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F D A |
Folk Dance Australia
FDA OBJECTIVES:
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THE PRESIDENT'S REPORTWhat a surprise that it is December so quickly and another year is almost finished. It has been a great year for Folk Dancing. In October we all thoroughly enjoyed an Armenian workshop with Tineke van Geel. Thanks go to John Whaite of the Perth International Folk Dance Group for organising her visit to Australia. We were very pleased with the success of the tour by Yves Moreau, which FDA organised in June. Other FDA workshops this year included Greek, Bulgarian and a "come and try" day for beginners. FDA won a grant from Active Australia for four of the Sydney workshops. FDA also organised the inaugural "Folk Dance Dancers' Dance" at the National Folk Festival over Easter this year and were very happy with the number of dancers who participated. We have made a submission to run a similar event in 2002. Stage 1 of our Recreational Folk Dance Teacher Training Course was held in Canberra, thanks to the hard working sub-committee. With next year almost here, it is time to ask everyone to consider if they would like to join the FDA committee. If you think you may be interested, you are welcome to contact anyone on the committee to talk about what's involved. It is not really hard work and it can be fun and rewarding. Best wishes for a very merry Christmas to you and your families and a happy New Year filled with lots of dancing. Chris Wild, FDA President Teacher Training Course UpdateThis course only has 7 students, from Sydney, Hobart, Perth and Canberra. The small number, far from being daunting, actually generated a nice cosy feeling and afforded more practice teaching time for the students. The week ran fairly smoothly (except for the Facilitator not strictly keeping to the timetable) and while the students agreed that it was quite a strenuous week, they all found it more enjoyable than anticipated and very worthwhile. The course actually made a small profit, due to a grant of $1000 from the ACT Bureau of Sport and Recreation. Folk Dance Canberra applied for the grant to help with administration costs and was successful because the course is held in Canberra. As has been said before, no one person runs a course such as this. My thanks go to everyone involved: the Graduate Sub-Committee; the teachers; the volunteer "guinea pigs" and last, but certainly not least, the hard-working students themselves. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all again next year. Lesley Rose, Facilitator, FDA TTC |
to all and a Happy New Year
Vic and Jan Orloff would like to inform you that the Queensland Folkloric Dance Association (QFDA) Inc is going into partnership with the Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Centre (BEMAC) and will no longer exist in its own right. As Vic is a member of the BEMAC management board, he will be able to champion QFDA's ideals. Vic and Jan thank you for your support over the years. BEMAC can be contacted on 07 3391 4433 or check their website at www.bemac.org.au or email bemac@bemac.org.au
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"Balkanfolk 2001" Review
It was with great excitement that Anna Travali and I landed in Sofia after a long and tiring flight. Rene was returning home but for us it was a new experience and we had left Noosa behind to experience a new and different culture. Not only was the language strange and unfamiliar but the Cyrillic script made our location that much more glamorous and at the same time it made getting around that much more difficult as the signs all looked so strange. Fortunately, we were met at the airport by Balkanfolk employee, Victoria, a law student and dancer working part time in her holidays. She organised a taxi to our hotel and the next day took us to the bank, post office and internet café and on our last day took us to the airport for the bus to Pamporova. At the airport we met several other dancers, teachers and organisers and we all headed by bus to Pamporova collecting musicians on the way. Our hotel was much nicer than expected and we even had our own bathroom and a small balcony with a wonderful view. Dinner was ready on our arrival and before long it was time to retire so we would be refreshed for our first dance class at 8.30 the next morning. Thus began what can only be described as a full-on dance workshop. There was no easing into it as we had 2 dance classes before lunch and another in the afternoon followed by a singing class for me. This was to be my one and only as I discovered I was expected to sing solo whereas I had expected to be able to sit at the back of a large choir and fake when I needed to. After dinner each evening the band played and we danced. This was often the best part of the day. Sometimes watching the more experienced dancers as they danced fast, complicated Bulgarian dances or joining in with those that seemed easier or trying to learn something new and exciting. The band usually finished around midnight so it was then time for bed or the disco. Some nights a particular country would be featured and we would dance what we had learned in our classes. For one of the Romanian nights two of the teachers performed in glorious costume for us. They also treated all the tables to rakia so a good night was had by all. Our Macedonian teacher, Ljupco, was a fantastic dancer and often lead the dancing at night. Vera, Bobby and Emile, the organisers, were also superb and Sylvia, another Bulgarian, was born to dance. Watching her was always a pleasure. So there were Anna and I caught up in this wonderful world of dance. Sometimes visitors to the hotel would join in too and surprise us with their agility and ability. Even the hotel staff joined in at times. This was certainly an experience of a lifetime. The other students from France, Croatia, USA, Denmark, Holland, N.Z. and UK were all interesting to talk to and we had lots of fun together. Some students were also there to learn musical instruments and throughout the day the hotel resounded with the same melody that will forever be imbedded in my mind. Why they all had to learn the same tune, I don't know! A very worthwhile trip, maybe I'll make it back again one day. ? Danni Mackenzie (QLD) |
Dancing at Lefkada
It was sheer good fortune that whilst participating in Balkanfolk 2001 at Pamporovo in Bulgaria (a fantastic seminar), I heard that the Ensemble Zornitsa (trained by Emil Genov, director of Balkanfolk) was to perform at the Lefkas Festival on the island of Lefkada in Greece. Luckily I could fit a couple of days into my itinerary as it turned out to be a memorable experience. Folk dance groups from around the world were there - Greece, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Georgia, Israel, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Thailand, Togo, South Africa and Ukraine being represented. Some with 25 - 30 dancers, others with 6 - 8, but all displaying wonderful dances and costumes from their countries. A large stage and seating had been set up beside the City Hall in Lefkada Town and, with a backdrop of trees and the moon, a delightful setting was created. The first evening all groups danced and walked down the streets accompanied by musicians with enough gap in between so as not to become confusing. They finished at the waterfront and individually performed for a few minutes before the lowering of flags of all participating nations. Later that evening all countries danced on stage for ten minutes each. For the rest of the week six or seven groups were programmed to dance each night for 15 - 30 minutes. In between they went to villages to perform involving many parts of the island. There were several Greek ensembles, one from Lefkada getting the festival off to a start with Lefkadatikos, one of my favourite dances. It's impossible to comment on all the countries but the second evening started with mature age ladies from Japan, beautifully dressed and looking very pretty. One woman sang whilst the others danced to recorded music and I felt an understanding of the Japanese language would have helped as obviously a story was unfolding. The Ukrainians, also using recorded music, were fantastic. The men's leaps and acrobatic movements were out of this world, and the girls in their colourful costumes with red boots, also endeared themselves to the audience. For Greek dancing we were treated to two groups from Lefkada and one from Corfu all looking resplendent in their costumes and dancing superbly. The Israelis put on a super performance, including in their music "Fiddler on the Roof", but the dancing appeared more balletic with not a lot of footwork from the girls. Such exceptional talent, but to my mind the piece de resistance came at the end when the Bulgarian group Zornitsa came onto the stage. With 25-30 dancers it was an amazing spectacle. The footwork was light, unbelievably quick and precise and a combination of that and the brilliant costumes contributed to a dazzling display. These are all students who come and go and I think a lot of credit must go to Emil Genov not only for the choreography but for his skill in teaching and bringing them together (helped by Bobi and Vera); and to the excellent musicians. The entire festival was exciting and impressive, the island beautiful. I hope to return one day. ? Anna Travali (QLD) |
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C.V. of Vasilios Aligiannis
our latest member  My name is Vasilios Aligiannis and I am a Greek Folk Dance Instructor living in Sydney. I am currently running two dance groups - The Greek Folk Dancers of NSW and the Pan-Macedonian Hellenic Lyceum Dancers of NSW. I founded the Greek Folk dancers of NSW and I have taken over the Pan-Macedonian Hellenic Lyceum ( a dance group established in 1976). I have taught dance for over the past 10 years. I studied dance under Andrew Rossides in Australia and studied in Greece for a while under the guidance of The Hellenic Lyceum for Women and attended various workshops, including ones run by the Dora Stratou Dance Theatre. I am currently working on a Greek folk dance workshop that I will be running at the Stamping Ground Dance Festival in Bellingen in January of 2002. I have accumulated over 300 traditional costumes and many authentic pieces from all the regions of Greece.  I can be contacted on (02) 9708-1875 (tel/fax); Our internet details are: www.angelfire.com/folk/greekdancers |
 with Tineke van Geel - October 20th 2001 It is always exciting to have the opportunity to experience traditional folk dance teachers from overseas. When I saw Tineke's workshop advertised in "Footnotes", it seemed such an excellent opportunity to catch up with the friends I'd met in Bulgaria in '98, so I booked my trip to Sydney to attend this workshop early in August. The collapse of Ansett, losing my fares and accommodation didn't dampen my enthusiasm so I re-booked with Virgin Blue, found other digs and there I was. I had a fabulous dancing weekend in Sydney. On Friday night I visited Sedenka and enjoyed seeing Chris, Angelika, Roy and Stefan- all with whom I'd danced in Bulgaria with Belco three years ago. The friendliness, warmth and quality dancing I shared with the people in this group were a perfect to warm up for Tineke's workshop the next day when I caught up with Sandra and Helmut- also friends from '98. In South Australian terms it was a long drive to get to the UWS Nepean Centre for Contemporary
Performance. It was a venue designed purely for dance, with sprung floors, natural light and fresh
air circulating throughout the workshop. This was a luxury. |
Tineke van Geel is a professional and teacher of the highest calibre. Once the reunions of people
who came from many parts of NSW were completed, the serious business of teaching and learning about
Armenian dance, culture and style began to unfold.
Tineke's teaching style is very clever. She teaches small parts of the footwork, which the group practises and repeats before she adds slight changes and variations until the true steps emerge. The arms and the hands are added to complete the whole dance. She had a pleasant blend of humour and discipline in her teaching style and I felt constantly challenged throughout. Our performance group in Adelaide, Zivana, includes Tamzara- the choreographed version- in our Armenian suite. Tineke taught us a new Tamzara and to the music to which we dance Daronee in Adelaide we learnt Gorani, which is probably the original un-choreographed version. The history and background to each dance that was taught fascinated me. Tineke has obviously spent much time in Armenia and has experienced dance from different perspectives. She's danced with the village folk as well as learnt alongside the performers. The richness of her presentation comes with a deep understanding of these people in many contexts, from the purest form of Armenian performance in Hoi Nare Nare to Armenians dancing Asmar Aghchik at a party in downtown Fresno, USA. Having several young dancers from Carol Maddocks' classes was a refreshing influence. Not only were they quick to learn but they seemed to enjoy what they were doing. It is tempting to hope that they will continue the passion once we've hung up our dancing shoes. Thank you Sydney and thank you FDA. Congratulations on a successful workshop. I'll be back. ? Joan Amos (SA) |
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FOLK ON THE WEB
Name: Borislav Arapchev borislav123@hotmail.com Name: Max Kristofferson maxanne@mail.bip.net Name: M. A. Mirza, uic@gjr.paknet.com.pk Name: Cliphine Nelson zino_cliphine@yahoo.com Name: Raelene Allen info@dancingaustralia.com Name: The next will be the 6th edition of the International Festival Competition for Ballet-Contemporary-Modern-Hip Hop-Latin-Swing-Folk- Tap Schools and Dance-Theatrical Educational Institutes. Please visit our web site at www.praguefestival.com and www.dancefestival.it or e-mail dancefestival@dancefestival.it or david.pf@volny.cz or dancefestival@albaclick.com continued top of next column => |
Name: Carol Maddocks, maddocksdance@optusnet.com.au From: Sydney Date: 16 Aug 2001 Subject: We're on the Web! Comment: Dear All, Look up our just established website - www.carolmaddocks.org. Its only the beginning but one of our Collaroy Plateau parents, Claire Graham's dad, has set it up for us. The photos are ones he took with his digital camera at the State Sports Centre, Olympic Park, Homebush Bay (site of the Olympic Games). We danced there for the International Badminton Challenge organised by our friends the Chinese Youth League on 29th July. There were teams from 12 countries competing and an audience of over 5000. We danced just before the prize giving ceremony. Only the photo gallery is done so far, but in time it will be more comprehensive. Exciting isn't it!!! Name: Heidi McGrath massage_heidi@hotmail.com Name: Sarah Bedak sarahbedak@hotmail.com Name: Dusan Ristic mailinglista@galbeno.co.yu Come join us in Valjevo, in the picturesque Serbian hills for a complete cultural experience. Spend two weeks immersed in Serbian and Gypsy music, dance, and language, and experience the Serbian Gypsy lifestyle, food and family atmosphere. For more information visit our newly updated website at http://www.galbeno.co.yu
or email us at amala@galbeno.co.yu Name: Vas Aligiannis, greekdancer@excite.com Continued next page... |
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Name: Alexander Ivanov, folk@sp.ru From: St. Petersburg, Russia Date: 5 Nov 2001 Subject: International Russian Spring Folk Music Festival: 25th - 28th April, 2002 Comment: I am eager to share information about our festival and hope that you consider joining us. The Festival will receive over 30 cultural groups from Russia, CIS countries, Europe and all over the world. Your participation in the Festival means that you will have to perform - at least once - on some of the festival stages that will be allocated by the organising committee. Your activities can include music or dance performances as well as traditional rites, games, demonstrations, expositions, etc. Besides, you could attend all the festival events; take part in the large cultural program, including sightseeing of St. Petersburg city and its outskirts, visiting museums and exhibits, and enjoying a farewell party that will close the Festival. Please check our website: www.fma.sp.ru for more information. Folk Music Association of Russia. "Simply Australia", a new on line bi-monthly folk magazine, features Australia's folklore and social history. Check it out at www.simplyaustralia.mountaintracks.com.au
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Lève-toi et Danse "Get up and Dance"! – French Dancing In France Ancient popular traditional dances of France are known to most of us as 'folkloric dances' or 'folk dances'. The image provoked by these terms to anyone who has been to France is of a performance in costume of groups, themselves called 'folkloric', on stage or in the streets.
 Most villages have their own folk group consisting of dancers, musicians and choir and the fête being celebrated will be a family affair as well as a community event, the young growing up, even in these days, with music and dance around them. In France, folk dancing is regional dancing. The dances are from earlier times and sometimes date back to pagan rituals before Christ; they are not creations of today like the 'lambada', and the costumed performers are dressed in clothes from yesteryear. There are many theories as to the origins of these dances and also as to the reasons for the regional diversity of the dancing. Climate, relief and costume or form of dress have all influenced how dances in certain regions could be done.  Immense Diversity A closer look at dances from different regions will illustrate the great diversity in rhythms, style, figures, steps and character of dances across France, not to mention the extraordinary range of music and musical instruments and singing styles which have developed over the centuries, hand in hand with these dances. Costumes of regions vary greatly as well and we see very differently shaped coiffes, varied foot attire – clogs, espadrilles, high heels and ballet pumps- and vastly different fabrics for dresses, skirts, scarves and vests and hats. continued next column => |
...continued from left column Briefly, we can make the following generalisations from observations of dancing in France today: We know that in Brittany, there exist dances in circles or in chains, the gavottes of Finistere, an dro, hanter dro, laridés of Morbihan, pagan rounds such as Rond de St Vincent, but also couples dances – bals, gavotte bigoudène, kas abah, dans Léon, dans Treger. Some are sung, some are instrumental, the instruments usually being the bombarde and biniou.  We know that the Dauphiné cultivates the rigodon (also spelt 'rigaudon' and 'rigoudon') and the playing of the violin, that there are maraîchines in the Vendée, rondeaux in the Gascogne, branles and sauts in Béarn, that Provencal dances are the most gracious and complicated with their ballet-like steps and high jumps requiring much strength and stamina, that the avant-deux is typical of Poitou, that the fandango is Basque and the sardane Catalan, that the Basque Souletins perform masquerade dances with mysterious characters and hobby horses and that they dance with great virtuosity around a glass of wine placed on the ground. Recreational Dancing in France Today The 'bal folk' and 'fest-noz' in France play a big part in keeping dancing traditions alive. The 'bal folk' (folk ball) is a revivalist movement where dancers go to enjoy some traditional dances like bourrées, rondeaux gascon, rondes bretonnes, sauts basques, branles béarnais, maraîchine vendéenne, and some popular and non-traditional dances like waltz, mazurka, schottische, polka, and ancient dances, whether popular or not - branles and contredanses. The 'bal folk' first appeared in the seventies and these days a 'bal folk' of 500 people is not rare. We also see in the south 'bal occitan' or 'bal occ' ('balleti' in Provence). At the 'bal occitan' there are dances like jigs, schottisches, varsoviennes, montagnardes, rondeaux and congos, sauts, branles and fandangos.
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There is an osmosis between the 'bal folk' and 'bal occitan' and the rondeaux in couples, mazurka gascon, carnaval de Lanz, cercle circassien, chapelloise, cochinchine and 2-time bourrées pass between them.  The modern 'fest-noz' (night festival) comes from the traditional 'fest-noz' of the peasants of the Haute-Cornouaille district in Brittany. The ancient 'festou-noz' were associated with dancing as part of the religious ceremony of a wedding or winter dancing meetings after work such as preparing hemp and linen, or night dancing following communal work in autumn or spring (harvesting, sowing, picking, digging) – a celebration in the form of dance to kan ha diskan, a type of breton responsorial singing by two of the dancers. Today, the 'fest-noz' attracts the young and the tourists and we see local instrumentalists as well as singers and dancers.
 How to Learn More about French Dancing 1. If you are lucky enough to be able to visit France, there are festivals and workshops all year round in different regions of France. There are week-long courses in bourrée by the experts in Auvergne and Berry, courses in international dancing including dances from most French regions, courses in Basque dances and so on. Throughout the year, to the strains of the galoubet and tambourin, every Provencal village celebrates its patron saint often with dances depicting rural scenes or occupations. Here we see also fertility dances full of symbolism in their steps, figures and movements, dances of thanksgiving, dances of the seaside and rigodons which were once banned by the catholic church for their gaiety and risqué movements. Concerts and 'bals folks' are often associated with workshops and, in the summer particularly, there are so many to choose from. continued top of next column => |
2. In Australia, Perth has its own French dance group, "Les Enfants de Provence" run by Laurel de Vietri (www.arach.net.au/users/bgoldby, email: louis@nw.com.au). In Auckland, NZ, there is the group "La Bourrée", run by Rae Storey (email: rstorey@ihug.co.nz). John Garden in Canberra will help you out with French dances and music (www.earthlydelights.com.au). 3. Take advantage of any visiting French dance teachers and find out what French dancing is really about – it's not just the can-can and 'danse des canards'! Add to your repertoire something different to Balkan and Israeli dancing. As lovely and exciting as these dance forms are, they can be matched. Learn the difference between a 2-time and a 3-time bourrée, a bourrée berrichonne and a bourrée auvergnate, find the link between a farandole and an Italian tarantella, run away with ajoulotte from Alsace or share a quadrille from the Gascogne. Lève-toi et danse, French dancing!
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Around Australia - 2001 Review Cambewarra Culture Club (NSW)Traditional Village Dancing Our group has about 10 regular members. We have had a lot of fun dancing this year: we always have a great night, dancing and laughing. We also had a few visitors who expanded our repertoire and we attended some great workshops. When I started the group we were desperate to learn 10 dances!! Now we have a backlog of hundreds of dances that we want to do. Maureen Petherick came to visit us and come to our dance group. She taught us three Bulgarian Dances from Chris Wild's workshop, so we felt we did not miss out on what happened in Sydney. Most of our group attended the National Folk Festival at Easter and danced heaps. This year the Festival was a dancer's delight with enough International dancing to exhaust anyone (except Maureen). We particularly enjoyed preparing for the Kolo and participating in it. We even had our own T-shirt for the first time. It was great to just dance together and experience the camaraderie of our shared passion. Several of us attended Yves Moreau's workshop in Canberra and Sydney and found it a wonderful experience and we are still working our way through all of the gorgeous dances. We also attended the André Van de Plas' workshop at Bowral and enjoyed the night of crazy dancing on the miniscule dance floor in the RSL Club!!! It was great to see the favourite dances of some of the other groups. Back at home we were lucky enough to get Chris Wild to come down and teach us some more Bulgarian Dances from her 2000 trip to Bulgaria. We had a lovely day and we had some visitors. We felt connected to the dance world. We were a bit concerned about falling numbers because one of our dancers broke a bone in her foot (not dancing), two others took an extended trip to North Q'land and another member went to Europe and India!! It's tough to keep going when everyone is suffering so much. We are still going and we are having a great time and all our travellers have or are returning. Hopefully the broken foot will mend soon. It's amazing that our group exists at all in such a small place. We would like to have more
people come but we have a wonderful time together. It's been a long held fantasy of mine to be able
to dance here; I only had to wait 7 years to have the courage to teach and the encouragement and friendship that we share. If
anyone wants a pleasant weekend on the South Coast, free accommodation and a good dance on Monday night, let us know!
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CIFDA News Summary (ACT)Many big events in 2001 for the Canberra International Folk Dance Association (CIFDA). 4 July was the highlight of the year when a "Back to CIFDA" night was held to celebrate our 25th Anniversary and it was a big night - lots of people - lots of dancing and lots of reminiscing. Yves Moreau workshop on our regular Wednesday was another success in June. We were very pleased to welcome him again. After the Bowral week end André came on the Wednesday night. In October CIFDA and FDC co-hosted 2 workshops with Tineke van Geel, one on Monday night at FDC and the other on Wednesday at CIFDA. This was to make the most of her visit as she did not have a week end free. There were good attendances at all these events. CIFDA has the knack of bringing in the crowds for special nights but not being able to maintain a good attendance on a weekly basis. Another special night was Audrey Maher's farewell, as she has decided to leave Canberra and live beside the seaside in Bateman's Bay. We wish Audrey well and thank her for generous contribution over many years. Back in March, CIFDA participated at International Dance Day. The Christmas party is next - 12 December so if you are in town come along. We'll be back in the middle of January hoping that in 2002 more people will discover the joys of international folk dance with CIFDA. Folk Dance CanberraAnother busy year for Folk Dance Canberra (FDC) with socials, parties, workshops, "come and try" days, performances, special event days and assisting the FDA graduate sub-committee in the running of the Teacher Training Course. Highlights were our visiting overseas dance teachers Yves Moreau, André van de Plas and Tineke van Geel. We have enough repertoire to keep our insatiable appetites going for a while! Further highlights were FDC's performing group involvement in Canberra's centenary of Federation celebrations and also an invitation by the Romanian Embassy to perform at the Cowra Peace Festival where Romania was the featured nation for 2001. Both of these events were very special and we felt honoured to be included and for a change we were treated with respect and gratitude. (Not always the way as we all know). As well as our usual classes, we have diversified to include Middle Eastern dancing twice a week this year, which gives us a further opportunity to network and, in the long term, to spread our wings. We are in the process of making a promotional video for FDC which is proving to be quite a challenge. Script writing isn't exactly our strong point but we're working on it. Having our own hall is still absolute heaven and this year income from other dance groups who hire it has increased, which means we do not have to depend entirely on our own class door takings to pay our running expenses. Government funding has also assisted with our operational expenses and various projects this year but you have to work hard for it, be an Active Australia Provider, attend meetings and get involved and report back to the government. (That's o.k. if you've nothing better to do). continued next page... |
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I enjoyed my break from admin duties earlier this year to visit England, Romania and Holland but since returning home I've opened my big mouth again and, guess what I'm now co-ordinating, another trip to Romania and Holland next September for up to 20 people. Well Maureen asked for a paragraph for Footnotes and I think I've probably well and truly reached my limit so I'll say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone otherwise I'll ramble on forever. Happy dancing to all you toe-tapping folkies.
? Sutherland Shire (NSW)2001 has been an enjoyable and busy year for the Sutherland Shire Folk Dance Group (SSFDG). Membership has remained stable with new dancers replacing some who moved away from the area. An extra class has been added for more advanced dancers and this has proved very popular. Approx. 12 demonstrations were given during the year to various organisations, the highlight for us being an invitation from Ryde Council to perform at their 'Multicultural Moves' celebrations in March. It has been wonderful having Fiona Clark (who is currently doing the Teacher Training Course) looking for teaching hours and, of course, we have been very happy to accommodate her! Debbie Hotchkis & Janette Hollebone have also helped out during the year teaching various classes. We had the pleasure of having Yves Moreau and André van de Plas as guest teachers and all are enjoying the new dances they taught us this year and 11 of our members made the trek to Bowral for André's weekend workshop and had a great time. Another weekend away was our November weekend at Kerever Park (Bowral) – a reunion weekend with dancers from the Earlwood, Bowral and Sutherland groups, plus others! Social days and picnics have also been held this year and all are invited to our Annual Christmas Concert & Party on 6th December (ring Kaye on 02 9528 4813 for details). ? Kaye Laurendet (NSW) Adelaide Traditional DancersWe have had another enjoyable year of dancing. Although numbers have not been large, they have remained steady, and we have a core of experienced dancers who contribute to the running of the group, along with our enthusiastic regular and occasional attenders. We have been lucky to have the beautiful music of Xenos live on a couple of occasions when they were visiting Adelaide, and a number of our members attend various ethnic community dances whenever possible, which gives further meaning to the dances we learn within our group. We have had considerable new input this year from our most frequent traveller, Anke Koelman, who attended dance seminars in Volos (northern Greece), Bansko (Pirin Bulgaria), and also the Pirin Pee festival. continued top of next column => |
In late November she is now including the San Francisco Kolo Festival into a trip to America. Being
its 50th anniversary this year, this festival is including many of the noted American
specialists who have taught there in past years, some of whom we know in Australia (Yves Moreau,
Mihai David, Bora Ozkok). We were sorry to miss Tineke Van Geel, but heard glowing reports from Joan
Amos who travelled to Sydney to attend her workshops there. Thanks also to Graham Witt, who on
several trips to Adelaide passed on some lovely dances from Yves Moreau's visit..
This interchange of experience from festivals and workshops elsewhere is stimulating for the rest
of the group also, in sharing the enjoyment of new dances and cultural contact.
? The Darwin SceneIt has been a very quiet year in the Northern Territory….and it is getting even quieter now that it is almost too hot to dance. The Batchelor group has folded. The Darwin group is currently meeting to dance on Tuesday nights at Anna Harris' place. It is a venue with a wonderful view out over the sea (especially at sunset) but unfortunately it has a tiled floor so it is a bit hard on the feet. OK for Playford dances but a bit painful when it comes to energetic Israeli or Romanian! At the start of the year the group met in an old storage tank at Doctor's Gully, known as the Rock (because it was also an indoor climbing wall) but the business was sold and so now we are looking for a new home. Everyone seems to be involved in more than one type of dance. As well as the international/folk dancing I learn tap, Anna learns ballroom and Scottish and lots of new dances from videos as does Elizabeth, who also teaches liturgical dance. Mara is involved with Scottish and Irish, Di is learning Scottish step, Jenny Milne has returned from southern places and is brushing up on her Lancashire clog. And so it goes on. We have been lucky in that we have had a few visitors, including André van de Plas and Maureen
Petherick, this year. We really enjoyed their company and some good evenings were had by all. I hope
to be able to reciprocate next year as I do not have to be back at work until July and will
wandering about the east coast! See some of you at the National!
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Dear Readers, After visiting the International Dance group on the 2nd Friday of July in Yeronga, I arrived in Morningside for the 2nd Sat of the month Bush Dance with Champion Moreton Bay Band. The programme included a dances from a delightful variety of origins including classic Colonial dances (eg Maxina, Gypsy Tap, Evening Three step, Gay Gordons, Waltz Country Dance), Scottish, Danish, English (including Grendon Roundabout (for 3 couples), Belgian Waltz, Bebington Capers. I called a couple of 'New England Chestnuts', namely Good Girl and Chorus Jig which were well received. Julie Bishop, (Sydney contra caller) continues with how she came to contra dancing: In '77, I loved Kaye Laurendet's international dance class. The Bush Music Club came one night, and I started bush dancing. Then Sydney Playford Dancers came - and English dance and Alex Bishop won my heart. In 1984 (two daughters later), Sutherland Shire Folk Dancer, Basil Butler asked me to form and teach a local bush dance group. When Alex's work took us to California (1988-9), we happily danced with the English country dancers. They mentioned contras, but with no real excitement until Massachusetts band, Wild Asparagus, was visiting. We went along to that Palo Alto contra dance. And have never regretted it! Contras, coming from English longways dances, blended the feel of that with the liveliness of 'bush'. But because it was all walking (no polkas etc), I could have danced all night. And the dances only went for three hours! Thereafter, we danced fortnightly; and occasionally in San Francisco. (On the corner of 43rd and Judah, with Charlie Fenton one of the callers - for those who know his dance Judah Jig. If you don't, it's in John Garden's 'Country Dance Companion'.) As our return to Australia approached, I would wake grieving from dreams about leaving contras. Back here, Alex, a member of Ryebuck Bush Band since 1978, introduced contra tunes, and Pastrami on Ryebuck played for contras. I began teaching various groups, and at folk festivals. We were thrilled when those daughters joined Alex, as my band at the National. At this year's we had Susie on fiddle, with Ryebuck's George Bolliger replacing our pianist Laura (too busy with music studies now): and a couple of hundred eager dancers, making exciting contras! People from many dance traditions can't help loving the way contras are so social (as you move up and down the set), and flirty, and fun, and - most of all - flowing. After a long break, two keen fund raisers for the Royal Flying Doctor Service started an annual dance. This year's contra on 30 June was their fifth - and the first to feature a real live American caller, with Jerry Epstein calling some dances. Julie: (02) 9524 0247 or jlsbish@ozemail.com.au continued top of next column => |
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Origin of Christmas Carols
The Christmas carols we sing today have their origins in many different periods and places. The carol tradition itself has its roots in Medieval dance-songs. Dance songs are common to nearly every culture in the world but the 13th century English were particularly influenced by the French tradition (English court custom of the day being essentially French) and they took the word 'carole' from the French. In the 14th and 15th centuries the English went on to use the word in a variety of ways - sometimes for a song sung during a procession, sometimes for something approaching a game, sometimes (as in a retelling of the legend of the dancers of Kolbigk, condemned to dance for a whole year without stopping) as a virtual synonym for dance. Common to nearly all uses of the word was some kind of movement. Where the word was also referring to a song, the subject could be anything from feasting to politics. Most commonly, however, carols had a religious subject, were in a simple unpretentious style, used stock phrases, mixed dramatic devices with elements from the liturgy and alternated between the vernacular and Latin. Such songs seemed to have been called for whenever communal movement was at the centre of a civic, aristocrat or church ceremony. The alternation between a refrain (for the people, party guests or a congregation) and a verse (for individuals, soloists or a priest) suited such situations. Carols also sat well with the English tradition of wassailers (from 'waes' well-being and 'hael' greet), people who would go from door-to-door singing and wishing householders good-health in return for a small gratuity. In 17th century England some Puritans tried to replace carols with psalm-based texts but the dancing and singing of carols persisted and broadsheets and woodcuts of old and new carols became a feature of Christmas trade. In subsequent centuries familiarity with many carols waned, songs separated from their dance or movement context, and new more literary carols were introduced. The tradition of the wassailers, however, lived on in the form of the waits, municipal watchmen who played tunes to mark the passing hours and were licensed to sing songs on special occasions and in the late 19th century, as part of the general re-invigoration of Christmas sponsored by Albert and Victoria, carols, as festive seasonal songs, enjoyed a revival. This revival coincided with the discovery of a medieval Swedish/Finnish carol collection and a
renewed intellectual interest in the subject. It was followed in the early part of the 20th
century by a lot of collecting in the field (in some cases by people, such as Cecil Sharp, who were
also involved with collecting folk dances) and in the later half of the 20th century by
the inclusion in the genre of more secular songs of seasonal good-will.
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3 Dec 2002 |
Mondays, throughout summer. Dancing in the Park, Stage 88, Commonwealth Park, Canberra, ACT, free informal bush dancing on summer evenings. Dancers and musicians of all standards are welcome to join in. Mondays at 6:45pm in December, January and February. Contact Daryl Powell 6295 8280 (h) |
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12 Dec 2001 |
CIFDA Christmas Party, Hughes Community Centre. Contact (02) 6251 3470 or (02) 6251 1802 |
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13 Dec 2001 |
7pm. Blue Labyrinth Christmas Party, Baptist Church Hall, King St, Glenbrook. Contact Jo (02) 4739 6498 or Pat (02) 4739 1005 |
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15 Dec 2001 |
End of Year Party, Folk Dance Canberra (FDC), Folk Dance Canberra Hall, 114 Maitland St, Hackett, ACT. Contact Christine Battisson 02 6241 3563. |
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16 Dec 2001 |
Dickensian Christmas Carol Ball, with Earthly Delights, 7.30pm, Albert Hall, Cnr Commonwealth Ave & Kaye St, Canberra, ACT. Contact Aylwen 02 6281 1098 or Check website: http://www.earthlydelights.com.au/Dickens.htm |
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22 Dec 2001 |
Christmas with Wongawilli, Albion Park Centenary Hall, from 6pm, (5hr Dinner and Dance) Contact Pat 02 4235 0097 or email gbgjmurray@bigpond.com. |
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27 Dec 2001 |
6 days, Woodford Folk Festival, Woodford, QLD, contact 07 5496 1066 or check website www.woodfordfolkfestival.com |
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29 Dec 2001 |
4 days, Gulgong Folk Festival, central west NSW, near Mudgee. Contact Noel or Virginia 02 6374 1734, ncompton@hwy.com.au or Di: 02 6374 1350. |
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31 Dec 2001 |
New Year's Eve Dance, 8pm, Yarralumla Woolshed, off Cotter Rd, between Tuggeranong Parkway and Lady Denman Drive, ACT. Contact 02 6242 0264 or email LCourt@pcug.org.au. |
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1 Jan 2002 |
17 days, Stamping Ground Dance festival, Bellingen. Showcases male dance, and allows female participants. |
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6 Jan 2002 |
6 days, Lake School of Celtic Music, Singing and Dance, Koroit, VIC, Contact Felix 03 9873 1700 or Jennifer, 03 5565 8737; email: bwz@alphalink.com.au. Web: www.bushwahzee.alphalink.com.au |
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13 Jan 2002 |
2 weeks, Music under the Mountains Celtic Summer School, TAS, Contact Celtic Southern Cross, Box 72, Bracknell, TAS 7302 or www.celt.com.au/summer.html |
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14 Jan 2002 |
to 25 Feb, John Garden's, Dancing through the Ages course, Mondays, 7.30pm – 9.30pm, ANU. Contact Denis Seselja, 02 6125 8381 |
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10 Feb 2002 |
FDA Annual General Meeting, 10am, upstairs at "The Edge", cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown, NSW (close to St Peters station). |
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10 Feb 2002 |
First FDA Workshop for 2002: 1pm – 3.30pm, "The Edge", cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown, NSW, follows the AGM, further details in February Footnotes. |
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16 Feb 2002 |
Greek Dance Workshop to be held in Canberra; 10am-3pm. Contact Lesley (02) 6286 6401 or Maria (02) 6231 4472. Part of the 2002 - Multicultural Festival, Canberra (8-17 February, 2002) |
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v v Closing Date for the next issue:
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| Egotist: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
Secret: Something you tell to one person at a time. |
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FDA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FOR 2002
FOLK DANCE AUSTRALIA INC. ABN: 78 530 632 531
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Please send Renewal Form with membership fee of *$20 (postal note or cheque made out to 'Folk Dance Australia Inc') and send to:
Folk Dance Australia Inc 4 Old Station Rd HELENSBURGH 2508 *OVERSEAS MEMBERS - please note - it would be appreciated if your membership fee of AUS$20 could be sent as an Australian Bank Draft. |
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