PREZ SEZ
by
Terry Abrahams terry.abrahams@verizon.net
Now I’m excited! Camp teachers are
finalized, the check is off to the camp, the cook has been contacted – and we
will have a WOOD FLOOR! I know I said this before, but I wanted to say it
again. Look at the enclosed flyer for our teachers’ names, at another
spot for their resumes. Both Richard (Polish) and Miroslav (Serbian) are
excited about coming, have met each other in Canada (both from Canada – only by chance) and are preparing syllabi as we
speak.
Speaking of syllabi – other camps that I
have attended recently are not printing syllabi. Many people do not look
at them – ever – and many others that teach are using DVDs or Videos as
teaching tools and don’t really need the syllabi. So I’m following that
experience and will be sending syllabi via email to all participants so you can
print them if you want, and for those who still want a hard copy, you must mark that on your registration
form. To print one for every person, to compile, staple, etc. etc. cost around $400 last year. This will be a big savings for us.
Speaking of big savings, (note my clever
segues) we will be charging LESS for camp this year than last year. The change of camps and cooks (and syllabi) have helped
this process. I’m not going to stint on the food though, so don’t worry. I’m working on a salad bar
for every meal, as well as healthy choices. Meals could even be
ethnic. If any of you have favorite international cookbooks and would
like to contribute Polish or Serbian dishes – please do so – but don’t take too
long! I want to get started soon.
Speaking of soon – it’s not too soon for
you guys to sign up to help. If you have someone that needs a scholarship – now’s the time. Write to me (or
email) and let me know who is worthy, and why. It should be a full time
participant. Scholarship people are required to help in some way, but whatever the chore, it will not interfere with the
dancing. I need three clubs to do snacks on Fri, Sat and Sun, Sat and Sun
should be ethnic to match one of the teachers, Friday can be anything you
want. You can be reimbursed for your products. I heard via the grapevine
that Gainesville will do one night – please verify G’ville!
That should do it for this month.
Next month will have the registration
form. In the meantime – Folk dancing is a turn for the better ~ Terry
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Reflections on Dance
by Dan Lampert
On Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005, I attended the Greek Festival in Maitland, Florida, and had a terrific time with Bobby, Pat, and other
OIFDC dancers. Although the standing crowd
seemed smaller than last year, the number of people getting up to dance was
larger. It was great! The circles in our dances were bigger, and sometimes we had multiple circles going simultaneously! I had such a great
time that I went back for 3 hours on Sunday.
I arrived Sunday afternoon about 3PM, and of all the OIFDC dancers I know, only Dean was
there. So, he and I took the initiative and started many dances, as well as taught some people who wanted to learn. We stayed until the end (about 6:30PM), and then I realized something new and important about folk dancing -- something I’d not considered before… leadership.
For those who like ballroom dancing, leadership means a man leading a woman through a waltz or a tango. But in circle
dances, leadership means two things. And Dean was a good example of both. First, I noticed that Dean introduced variations
in the path of the circle dancing -- sometimes following a wide arc across the
floor, and other times making a small arc. This makes it interesting for the dancers that follow. Also, Dean
would sometimes make eye contact with me, and then
roll his eyes slowly to the spot to his right -- implying that I could take
over as leader. He was sharing!
Afterward, I thought about how effective Dean was as
a leader. He provided all these things: (a) consistent footwork for others to follow, which is essential for beginner
dancers, (b) introducing variation into the dance, which made it interesting, and (c) sharing leadership with me and others who had experience.
So, in the future, whenever I lead a Greek dance,
I’ll keep these things in mind. It’s easy for me to “get lost” in the moment and to merely repeat the same patterns. But now
that I’ve seen top-notch leadership, my view of the Greek landscape is higher.
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Upcoming Dance Events
November 2005
19-20, Saturday-Sunday: Israeli Dance Workshop, Gainesville see flier here: http://folkdance.org/archive/
January 2006
4-8, Wed.-Sunday: Greek Festival, Tarpon Springs, http://levendia.org/schedule.htm
February 2006
3,4, Friday, Saturday: Greek Festival, Ocala
17-20, Friday-Monday: FFDC Florida Camp, Camp Crystal Lake, Keystone Heights
April 2006
1,2, Saturday, Sunday: 19th
Annual Israeli Workshop at JCC of Greater Orlando, Guest Teacher: Ruth Goodman
Fall Fling 2005
John Daly [jdaly@palmnet.net]
What
a great way to celebrate the autumnal equinox!
There was dancing, and then there was a pot-luck lunch contributed by
many and enjoyed by all, and then there was more dancing, and then there was
supper, and then there was even more dancing.
For those who like numbers, Saturday there were more than 30 people and
we did something like 120 dances during the day. And we did this all on the wonderful wood
floor at the Melbourne Village Community
House. We met again on Sunday, but
unfortunately all but Virginia
had gone home by then. Those of use who were there enjoyed a few
more dances and a bit of birthday cake.
This was the second year in which we used
a pre-planned program and it went over well.
One person described our choices as a trip down memory lane. And of
course three out of every 10 dances were free requests.
John Daly is off to Folklore Village in Wisconsin at the end of October to enjoy some Scandinavian dancing and maybe collect some more to share.
Thanks to all who came, to all who brought
food, and especially to all who enjoyed dancing together. Let's meet again in
February at Camp and again at Spring Fling.
Satziki recipe
Sent in by Ellie Hall
After Lecanto Greek Fest 10-29-2005
3T Olive oil
1T Vinegar
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 tsp Salt
1C Yogurt
1C Sour Cream (or 2C of
yogurt total)
2 Cucumbers: peeled, seeded & diced
1tsp Fresh Dill - or - 1/4tsp Dried Dill
Combine the first 4 ingredients
Blend separately from above yogurt & sour cream together
Add to oil mixture
Add cukes, mix well &
chill
Garnish with extra dill
& cuke slices on top
Serves 4 with pita or gyros
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Orlando Int’l Folk Dance Club
By: Pat Henderson henderp@bellsouth.net
It
was great to have Joan and Wally Washington back with us this month. At
least this year, they did not have to clean up after a
hurricane after being gone for the summer. We had a very busy month with
club parties and attending ethnic events.
On Wednesday, October 5, Bobby turned 60
and the group threw him a party.
He and I spent the two nights before his
birthday at New Smyrna Beach while we watched the high surf of Tropical Storm
Tammy from our condo balcony. On October 7, five members of the
group performed three dances for a local middle school international festival. It has been a long time since we had a performance so that
was a nice change. Several members of the group attended the local German
American Society's Oktoberfest and the
Maitland Greek Festival. Several of us traveled to Lecanto for
their Greek Festival on October 29. Annette Brand, who is from Ottawa, was visiting her daughter here, and danced with us
twice and also went to Lecanto.
We had our annual Halloween party on
October 26 and everyone was in costume--even
Bobby. See if you can find him in the photo!
For upcoming news, Ann Robinson is having a Christmas show at her ceramics shop in Oviedo on December 3rd & 4th. Also, we will not be dancing the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving, November 23.
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Email to the editor
Dear Dan,
I love your newsletters and read them
from "cover to cover" or whatever
the computer equivalent is. Even though
I don't get to dance much with the Florida folks, I know
most of them and enjoy hearing about them.
You do an outstanding job!
Thanks, Sandy [sandals08@hotmail.com]
If
you have comments for the editor, please send to [dan@webuniv.com] I’d like to
hear what parts of the newsletter you like the most, and the least.
News from Atlanta
The main news for the Thursday night international
group is that it is finally moving, as of the first of January, 2006. We
will be meeting
at
the Life Enrichment Center, the same location already listed for Monday night. Time and other details remain the same, except that
we may have to adjust the fee. Monday night is charging $5, but we will be
using a smaller room at less cost, so we may be able to keep our fee at $3. The web site, www.allorgs.com/aifd, will be updated closer to the end of the year, so as not to confuse
current inquiries. I should also mention that the English Country Dance group
has also been meeting at the Life Enrichment Center, 2-5
PM on the second Sunday of
most
months, again, the same
location already listed for Monday night. They plan to continue to use
this venue, which is easier to find, and has better parking, than most places we have tried before.
David Digby
ddigby@mindspring.com
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GRAPEVINE INT'L FOLK DANCERS OF SARASOTA
by Marie Millett gvduurn@earthlink.net
Last night was our night to thank Ann Kessler for teaching the Sarasota Grapeviners
folk dances since 1992. The "chorus" serenaded her with Ann
Paige's version of "Thanks for the Memory". One verse came out
like this:
Thanks
for your expertise
On kolos and on vines
Ridas so sublime,
Yemenites and hop step rights
Cherkessiyas so divine
How gracious you were.
Eva Stunkel added a parody from H.M.S. Pinafore and a hornpipe dance. Ann now has a tote bag
decorated by June Morse and autographed by the Grapeviners, a certificate
expressing our appreciation thanks to Thekla Kahn, and some cash to bring her back and forth to dance with us
Terry Abrahams journeyed down to help us to
party as did Bill Schwartz. We were glad to have Nancy Wilusz back from Minnesota to participate in the festivities. There was lots of good food and dancing.
----------------------------------------
Gainesville’s
Halloween Party
Photos sent by Mary Jean
Linn kolar58@bellsouth.net
Here’s a quick snapshot of
the Gainesville group doing a dance called “Yolanda” at their
Halloween Party recently.
---
Brief Notices & Upcoming Events
Israeli Workshop!
An Israeli Workshop will be
held in Gainesville, FL, on Nov 19-20, 2005, by Nissim Ben-Ami of Ft. Lauderdale. The address is Westwood Middle School Cafeteria, 3215 NW 15th Avenue, Gainesville, FL. For More Information contact Tony Arroyo
352-485-1710 or Joseph Simpkins 352-485-1926.
Dance class with Lee Otterholt!
Jim Gold and Lee Otterholt
will be teaching dances from the Balkans, Greece, and Normay on Nov. 7, 2005, at 7:30PM at St. Paul’s Church, 113 Engle Street, Englewood, N.J.
Driving directions: Route 4 to Grand Avenue in Englewood. Drive north 1 mile on Grand Ave. which turns into Engle Street after crossing Palisade Avenue. See St. Paul's Church on your right.
Dancing in Ocala
It’s on Fridays, from 10am-11:30am, at the Oak Run Club House (Orchid Hall). For
more info, call Jo Ann Terkowski 352-873-2312
Dancing in New England
George Fogg is available for
New England Dance information via email. Write to him at georgedance@earthlink.net
Dancing trip to Europe!
Jim Gold’s next wonderful
trip is to Budapest & Prague on March 24-April 3, 2006, to be led by Jim Gold and Adam Molnar. For more information, go to www.jimgold.com or email jim@jimgold.com
----------------------------------------
MEDEA
(Middle Eastern Dance Educational Association )
is
sponsoring the following Belly Dance Show to raise money for the Alachua County
Humane Society's "Pet Meals on Wheels" program for people who are
unable to leave their homes to care for their pets.
WHAT: 8th
Annual MEDEA Holiday World Dance Recital & Fund raiser for Alachua County
Humane Society's "Pet Meals on Wheels"
WHEN: Sunday, November 20, 2005
TIME: 4:00 to
6:30 PM (doors open at 3:30)
WHERE: Indian Cultural & Education Center, 1115
SW 13th Street in Gainesville
TICKETS: Adult $12.00; Senior
60+ $10; and Children
under 12 $6
CONTACTS: Marjorie Malerk at 352-384-9200 or sallamah@bellsouth.net
or Libby Parker at 352-466-4551
WEB SITES:
www.ethnicdanceexpressions.com
or www.alachuahumane.org
----------------------------------------
Flagler Beach
from Jan Lathi amarjan@bestnetpc.com
Our
group has recently spent quite a bit of time preparing for a folk dance
presentation which was given at a Unitarian/Universalist Society meeting on October 30th.
The whole service was centered around "dance"; the prelude -
"Dance Americaine"; the Hymn - "Let It Be a Dance"; the
Offertory - "Czardas, part 1" - and the Postlude - "Czardas, part 2".
We presented seven dances - mostly simple ones, since our mission was to entice some of the congregation to come join us for
dancing on Thursday afternoons. It seemed to have been well-received.
I found out that I, in fact, can come to camp. I had the dates wrong for my little cruise to Nassau - I go in January, not February. Our yoga classes on
Tuesday afternoons are still going strong. About 5-6 of us are taking
the classes and enjoying them. We are
already missing Arleen Kaufmann who has returned to Gainesville. We hope she will come back for a visit now and again before she returns next summer. Betty, Arleen and her daughter, and I have
signed up to go on Jim Gold's Greek Islands tour with Lee Otterholt next October. Many from Orlando will also attend - it should be fun! My new family K-9 member, Sami, is giving me
such joy! We go for walks each day and
share our home in Palm Coast with rawhide bones, doggy beds, pull-toys, and other
dog paraphernalia which you can see in every room. I'm lovin' it! Happy
Thanksgiving, everyone! (I'm off to California to visit with my daughter and her family for that
holiday.)
----------------------------------------
News from the International Dancers of Gainesville
It's in 3 parts.... a journal entry from Gary while on the
road in Europe.....and some listings of our
latest taught dances.
From
Gary........
Buon giorno de Bologna
Well if you ever come here, forget about
ordering a bolognese. It's the same as what you get in the states, except there's a lot
less tomato sauce, and you can do it yourself. But you might like the burro
salvia, butter/sage sauce. It's a local favorite.
After a
few days in Paris, where our friend Ann made
the best mussels in all of France, we visited a friend a bit
south in the Loire, not far from Sancerre. Sancerre and other areas of the Loire valley are just famous for white wines.
You can buy some mighty good ones here for less than $5. Sally has a 19th century farm
house in a tiny town to the north of Sancerre. It's a beautiful area, with
rolling hills producing not just grapes but all kinds of
veggies and other crops. Nearby is a medieval farm that looks like a fortified
castle from the road, but it opens to the rear, with stalls on the interior. A
year or so ago someone dropped off a baby boar and sheep. they
are now inseparable friends. The boar is particularly friendly. She comes and rubs against your legs like a cat, and
rubs her snout on your shoes. I think she smelled a mushroom in mine. There's a true castle also not far, and not
famous, although shooting crews use it for filming from time to time. <
