running so many classes has provided us with lots of headaches in relation to our book keeping. Once upon a time a simple treble cash book handled all our accounts and very little time was needed to be spent on daily entries and monthly summaries, etc. It has now become necessary to computerise our accounts and to this end Jim has spent many happy hours mastering the thrills of MYOB (Mind Your Own Business), an accounting package. For the first time we can give our teachers a simple but detailed report of the financial aspects of their classes.
Our dream of acquiring our own hall is becoming a little more realistic each year.
?Christine Battison (ACT)
FROM ADELAIDE
International dancing around Adelaide continues with three recreational groups. The longest-running of these, Adelaide Traditional Dancers, meets every Monday night, and celebrates their 25th continuous year of dancing next year - imagine the miles covered! A Thursday night group currently meets on alternate weeks, and the "Hills" group meets on Fridays. Although numbers are not large these days (12 - 20), Adelaide Traditional Dancers in particular has a core of strong dancers with many years experience, who share the responsibilities of running the group.
We have not had any visiting teachers to Adelaide this year, but we have had strong input from various members who have attended workshops elsewhere 3 of our group in Bulgaria last year, 2 this year, and 3 of us really enjoyed the camp in Anglesea, Victoria, this year with guest teachers Gary Dawson and Stefanos Antoniou, and live music from Anne Hildyard and Rob Bester in the workshops, and supported by "Kavalcade" for the dance party.
To all of our dance enthusiasts, I particularly like to encourage attending the various ethnic community dances. It's good to put alot of these dances that we learn into context - they take on a new meaning when danced as a natural extension of the communities to which they belong, and the simplest dance is enjoyable, because it is "real".
?Rae Marnham (SA)
Adelaide Traditional Dancers
WEST AUSTRALIA in REVIEW
PIFDG's past year? Its been a mixed year for us sandgropers. We only had one workshop, but it was a good one. Our friend Fiona Murdoch returned to us from New Zealand with a selection of fine dances and music, many of which are now top of our charts (or at least our whiteboard list of the evening's dances). Fiona lived in Perth for several years before returning to her native country, and she was a popular teacher, so with her return we caught up with some of our former dancers who have fallen by the wayside.
We also had an 8 week beginner's course, with over 25 students, and a follow-up 'Next Step' course with about 15 students. The courses were very successful in that the students had a ball, but it didn't translate into a lot more people at our regular Monday nights. Some of the reasons for this are that people aren't available on Monday's, that people only wanted to make the limited commitment of a few weeks, and that the regular evenings are a quantum leap in difficulty from the beginner's courses. In any event, we made a few friends, and the bank manager was smiling too.
The year also had its traumas. We had to leave the Wembley Scout Hall, our home for many years, because the land was just too valuable to be used for a scout hall any more. For many of us, it was one more worrying sign of the social changes that make our pastime more difficult - local councils have traditionally supported community activities, but we now drive and don't have communities based on locality. At the local level, the forces of economic irrationalism see marginal community activity being replaced by commercial entertainment, and our culture is losing diversity. That's a personal opinion, of course, but our move was an excuse for a couple of parties - a wake and a housewarming.
There was more excitement when a few members of the committee thought that our name - Perth International Folk Dance Group - sounded like it had been thought up by a committee and didn't really reflect the dynamic nature of our activity. The matter ended up before a Special General Meeting of the whole group, where a change of name was narrowly defeated (it needed a two thirds majority to carry). So we still have an unpronounceable acronym, but we've avoided a few printing costs and kept our history intact.
The performance troupe have continued to dance at various community events, and we've been invited to dance in the 'Oz Concert', a multicultural concert held every Australia Day in the Perth Entertainment Centre, with an audience of thousands. It's a big challenge, but very exciting, too.
So, as the year draws to a close, we're looking back at a year with its ups and downs, but never boring when dance is involved.
?John Whaite (WA)
Perth International Folk Dance Group
SUTHERLAND SHIRE REPORT
The Sutherland Shire Folk Dance Group has had a busy and successful year, with many activities taking place. Our 65 members have a choice of three classes, with half attending two sessions per week.
Debbie Hotchkis, who recently graduated from the TTC, is a welcome addition to our regular group of teachers.
Our performing group has been involved in 22 demonstrations this year at nursing homes and Senior Citizen groups, as well as participating in Dance Week at Darling Harbour, Heritage Week at Kurnell, the Southside Festival at Sutherland and Tulip Time at Bowral. Rehearsals are now underway for our annual Christmas Concert.
Special functions included a fund-raising day for Cancer research, a party night to celebrate our birthday, and a weekend away with the Earlwood and Bowral groups. We also hosted Andre's "Easy Dance Workshop" last July, with dancers from Bowral, Canberra and the Blue Mountains also attending.
Our group continues to grow and, with new beginners classes starting next year, we hope to attract many new members.
?Kaye Laurendet (NSW)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
I am pleased to see some constructive criticism at last appearing in these columns. Daryl Powell's letter raises many interesting ideas and issues.
If FDA wishes to achieve credibility, it needs to face up to its imperfections and do something about them.
?Carol McNally (ACT)
I recently needed some information on Israeli dance in Australia, for a publication which will probably be released next year. While the local information is pretty readily accessible in Melbourne, I began my interstate search in your invaluable list of contacts and information. I want to thank you and the "Footnotes" team for maintaining such a useful resource, and all the people I contacted through your pages who were, without exception, informative and helpful. I feel as if I've made new friends all over the country.
I also had a look at your web page very nice and very helpful.
Many thanks.
?Therese Virtue (VIC)
BLUE MOUNTAINS
The Blue Mountains of NSW boasts two folk dance groups, who, although small in number, make up for this with energy and enthusiasm. Occasionally the two groups meet to exchange ideas and dances, as well as joining for performances at fetes, fairs and concerts.
Sometimes we venture further than the Mountains. One of our members even visited the October Machol Pacifica 1998 in Havelock North, NZ, with Shmulik Gov-Ari, which was attended by approximately 100 energetic New Zealanders, plus 3 Australians!
The dances were inspirational and original, and the teaching was very effective judging from comments made at the end. It was one of the most memorable and thoroughly taught programmes experienced by many who attended. Most people returned to their home dance groups to enthusiastically teach these many new interesting dances, choreographed by Shmulik himself.
Anyone interested in borrowing dance notes and music is welcome to contact Celia on email ecosse@pnc.com.au.
A typical night at Glenbrook with the Blue Labyrinth group
?Celia Wilson (NSW)
Blue Labyrinth Folk Dance group
SINGING AND STRESS
Quoted from p 10, The Cornstalk, No 293, Dec/Jan, 1998 1999
"It was reported in the Sunday Telegraph recently that singing helps reduce stress and can even boost the immune system.
Voice coach Chris James said:
'Sound resonates through the body, boosting energy. The heart rate slows and emotional and physical tensions are released'".
I imagine that this would also be true of dancing and easily explains why we felt so-o-o good after our Bulgarian dancing and singing workshop and why people love to call out while they are dancing. Eee Haaaah.
A.C.T. (Canberra)
Monday 7.30 - 9 pm. Advanced Classes, $7 Corroboree Park Hall, Paterson St, Ainslie. Enquiries Folk Dance Canberra (02) 6241 3563.
Tuesday 10 - 11.30 am. Corroboree Park Hall, Paterson Street, Ainslie.
3.30 - 5 pm. Children's classes, Corroboree Park Hall, Paterson Street, Ainslie. Enquiries Folk Dance Canberra (02) 6241 3563.
Wednesday 2 3.30 pm. Corroboree Park Hall, Paterson Street, Ainslie.
Enquiries Folk Dance Canberra (02) 6241 3563.
7.45 pm 10.30 pm CIFDA (Canberra International Folk Dancing Association) Hughes Community Centre, cost $6 (includes supper). Contact Shannon D'Arcy (02) 6287 2525 (h), Carol (02) 6251 3096 (h) or Margaret (02) 6286 5647 (h).
Thursday 7.30 - 9.30 pm. Beginners' classes, Corroboree Park (small hall) and Intermediate classes, Corroboree Park (large hall), Paterson St. Ainslie. 7.30 9.30, Israeli Folk Dancing, New Creation Ministeries Hall, Dixon Drive, Holder. Contact Verna, (02) 6288 2476
Sunday 3.30 (beginners), 4.30 6.30 (dancing), Israeli Folk Dancing Forrest. Contact Naomi on (02) 6258 9254 or email: petina@dynamite.com.au
5pm - +, Scandinavian Folk Dance Group, Lyons Scout Hall, Tooms Place. New members very welcome. Contact Graeme Traves (02) 6292 3706 ah, or (02) 6244 6231 bh.
NEW SOUTH WALES (Sydney)
Monday 10 - 12 noon. During school term. Earlwood Senior Citizens Centre,
7.30 pm. Bush dancing workshops for beginners (Bush Music Club) Pennant Hills Community Centre (downstairs, opp railway station); Contact Linda Nilson (02) 9674 1184 (ah)
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Sutherland Shire Folk Dance Group. Wednesday 7.15 - 8.15 pm. Adult International Folk Dance classes. Collaroy Plateau Youth & Community Club, Blandford St. Collaroy Plateau. Cost $35.00 per school term. |
Wednesday 8.00 10 pm. Australian Heritage Dancers, rehearsals, Annandale Neighbourhood Centre, 79 Johnston St, Annandale). Contact Patrick Burnett: (02) 9957 6049. Thursday 7.30 - 10 pm North Parramatta. Contact Chris Green (02) 9749 1968 Friday 8 - 11 pm. Sedenka International Folkdance Group, Village Church Hall, Cnr. Newcombe & Oxford Sts. Paddington. Saturday (am) Children's classes in International Folk Dance, 6 - 18 years. Pennant Hills Community Centre, Yarrara Rd. Pennant Hills (opp. railway station). Contact Carol Maddocks (02) 9905 1563. (Blue Mountains) Monday 7.15 - 8.45 pm. Beginners at Uniting Church Hall, Katoomba. Contact Bronwyn on (02) 4757 2441. Thursday 7.00 - 8 30 pm and/or 8.45 - 10.00 pm. The Blue Labyrinth International Folk Dancers, Baptist Church Hall, King St, Glenbrook. Contact Jo (02) 4739 6498 or Pat (02) 4739 1005. (Bowral) Thursday 9.00 - 11.00 am. Southern Highlands Recreational International Folk Dance Group. Presbyterian Hall, Bendooley St. Bowral. Contact Margaret Connor (02) 4861 2294. (Cooma) Thursday 6 - 7.30 pm, Uniting Church Hall, Soho St. Beginners & upwards. Contact Fran (02) 6452 4225 (w) (02) 6453 3282 (h) (Taree)
Wednesday 5.30 - 7.30 pm. International Folk Dance Group, Church of Christ Hall, NORTHERN TERRITORY (Darwin) Tuesday 7 - 9 pm. International Dance (mainly European and Israeli) - Beginners to advanced; $4. QUEENSLAND (Brisbane) Friday (2nd & 4th of month) 8.00 pm. Brisinta International folk dancing, Uniting Church Hall, (Sunshine Coast) Monday 9.30 - 11.30 am, Lutheran Hall, Sydney St, Nambour. 9.30 - 11.30 am, St Mary's Hall, William St, Tewantin. |
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Thursday 9.30 11.30 am., Lutheran Hall, Sydney St. Nambour. Friday 9.30 - 11.30 am, Noosa Bicentennial Hall Annexe, Bicentennial Drive, Noosa. For Nambour contact Jean (07) 5441 2315 or Lorraine (07) 5445 1740; for Noosaville contact Danni (07) 5442 8821. Cost for all classes $4 VICTORIA (Melbourne) Monday 1.45 pm. International Dancing, University of the Third Age, Rob Roy Rd, Chadstone. Contact Margaret (03) 9530 4372 or Audrey (03) 9898 3567. Tuesday 7.30 - 10 pm. Greek traditional, popular, national & folkloric dancing at Margaritas Centre of Greek Dance & Folklore, Richmond Community Primary School, Cnr Davidson & Kent Sts, Richmond. Classes for beg/inter/advan or private lessons. Also available for teaching intellectually, sensory & physically disabled (03) 9583 1173 (all hours) or Mobile 015 821 203.
8.00 pm, every 1st and 3rd Tuesday, International Dance Workshop, St. Michael's Church Hall, Cnr MacPherson & McIlwraith Sts. N. Carlton. Beginners start at 7.30; ongoing class 8.30 pm. Wednesday Thursday 7.45 - 9 pm during school term. Adult classes. Thomas St, Hampton.
Wide range of dance styles taught & danced in small friendly class. 7.30 - 10 pm. Circle Dance, Tapscott-Milbourne Centre, Cambridge Rd. Montrose. $5. No partner necessary. Friday 10 am. International Dance, Council of Adult Education, City Campus, 256 Flinders St. Contact Liliana (03) 9652 0668 or Audrey (03) 9898 3567. 7.30 - 10.30 pm 2nd, 4th & 5th of each month. Eltham International Dancing,
St Margaret's Church Hall, Putt St. Eltham. $4 or $20 for 8 week term. Sunday 2 - 4.30 pm. Margaritas Centre of Greek Dance. (See above, Tuesday). WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Perth) Monday Perth International Folk Dance Group, 7.00 teaching, 8.30 10 pm social dancing. Uniting Church Hall, cnr Tyrell and Elizabeth Sts Nedlands, WA. |
ADVERTISING IN FOOTNOTES Full page $40.00 20% discount for members. Other sizes are available on a pro-rata basis. Anyone wishing to advertise in Footnotes please contact the Editor.
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Merry Christmas
to all FDA members
and their families
and a
Happy "Folk Dancing" New Year. %%%%%%%%%%%%
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Machol Israeli Dance Club workshop registration form. Not reproducible here. See the article for more info
Balkanfolk '99 registration form - not reproducible here. See the article for more info
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10 Dec 98 |
Sutherland Shire Christmas Concert, 10 am 12pm, (Xmas dinner to follow), St Andrews Church Hall, Kingsway, Cronulla. |
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14 Dec 98 |
Pennant Hills Workshop Christmas Party (bush dancing & carol singing), starts 7.30 pm, Pennant Hills Community Centre, Ramsey Rd, Pennant Hills. |
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18 Dec 98 |
Sedenka Christmas Party, 18/12 98, 8pm, at the Village Church Hall, Cnr. Newcombe & Oxford Sts. Paddington (Sydney). |
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30 Dec 98 |
6 days, Gulgong Folk Festival, contact Virginia Nichols 02 6372 3865 or Di O'Mara 02 6374 1350. |
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31 Dec 97 |
5 days, Gulgong Folk Festival, Contact Virginia 063) 723 865 or Di 063) 741 350. |
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26 Feb 99 |
3 days, Cobargo Folk Festival, enquiries http://www.sci.net.au/jimfaa or Elizabeth Kearney (02) 6493 6738. |
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27 Feb 99 |
2 days, Israeli Folk Dance Workshops and party, contact Jan Sapir, 03) 9579 6118. |
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28 Feb 98 |
FDA February Indian Morning Workshop & Turkish Workshop Afternoon, 10 am, The Edge, cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown , Sydney. (TBC) |
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28 Feb 98 |
FDA Annual General Meeting, 12 pm, The Edge, cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown , Sydney. (TBC) |
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17 Mar 99 |
5 days, 14th Illawarra Folk Festival, enquiries russell.hannah@tafensw.edu.au or Yvonne (02) 4233 1073 |
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1 Apr 99 |
5 days, National Folk Festival, Canberra. |
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9 Apr 99 |
3 days, Fairbridge Festival, WA Theme Indian Ocean Voyage, contact (08) 9332 3652 |
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Apr 99 |
China Performing Arts tour, contact Kim Dunphy: on 03 9555 0654 or InterAsia Tours on 03 9523 6555 |
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14 Jun 99 |
2 weeks, The Netherlands & Bulgaria Dance Seminar / Folklore tour, with Jaap Leegwater & Nina Kavardjikova, 2214 Gateway Oaks Drive, #370, Sacremento CA 95833-3207, USA. |
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17 Jul 99 |
1 or 2 weeks, BalkanFolk '99 in Bulgaria, contact Rae Marnham on (08) 8356-2172 or email: rmarnham@denr.sa.gov.au or SC ZORNITSA direct on (+359 2) 322 010, 334150 or email: seminar@balkanfolk.com |
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23 Jul 99 |
2 and a half days, Bowral Weekend Workshop with André van de Plas. Contact Kaye: 02 9528 4813, or watch for the brochure at your local folk dance group. |
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24 Sep 99 |
9 days, 10th Biennial International Eisteddfod, Roodepoort, South Africa, contact International Eisteddfod '99, PO Box 738, Roodepoort 1725, South Africa; or website: www.4africa.com/iesa |
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