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ISSN  1037-2660
Issue No 75 - June 2003

Bi-monthly Magazine of Folk Dance Australia Inc        ABN: 78 530 632 531

INDEX

The President's Report FDA News Other Dance News
Dance Description Other Items FDA Contacts
Resources for Sale FDA Workshop Videos Other Resources
Local Events International Events Folk on the Web
Diary Dates    

NOTE: This page is optimised for PCs using MS Windows at 800x600 screen resolution. Some formatting might change in other resolutions. Wingdings or webdings may not appear correctly on a Mac or other OS but this should not affect the general readability of the page.



F
D
A

Folk Dance Australia

   OBJECTIVES:

  • to promote an understanding and mutual respect for all ethnic groups living in Australia;
  • to help promote folk dance in Australia;
  • to encourage and develop the skills of folk dance teachers, by providing courses and workshops;
  • to serve as a folk dance information network.

 


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The President's Report

Other Dance News

With one of our folkdance highlights of the year - the National Folk Festival - having come and gone, this year seems to be powering ahead.

As always, the Festival provides as with wonderful opportunities to participate in large enthusiastic groups, to learn and enjoy more lovely folk dances and catch up with folk from other areas.

Rae Marnham and Anke Koelmar contributed Balkan workshops, with dances from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece, and lots of first-hand instruction in style and rhythms.

Yorgo Kaporis added to the Balkan experience with his presentation of exciting new dances and talented performance dance group "Ilinden". Their young band, "Visions of Oro", was thrilled to hear they'd been given a Festival award for best young band. Well done, boys!

The Balkan influence infiltrated other areas during the Festival with Mara and the Martenitsa Choir giving us the chance to stir up the dust in the big top during their performance and little Isabell, (all of 4 - 5 years old) in Bulgarian national costume, stealing the show singing "Pustono Ludo" in her first public performance.

One of the most popular events of the Festival was the "Stairway to Heaven" competition, with performers queuing in the beats with their versions of this classic, and once again, the Balkans weren't left out; Kim Sanders and Andy Bussitil gave their rendition on gaida and darabuka! There was even a Morris Dance group rendition!

Maybe Folk Dance Australia can contribute to this next year - with our combined musicians and dancers (depending on the song chosen!)
We've already booked Chris Wild to revive the Canberra Kolo at next year's National.

Our Serbian workshop and performance by Djordje Nikolic on June 1 should be really worth attending, as he is also bringing costumes and folk history to show us.
Hoping to see you there!

Jenny Lester, FDA President

JJ WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER JJ

Debbie Tait, of Upwey, VIC.

FDA News

Here are some more of the items that visitors to our website have searched on:

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A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.

 

ANDRÉ VAN DE PLAS is coming to PERTH

The celebrated professional folk dance teacher, Andre van de Plas, will be running workshops in international dance on July 12th and 13th 2003, at 10am to 5pm each day. Perth International Dancers will host André, and the workshops are open to everyone.

André specialises in dances from Romania and Hungary, but in past years he has presented a host of exciting dances from Bulgaria, England, Israel, and USA to mention a few. He has toured extensively in Australia where he has conducted workshops for schoolteachers, school children and recreational groups and has been a guest teacher at many conferences. André has been a regular visitor to Perth where he and his dances have a big following.

In the Netherlands, he is a folkdance teacher and choreographer. He is the principal teacher of the Phoenix Folkdance Ensemble in Apeldoorn and is actively involved in training programs for folkdance teachers.
André's Perth workshops will be held at St Margaret's Church Hall, cnr Tyrell and Elizabeth Sts, Nedlands.

Contact Nina on 08 9385 3689 or Laurel on 08 9448 8179 for bookings and further information.

FOLK-TIME REVIEW IN CANBERRA

From a male perspective on the National Folk Festival in Canberra, this year's Easter Time event took me quite by surprise. The event was both exciting and tiring at the same time. It had me moving way outside my comfort zones.

In the arena of dancing there was quite an energetic range, although some instructors tried to fit in too much with every variation to a step that could be imagined. This was energising and at the same time confusing, especially when confronted with two dance instructors that competed for air time on the same dance floor -oops. At one time the heavy breathing of one instructor into their head microphone had me reaching for the ear-plugs. But for the most part, instructors did focus on the essence of enjoyment in their dances and when they put on a performance it was truly awesome.

The offerings at the Festival were wide and varied. After each exhausting time of wild dancing, we were often able to recover by listening to a musical performance ranging from country style vocals to hip-hop bands. One notable group 'Chimera', was an assembling of outstanding performers in their own right, brought together with new members each year, just for this event. Their music was insane. Another group, TaikOz, was so full of vitality that it shook the very core of your being; it was the beat of a very different drum, and plenty of them! To cap this off, a number of exceptional overseas artists performed and shared their talents as well. One group that I followed around relentlessly was 'Fine Friday' from Edinburgh. Their haunting reels gathered all our feet up in their vigorous rhythms accompanied by guitar flute and violin.

Following an early morning courtesy bus ride, each day started with poetry readings, either original (often hilarious) works by authors from workshops or memorised compositions that had struck a chord with the presenter.

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I especially liked times when compositions were aided by an interpreter for the deaf, because her antics had us rolling around in the aisles at times. As well, God presented us each day with excellent weather too! This meant the myriads of stalls and food outlets were often too enticing to pass up.
Almost at every corner around the stalls you would find young (very young) people busking. In fact the whole atmosphere was very family oriented with a whole section of the festival dedicated to kids' workshops.
Most evenings there was a circus event, with many of the young people presenting their acrobatics, magic, juggling and general horsing around. This was often followed by a late-into-the-evening theme dance accompanied by spectacularly enthusiastic bands (but us "olds" tired early and headed to bed instead). At one point we were mesmerised by the Martenitsa Choir who performed haunting Bulgarian songs and an original composition inspired by an Italian poet. A highlight for me was a little girl of 4 years who sang 'Pustono Ludo' (a Bulgarian Dance) with this choir, demonstrating greater confidence than most adults I've heard.

Isabell
Isabell waiting to perform. Photo courtesy of Jenny Lester.

Another highlight was the Flute Round table, where flutes of all shapes and sizes were presented, played and warmly introduced to us. This afforded me another opportunity to hear Fine Friday again, as well as the Flute accompaniment that begins the Taikoz experience.

The whole organisation of the festival ran like clockwork - where all performers kept to a strict timetable and even left the audiences begging for more.

Behind the scenes, the technical crews enhanced the professionalism of every experience, with top notch audio and video aids. Even an emphasis on protecting our environment rang true, as we drank from green, reusable cups, or ate with paper plates and cornstarch utensils. The whole place was so well maintained and clean you'd hardly believe there were thousands of people being catered for. We were told that this year numbers were 10% up on last year and this meant a lot more campers on site too!

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Would I go again? I'd say yes in a heartbeat! Only my two left feet may have some reservations, but then moving outside your comfort zone is what it's all about!

? Paul Clark (NSW)

'UNITED' in DANCEFROM OUR ROVING REPORTER in BULGARIA

The folk music, song and dance concerts which accompanied a recent wine festival in Sofia, were just splendid. The events took place on an outdoor stage adjacent to the National Palace of Culture. In the distance, the top of Mt. Vitosha was still covered in snow whilst down in the city we have been experiencing temperatures up to 30°. Despite the sudden onset of summer conditions, the performances of Zornitsa were as outstanding as ever - Trakiyski Smessen (Thracian dance with men and women); Trakiyski Mladost (men only); Igri ot Vidinsko; Jenski Shopski (women's Shoppian dance); and Shopska Syouita (men and women).

I've lost count of the number of times I have seen these dances but they are always thrilling to watch. There is so much to absorb - beautiful costumes in a variety of textures, styles and colours, depending on the region from which the dance originates. Makeup applied with expertise to enhance the beauty of the faces - and when one can drag the eyes away from all this to concentrate more on the feet - there they are, moving exquisitely in perfect unison.

The talented musicians must not go un-noticed either for it seems, with live music, the passion of the dancers is transmitted to the audience. Recorded music has this effect also but to a lesser extent. Dances performed by other ensembles - Sofia Six, Graovska Mladost from Perniik and Gotse Delchev - were also anything but prosaic. I'm amazed at the variety of dances to be found in Bulgaria, and the creativity of the choreographers shines through, producing a very high standard. Ensemble Gotse Delchev also had a choir of 16 people, and soloists. As well, an instrumental group, Grosh, from Serbia, was slotted into the programme one day and though the music was not exactly traditional, it was fantastic and before long many of the public started to dance horo! It was wonderful to see and hear all aspects of folklore.

A week prior to this, Ensemble Pirin held a concert in honour of the 70th birthday of Kiril Stefanov, he composes most of their music. Some of the repertoire I had seen before but there were also a couple of new dances including one entitled "Dance and Music." The music was so lively and beautiful it carried one along with the dancers. A wedding dance was very joyful, and I always like Srednogorki in which the girls dresses are white with a black stripe around, black apron with orange and green flowers, and orange stockings - simple but stunning.

Zornitsa has a concert on May 7th, and Ensemble Trakiya on May 10th, and of course there will be others. So for anyone with a penchant for Bulgarian dancing and music, this is definitely the place to be! I still can't believe my good fortune!

? Anna Travali (QLD)

 


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INTERNATIONAL KUSADASI FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL (Turkey)

The International Kusadasi Folkdance Festival will be held between 6th - 11th September, 2003 in Kusadasi, Turkey. However, as you know, there was a war on our Iraq border and our sponsors cancelled their support to this festival, so we will organize this festival with a participation fee.
(Ed: Will try to get more info in this Festival for the next edition)

? Mustafa Cakar

Dance Description - Syrtos

SYRTOS / KALAMATIANOS

The Syrtos is considered the national dance of Greece. It is danced by all Greeks everywhere in one form or another. The name, Syrtos, comes from a word that means dragging or pulling, and this name more properly applies to the dance when it is done with a smooth, flowing style. The Kalamatianos has the same basic step or footwork, but it is often more bouncy and leaping in character. Actually, the main difference between the two is the meter. Although many Greeks do not know the difference, the musicians always refer to the melodies in 2/4 or 4/4 meter as Syrta, and the melodies in 7/8 meter as Kalamatiana. The music also tells the dancer how to dance: some music demands smooth, dragging steps, while other music demands high leaping steps.

Formation: Dancers are in a broken circle with hands joined at shoulder height with elbows bent and down. The hands are not pushed forward, but are comfortably back by the shoulders.

Characteristics: This dance is for both men and women. The men can be more energetic in their styling, and sometimes when a line is composed of all women or all men, the tone of the dance will be more feminine or masculine. Depending on the music, the dance can be either smooth or leaping in style.

Dance Steps: The steps are the same for both the Syrtos and the Kalamatianos; it is the meter that is different and which makes the style different. I will describe the dance in the 7/8 meter, but the Syrtos description would be the same except for the duration of the dance beats.

Kalamatianos: 7/8 meter: 3/8, 2/8, 2/8 (counted as LONG, SHORT, SHORT or 1+, 2, 3)

Syrtos: 4/4 meter: 4/8, 2/8, 2/8 (counted as LONG, SHORT, SHORT or 1+, 2, 3)

Weight is on the left foot.

Measure I:
1+ Step sideward to right on Right ft.
2 Step behind the right on Left ft.
3 Step sideward to right on Right ft.

Measure II:
1+ Step across in front of the right on Left ft.
2 Step sideward to right on Right ft.
3 Step across in front of right on Left ft.

Measure III :
1+ Step slightly to side (right) on Right ft.
2 Step slightly forward (towards center) on Left ft.
3 Step in place on Right ft.

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Measure IV:
1+ Step next to right on Left ft.
2 Step slightly forward (towards center) on Right ft.
3 Step in place on Left ft.

Note: There are many variations and improvisations that the leader or individual dancers can do. Many of these step variations are done by individuals as their creativity and improvisational mood tells them. Especially, there are variations in Measures 3 and 4. The leader may do fancy step variations and turns. Male leaders may do squat steps or slap the feet. Individual dancers do not try to follow or imitate the leader. A very common variation is for the dancers to skip or hop immediately before the first step in each measure, especially before the step across on the left foot at the beginning of measure two. Instead of joining hands, the second dancer often holds a mandili (kerchief or scarf) to support the lead dancer.

Copyright © 2001 by John S. Pappas
Article reprinted from http://members.aol.com/oarkas/folkdances.html

Other Items

THE EVENING OF MY LIFE

Where, oh where, is the evening of my life?
That peace I heard about, when a young and busy wife.
I always thought I should sit
And knit, and knit, and knit, and knit.
Serene and beaming, me
With a grandchild on my knee.
Instead of that, I speed each day
From here to there and back again,
My Datsun snapping at the lights
My knee high boots below my tights.
Oh! Once I shopped by sitting down
and two pounds of sugar Mr Brown!
New broken trolleys lie in wait
To trip me up and make me late.
They sweep me round the supermart
I've no control from stop to start.
Then home I go, no knitting yet
That tranquil peace seems hard to get.
Still, I'm the lucky one, you know
With all that slow, slow, quick, quick slow
It makes me move, and keeps me fit
It's writing only that makes me sit.
So pay attention readers dear,
I feel there is a moral here.

? Nell Challingworth

THE SECRET OF LONGEVITY!

Want to live 100 years? Then eat Bulgarian yoghurt. Lactobacillus bulgaricus sounds like a nasty infectious disease but the organism that curdles milk may be the reason Maria Shopova recently celebrated her 100th birthday.

Unaware that she may owe her longevity to the friendly bacterium, Maria grins, unveiling her two remaining teeth, and explains: "It's luck given by God". The lively centenarian, who kept a cow until she was 80, has lived on dairy products -- yoghurt in particular -- most of her life in the picturesque mountain village of Momchilovtsi in southern Bulgaria.

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The Balkan country proudly claims to have invented yoghurt and given the world the secret to a long life but its own consumption has steadily declined since the collapse of communism. Yoghurt is slowly disappearing from the nation's table with annual consumption falling from 40 kg (88 lb) per capita, the world's highest in the 1980s, to 22 kg in 2001. The drop has paralleled a decline in agricultural production and incomes over the past 13 years as ex-communist Bulgaria charts a difficult path towards a market economy, industry officials said.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the number of centenarians has also fallen to 187 in 2001 out of Bulgaria's population of eight million, or less than a one in every thousand, statistics show. Around 100 years earlier, the figure was four in every thousand.

Now found at supermarkets around the world, it wasn't until the early 1900s that Russian scientist Ilya Mechnikov, a 1908 Nobel Prize winner, linked yoghurt with longevity. Mechnikov, who worked at the Paris-based Pasteur Institute, compiled statistics from 36 countries to discover more people lived to the age of 100 in Bulgaria than in any other. He attributed this to the country's most traditional food -- home-made yoghurt.

Later, numerous scientific studies in Europe, Japan and the United States proved the bacteria in yoghurt help maintain good health by protecting the human body from toxins, infections, allergies and some types of cancer.

ram

Historians think yoghurt was part of the diet of Bulgaria's most ancient inhabitants, the Thracians, who were good sheep breeders. They say that in Thracian "yog" meant "thick" and "urt" meant "milk" and that's how the word yoghurt appeared.

Between the fourth and sixth century BCE, they used to put milk in lambskin bags, which they carried about on their waists. The warmth of the body and the bags' microflora fermented it.

Some scientists think that yoghurt's predecessor was a fermented milk drink called "kumis". It was made from mare's milk by the proto-Bulgarians, a nomadic tribe who moved from Asia to the Balkans in CE 681.

Legend says that the Mongol warlord Genghis Khan used yoghurt to feed his army because of its healthy properties. In Western Europe, it made its debut in the 16th century in the court of the French king Francis I, when a Turkish doctor cured the king's persistent stomach trouble by putting him on a Bulgarian yoghurt diet, writes professor Hristo Chomakov in his book "Bulgarian yoghurt -- health and longevity".

"The traditional Bulgarian yoghurt is a unique product because of our country's unique microclimate,"

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said Tsona Stefanova, head of the research centre at LB Bulgaricum, a state-run company licensed to export yoghurt know-how.

"It has its own specific taste and properties. It is sour and thick so that when you turn the pot over, yoghurt sticks and does not fall," she added.

LB Bulgaricum has a unique collection of over 700 strains of bulgaricus, which allows it to produce various yoghurt starter cultures and achieve different flavours and density. Over the past 30 years the company has sold yoghurt know-how to more than 20 countries, including Japan, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, the Philippines and Austria.

"Bulgaricus can grow only in Bulgaria, elsewhere it mutates," said Georgi Georgiev, manager of Lactina which deals with research and production of health food. Georgiev said his team had found strains of bulgaricus in soil, on some trees' bark, in blossoms and even in ant-hills in Bulgaria's most environmentally clean regions such as Momchilovtsi in the southern Rhodope mountains.

Experiments showed that a wooden stick left over an ant-hill for a while and then dipped into boiled and cooled milk would ferment it and turn it into yoghurt, as would antique silver coins, said Georgiev's assistant Nikolai Zhilkov.

A good source of vitamin B, calcium and protein, yoghurt's virtue as a health food has defied time.

Apart from having a reputation for being kind to the digestive system, it is also an excellent face cleansing mask, a soother for sunburn and douche for a thrush attack.

"Numerous researchers have shown that fermented milk has strong anti-tumour effect, which is due to its lactic acid bacteria," said Professor Akiyoshi Hosono at Japan's Shinsho University, who studies fermented milk's anti-mutagen impacts. (Momchilovtsi, Bulgaria - REUTERS).

Submitted by Stefan Kozuharov (NSW)

FDA CONTACTS

President: Jenny Lester, 02 6585 4080, 8 Miala St, LAKE CATHIE NSW 2445
Vice-President: Barbara Noske, (O.S. at this time!)
Secretary/Publicity Officer: Vas Aligiannis, 0407 081 875, (m), 16 Dutton St, BANKSTOWN 2200
Treasurer: Kaye Laurendet, (02) 9528 4813
127 Woronora Cres, COMO WEST 2226
Membership Secretary: Deborah Hotchkis, (02) 4294 1363, 4 Old Station Rd, HELENSBURGH 2508
Workshop Co-ordinator: Sandra Bassetti, (02) 6552 5142, 23 Fotheringham St, TAREE NSW 2430
Website Administrator: Ashley
FDA TTC Co-ordinator: Lesley Rose, 02 6286 6401, 38 Julius St, PEARCE ACT 2607
Resource Manager: Kaye Laurendet, (02) 9528 4813,
127 Woronora Cres, COMO WEST 2226
Footnotes Editor: Maureen Petherick (02) 4736 3529, PO Box 142, PENRITH 2751
FDA website: www.geocities.com/folkda/

 


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RESOURCES for SALE by FDA


By Jim Battisson:

Book "Glossary of Dance Terms" $15 (with P & P) or $12 at workshops, etc.
By André van de Plas:

International Folk Dances for Adults.
Book & cassette
1989 - 1998 tours - $12 set.
1999 - 2001 tours - $25 set.
Book & CD
2000 - 2002 tours  - $30 set
Videos.
1989 - 2002 tours. - $35 each.
International Folk Dances for Children. Book & cassette.
1986, 89, 91, 94, 97, 99 & 2000 tours. - $30 set
Book & CD
2000 tour  - $35 set
Videos of Children's Dances:

2000 tour  - $35 each
Easy Dances
Cassette and booklet  - $12 set
By Gary & Carol Crees
'Off the Wall Dances' (Vol One) (for 2-8 year olds)
Book & CD   - $45 set
'Off The Wall Dances' (Vol Two) (for 2-8 year olds)
Book & CD   - $45 set
By Yves Moreau:
Balkan & International Folk Dances.
Book & cassette1993 tour. - $25 set.
'Ajde Na Horo' 20 Bulgarian Folk Dance Favourites. Recorded in Bulgaria under the supervision of Jaap Leegwater and Yves.
Book & cassette
- $25 set.
'Folk Dances from Bulgaria and Elsewhere' - selection of 24 dances from Bulgaria, the Balkans, and other countries - from Yves' 2001 Australian tour.
Book & CD
   - $30 set.
Video   -
$35
By John Garden:
"The Lost Dances of Earthly Delights"
Set = 4 CDs & 52 pg booklet - $75 set
See www.earthlydelights.com.au for other resources.
By Nevofoon:
'Easy Dances for Adults & Beginners'
CD & booklet
   - $35 set
Music Cassette & booklet
   - $30 set
Video of dances (taken at workshop)
   - $20
Add $5 to above prices for postage.

Other Nevofoon Resources - Nevofoon Folk Dance resources (CDs, tapes and books) available through FDA's discount service. Contact your Folk Dance group or Kaye for the Nevofoon catalogue.

Please Note: Prices quoted above are for FDA members. Non-members please add $5 to cost of each item. Add $5 to above prices for postage.

All resources available through Kaye Laurendet, 127 Woronora Cres, COMO WEST 2226

FDA Workshop Videos

All videos $30

From FDA Workshops:
Koce Stojcevski
, Macedonian Dances (1999)
Koce Stojcevski
, Macedonian Dances (2000)
Yves Moreau
, Balkan & Other International Dances (2001 Australian Tour)
Kaye Laurendet
, "Come & Try", easy dances and
Andrew Rossides, Greek Dances (2001)
Tineke van Geel
, Armenian Dances (2001)
Vasilios Aligiannis
, Greek Dances of Celebration and Participation (2002)
Yorgo Kaporis, Macedonian Dances (2002)

Please Note: Add $5 to above prices for postage and handling.
Prices quoted above are for FDA members. Non-members please add $5 to cost of each item.

All resources available through Kaye Laurendet, 127 Woronora Cres, COMO WEST 2226 or e-mail:
okaye@optusnet.com.au

 

Other Resources

"New Wave" Folkdancing Resources

a variety of dances for various ages. Order through Kaye Laurendet, okaye@optusnet.com.au or 02 9528 4813.

4-10yrs: Children's Singing Dances of Other Cultures
CD & booklet $45
Cassette & booklet $35
Under 5s: New Wave Folkdancing $45
(includes Instruction Booklet & CD)
New Wave Folkdancing $35
(includes Instruction Booklet & cassette)
5-7 yrs : Junior Set $107
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 2 CDs)
Junior Set $84
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 2 cassettes)
8-12yrs: Senior Set $107
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 2 CDs)
Senior Set $98
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 3 cassettes)
Older: Teen/Adult Set $82
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 1 CD)
Teen/Adult Set $84
(includes Instruction Book, Video, 2 cassettes)
Other: Combined Set (5yrs to Adult) $159
(includes Instruction Book, 2 Videos, 3 CDs)
Combined Set (5yrs to Adult) $142
(includes Instruction Book, 2 Videos, 4 cassettes)
The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
When you've seen one shopping centre you've seen a mall.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.


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Local Events

André's Easy Dance Workshop July 2003

Suitable for beginners, older folk and teachers, this workshop, presented by André van de Plas on Thursday, 17 July, will be held at:

Time: 10am - 2pm
Date: 17th July, 2003
Place: Como West Public School
Taplan St, Como West, Sydney.
Cost: $12

BYO lunch; tea and coffee supplied. Contact Kaye: 02 9528 4813, or Fiona: 02 9548 0508 for more information.

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop is during the school holidays.

André's Bowral Weekend, 18 - 20 July 2003

Application forms for André's annual weekend workshop at Bowral are now available from your local Folkdance Group. Accommodation is at the Golfview Lodge, with the dancing as usual at the Bowral High School. The accommodation is filling up quickly - send your application form in ASAP or, to get your application form, contact Kaye: on 02 9528 4813 or email.

School Teachers' FD Workshop 24 July 2003

This workshop, presented by André van de Plas, will feature dances from André's new Children's Dances CD.

Time: 4pm - 6.30pm
Date: 24th July, 2003
Place: Gymea Scout Hall
June Place, Gymea, Sydney.
Cost: $20 (FDA members $18)

Contact Kaye: 02 9528 4813, or Fiona: 02 9548 0508 for more information.

FDA Victorian Folk Dance Workshop,
6 - 7 September, 2003

Dance your way into spring. Enjoy Greek and international dances at a superb September spring swirl in Victoria. Peter Williams and Rae Marnham will be the teachers at this 2-day workshop.

Peter has recently returned from an extended stay in Greece. All who remember Peter will recall his love of Greek dance and his enthusiastic ability to convey this in his teaching. You may have experienced the exquisite dancing of Rae from Adelaide, at the 2003 National Easter Folk Festival. Rae will be teaching from her repertoire of international dances.

Date: 6 - 7 September, 2003
Place: Northcote Uniting Church Hall
251 High St,
Northcote, Melbourne, VIC

For more information contact: Deborah Tait 03 9752 543 email or Dorothy Plummer 03 9580 4117, email or write to P.O. Box 5267, Mordialloc VIC 3195.

 

vv Closing Date for the next Footnotes issue vv

Please send articles for the August 2003 issue to:-The Editor, "Footnotes", PO Box 142, PENRITH 2751, by 15 July 2003 or email liz@pnc.com.au

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International Events

Greek Dances Theatre "Dora Stratou"

In the idyllic surroundings of Philopappou Hill, opposite the Acropolis, in the Dora Stratou garden-theatre, every night regional cultures come to life. 75 dancers, singers and folk musicians re-enact folk songs, musical instruments and dances in authentic local costumes, offering a wonderful spectacle and illustrating the continuity of ancient traditions.

Performances from 23 May till 28 September: Tuesday till Saturday at 21.30 hours; Sundays at 20.15 hours; Mondays closed. No reservation is required. Information: tel. 210.324.4395 (09.00-16.00 hours) and 21.0921.4650 (from 19.30 hours). Offices: 8 Scholiou Str., Plaka, 10558 Athens, tel. 21.0324.4395, fax 21.0324.6921. Email; www.grdance.org

Doina Foundation Romanian Tours, 2003

Book now for the July 26 - August 7 Romanian Tour to Poiana Stampei in Bucovina, costing Euro€568. The cost includes transfers from Bucharest, full board, dancing lessons from Romanian dance teachers, live music, excursions, meeting and dancing with dance ensembles, visiting museums, etc and accompanied by the fun-loving and talented Silviu Ciuciumis and an English interpreter.

For registration and more information, email Silviu at:
stichting.doina@hetnet.nl

Belco Stanev, Bulgarian Seminars, 2003

Belco's International Folkloric Dance Centre is situated in Gorna Traka, 4 km north of Varna, 100m above the coast of the Black Sea (5 mins by car to the beach). The Centre has a wooden-floored 120sqm dancing hall, a dining room, big verandah, bar with open fire place, a traditional bread oven, swimming pool, and is surrounded by a two hectare vegetable and fruit tree garden.

In this beautiful environment, you have a choice of five 14-day seminars: beginning 7 June, 12 July, 2 August, 23 August or 3 October, 2003 for a cost of Euro€710. The price includes the dance seminar (5 hours daily tuition with live music), optional lessons in Bulgarian singing and language, accommodation and full board with traditional Bulgarian cuisine and visiting a local festival and historic towns. For an extra fee, tuition in the playing of the gajda, gadulka, kaval, tambura and/or tapan is provided.

For information about registration and other queries, email: Fde_varna@hotmail.com early in February (first Seminar) or early March (other seminars).

Balkan Festival 2003, Zetten, Netherlands

This Balkan seminar, running from July 3 - 6, features Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Yugoslavian and Romanian dances and Balkan singing classes. Accommodation (cost is extra, but cheap) is in sleeping halls (bring your own mattress or rent a bed and linen), or tents or caravans (bring your own); simple meals can be bought from the on-site restaurant. The cost, excluding accommodation, is Euro€67.50.

It will be held in the Social Cultural Centre, "de Wanmolen", Zetten, Schweitzerpark 2.

Email Ersin Seyhan at ersin@ozan.nl for registration and other details.

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Balkanfolk 2003, Pamporovo, Bulgaria

Spend 18th - 31st July, 2003, in the sunny Bulgarian resort of Pamporovo, situated 200km from Sophia, hidden in the heart of the Rhodopes mountains.

The experience will include learning Bulgarian, Greek, Serbian, and Turkish folk dances, with an opportunity to learn to play the gaida, kaval, voyanka, duduk, gadoulka, tamboura, tapan, tarambouka, or accordion and to try Bulgarian folk singing and learn a little of the Bulgarian language - accompanied by traditional Bulgarian cuisine.
For more details, check "Footnotes", October, 2002 and http://www.balkanfolk.com

Balkan Dance Seminar, Greece, July

For 10 days from July 21, enjoy this seminar of Balkan dances organised by Yannis Konstantinou (a Macedonian from Florina). The seminar will be held near the Prespa Lake (bordering north-western Greece, Albania and Macedonia). Dances will be presented from these countries, as well as Bulgaria.

For more information, contact Yannis or Maryse.

Greek Dance Seminar, Macedonia, August

This traditional Greek dance seminar will be held from August 5 - 17 near Prespa Lake, in the small village of Agios Germanos, situated in the Prespes national park, about 60kms from Florina. The lake is a natural border between the 3 areas of Albania, Fyron and Greece.

The program incorporates all the facets of Greek traditional dance, each facet being taught by dancers native from the region (including Macedonia, Pondos, Epirus, Crete and Islands, Sarakatsani, Thraki,) and respectful of its traditions. The live music is also provided by local and regional musicians.

Greek lessons will also be available upon request. During August there are always a lot of panegiria and we will have many opportunities to join the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages (Macedonian, Vlach and Pondi families) and share with them the happiness in dancing their own dances, still alive in this region.

Visits and walks in the mountains will also be organized and a gathering every night at the cafeneion of the village, with the teachers, musicians, friends and neighbours.

The price of the seminar for full accommodation is Euro€650, but other arrangements can be made (camping, part accommodation, etc.) A special price will apply to people wishing to attend both the Balkan seminar which will be held in the same area from July 21- 31 and this one.

For more information, contact Yannis or Maryse.

Greek Dance Seminar, Thessaloniki, August

This 4th Greek Dance Seminar, to be held at the hotel "Rihios", in Stavros, Thessaloniki, will run from August 17 - 27, 2003 and will be hosted by Kyriakos Moisidis and assisted by Petros Selkos, Katerina Douka and Yiannis Amarantidis.

Dances and songs will be taught from Thrace (Evros), Pontos (Garasari, Ak Dag Maten, Kars), Macedonia (Chalkidiki, Almopia) and Chios. Traditional costumes will also be shown from each of the above-mentioned regions.

During the seminar there will be glendia at night in nearby villages to dance with the local dance groups and local people of the village.

Continued top of next column =>

...continued from previous column

This way, participants will have the opportunity to dance with the local people of Neas Apollonias, Thessaloniki and in the beautiful village of Loutro, Langada. We will also travel to Eptamilon, Serres for a Pontic glendi! There will also be a glendi in Stavros. Finally, we will have the opportunity to enjoy exhibitions by the local dance groups. We also plan to tour the area by visiting the archaeological site at Philippi, the caves at Alistratis, and the mud baths at Lidias.

There will be 4-5 hours of dance lessons each day, part in the morning and part in the afternoon. The lessons will be next to the sea and close to the hotel. Many of the lessons will be taught to live music!

Every seminar participant will receive informational material such as a CD with all the dances and songs taught at the seminar, the words of the songs, pictures and descriptions of the costumes, and maps of the regions. Also included is the program of the seminar and other valuable information.

All the above-mentioned are included in the price of the seminar (the seminar costs €680 Euro).

Hospitality will be provided at the beautiful, seaside hotel "Rihios" which is located at the edge of the village, five minutes walking from the centre.

Every room has air conditioning, refrigerator, TV, balcony, bath, etc. Breakfast and dinner will be served at the hotel restaurant.

Stavros' seaside location and charm has made it a popular vacation destination for Greeks. It can be found in eastern part of the Thessaloniki region, close to Chalkidiki and not far from Mt. Athos. The village has all the conveniences such as bank, post office, many tavernas, cafeterias, and businesses.

Kyriakos has been studying traditional dances for 20 years and teaching for the past 15 years. Currently he is teaching five dance groups all over the region of Thessaloniki. Kyriakos teaches at many seminars both in Greece and abroad.

For more information, please email Kyriakos at krksm@hotmail.com

Georgian Dance Seminar, Georgia, October

This Dance and Music Study Tour to the Republic of Georgia will run from 11 October - 25 October, 2003 in Tbilissi and Sighnaghi.

It will encompass 4 hours of dance lessons with live music a day, singing classes, opportunity to take music, percussion and cooking classes, but NOT a 5 star tourist experience!... We will be living with Georgian families and experiencing Georgian hospitality which is overwhelming and everyday living conditions which are very basic. The classes take place in Sighnaghi in Eastern Georgia. This quaint town has a spectacular view of the Caucasian mountains as well as the plains that stretch into Azerbaijan and Daghestan. The beautiful local monastery is the resting place of St. Nino who first brought Christianity to Georgia.

The fees will not only help support Georgian families, musicians and dancers but also a Georgian centre for people with a disability (one of the first of its kind) which is also a farm practising biodynamic agriculture.

Dance teachers: Michail Djidalishvili (ex dancer in the Georgian State Ensemble) and Lela Chuzishvili will be assisted by Helene Eriksen. The music teachers are: Valeri Gurgenishwili (accordion), Spartaki Gurgenishvili (percussion)and Lali Khandolishvili (singing).

We will have a German and English translator (from Georgian), Helene will also translate (from Russian). Spaces are limited, so sign up early! More information on www.helene-eriksen.de.


-PAGE 9-

FOLK ON THE WEB

Name Celia Wilson
From:
Emu Plains, NSW, Australia
Date:
8/04/03
Subject:
FDA New Look
Comments
: Love the new look web page. Well done!

Name Ahmet Akarsu, ahmet.akarsu@mail.emu.edu.tr
From:
Turkey
Date:
13/04/03
Comments:
World_Folklore E-mail Group is a bridge among all folklore community. Our members include folk dance group directors, amateur and professional dancers and musicians, festival organisers, directors from organisations like CIOFF and IOV, record company representatives, radio and TV program makers, magazine editors, artists, academicians, etc. We would be very glad if you also join us. If you consider it necessary to get more information about the group first, you could have a look at our web pages. World_Folklore E-mail Group Top Sites List; http://www.topsitelists.com/world/World_Folklore; World_Folklore Top Sites List is a very good 'candidate' to be a reference point for all folklore community. You can use this page to advertise your own folklore related web page(s), for free. Best regards, Ahmet Akarsu. World_Folkore E-mail Group Moderator, World_Folklore Top Sites List Owner

Name Helene Eriksen,
Date:
13/04/03
Subject:
Traditional Dances of the East
Comments
: My new video of Iranian Dances is ready! More information on my website: www.helene-eriksen.de. I've just returned from a fantastic study trip to the Republic of Georgia. In mid October, I will be offering a dance and music study tour to Georgia...intensive dance lessons in the shadow of the magnificent Caucasian Mountains, legendary Georgian hospitality and a concrete way of helping the Georgian economy. Please check my web page for details.

Name Dusan Ristic, amala@galbeno.co.yu
From:
Serbia
Date:
17/04/03
Comments:
The Amala School is getting ready for summer 2003 sessions. Once again we will offer courses in Serbian and Romani music, dance, and language. This year we will also offer a new course in delicious Serbian cooking, taught by an experienced Serbian cook. (See www.galbeno.co.yu for sample recipes). Plus all the pleasures of Serbian and Romani culture in their proper context! Contact: Galbeno Co. Amala Summer School, Stevana Filipovica 28/20, 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yugoslavia. Sincerely, Dusan Ristic, Amala Summer School Director

 

In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your Count that votes.
A backward poet writes inverse.
What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway).
Every calendar's days are numbered.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Most money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.

...continued from previous column

Name: Ivanka Ivanova Pietrek
From: Cologne, Germany
Homepage URL: www.songiva.de
Date: 4/05/2003
Comments: Hallo, I'm the Bulgarian folksinger Ivanka Ivanova. I live in Cologne, Germany, and sing with the Germany world musik band from Cologne, the Schael Sick Brass band http://www.ssbb.de
Today I have see Yooou Homepage and find there super. Sory, that my English is very, very bad. I wish oll good luck. Ivanka Ivanova

 

CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES

# Please have a look at Souleiado's newly updated website with music clips and some new photos: www.arach.net.au/users/bgoldby. It can be accessed through Internet Explorer, though probably not through Netscape. (Laurel de Vietri)

# For lots of information on Greek Folk Dancing, try www.filetron.com/grkmanual/

# For list of videos to buy for specific Greek Folk Dances from Epirus, try: www.filetron.com/grkmanual/epirus.doc

# FDA's website also has links to other dance groups, as well as historical and other informative articles on folk dance:
www.geocities.com/folkda/

 

Advertising on FDA Website:
For Non-profit clubs:

Links from the FDA website are provided free-of-charge to websites of non-profit clubs and organisations related to dance and folk.
For Businesses:
We have set up a page specifically for displaying links to the websites of businesses and other "for-profit" organisations. The annual (ie, Jan - Dec) cost of FDA providing a link to your website is $40. However, if you have at least one FDA member within your management or staff you will be entitled to a 50% discount.
If you are interested in FDA providing a link from our website to yours, please e-mail your details to Kaye.

Payment Details:

By internet:
St George Bank,
BSB: 112879,
A/C No 053 969 771
By cheque to "Folk Dance Australia Inc",
The FDA Treasurer,
127 Woronora Cres
COMO WEST NSW 2226

 

?** The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FDA. Events publicised in this magazine are not necessarily sponsored by FDA**


-PAGE 10-

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

1 Jun 2003

FDA Serbian Workshop, with Djordje Nikolic from 10am - 2pm, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, Newtown, Sydney. Contact okaye@optusnet.com.au.
4 Jun 2003 6 days, 8th Australian Folk and Dance Gathering, Albion Park, NSW. Contact Bev Murray, 02 4236 0701 or http://www.wongawilliwcolonialdance.org.au

7 Jun2003

14 days, Bulgarian Seminar (1) with Belco Stanev, Varna, Bulgaria. Contact email Fde_varna@hotmail.com.

21 Jun 2003

8pm, Winter Solstice Dance: St John's Church Hall, Reid, ACT. Music by Earthly Delights. Please bring a plate. Contact Aylwen Garden garden@earthlydelights.com.au.

3 Jul 2003

4 days, Balkan Festival 2003, Zetten, Netherlands. Contact Ersin Seyhan at ersin@ozan.nl

6 Jul 2003

Carol Maddocks Multicultural Dance Show, Glen St Theatre, Sydney. Performers include Xochipilli and the Spanish group, Los Maravillas. Contact Carol Maddocks, on (02) 9905 1563 or email; maddocksdance@optusnet.com.au

9 Jul 2003

7 days, County Wandering Folk Dance festival, Csongrád, Békés and Bács-Kiskun Counties of Hungary. Contact mikloskaroly@freemail.hu, or website: www.countywandering.gerisoft.hu

12 Jul 2003

2 days, 10am - 5pm, Perth International Folk Dance Workshop, with André van de Plas, St Margaret's Church Hall, cnr Tyrell and Elizabeth Sts, Nedlands, WA. Contact Nina: 08 9385 3689 or Laurel: 08 9448 8179.

12 Jul 2003

14 days, Bulgarian Seminar (2) with Belco Stanev, Varna, Bulgaria. Contact Fde_varna@hotmail.com.

17 Jul 2003

André's Easy Dance Workshop, 10am - 2pm, Como West Public School, Taplan SSt, Como West, Sydney. Contact Kaye: 02 9528 4813, or Fiona: 02 9548 0508.

18 Jul 2003

3 days, Bowral Folk Dance Weekend, Bowral, with André van de Plas. Contact Kaye, 02 9528 4813 or email okaye@optusnet.com.au

18 Jul 2003

14 days, Balkanfolk 2003, Pamporovo, Bulgaria. Check out http://www.balkanfolk.com

21 Jul 2003

10 days, Balkan Dance Seminar, Agios Germanos, Macedonia. Contact Yannis yankos@otenet.gr or Maryse: maryse.fabre@eu.rhodia.com

23 Jul 2003

7 days, County Wandering Folk Dance festival, counties of Hungary. Contact mikloskaroly@freemail.hu, or website: www.countywandering.gerisoft.hu

24 Jul 2003

School Teachers' Folk Dance Workshop, with André van de Plas, 4pm - 6.30pm, Gymea Scout Hall, June Place, Gymea, Sydney. Contact Kaye: 02 9528 4813, or Fiona: 02 9548 0508.

26 Jul 2003

ContraDance, 8pm - Midnight, Granville Town Hall, Carlton St, Granville, NSW. (in aid of the Royal Flying Doctor Service). $15 adults $12 conc, includes supper. Contact John 02 9623 7551 or Leila 02 9896 8992.

 

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