FEBRUARY 2006
ARE YOU
COMING TO CAMP???
PREZ SEZ by Terry Abrahams
As
you could tell, I did the last newsletter, and because I sent the pictures
wrong to Dan, you e-mailers didn’t get to see the pictures. The snail mailers did. Oh well.
I hope you read it anyway, got what you needed, and are still on your
way to camp, or have decided to come now that it is coming closer. If you
haven’t registered yet, the deadline for food is Feb 6 – so now is the time!
Yep, Camp is just around the corner – and I don’t
mean a contra-corner! All is going
well, many of you are signed up (55 to date), menus are in place (I spent many
hours researching Polish and Serbian recipes to be used for our “regular” meals
– let’s hope this is a great eating
year!), teachers are rev-ving up, snacks are decided, decorations are
coming. The only sales this year will
be our own. I have not invited Opec, as
the room is not available where we would be available to look at what is
available. We can think about it again
for next year. Many duties have been
designated to you all, and I know you will be doing a good job! For those of you who are interested in the
syllabi, and chose not to “buy” already printed, look for the syllabi along with this issue in the
same place you found the newsletter (on the website). Of course you may print these and bring them to camp for your
note-taking pleasure. Or not. Registration
Friday will be outside of the dining hall, a stone’s throw from the parking lot
that you pull into, there will be signage. – if you come while we’re dancing,
come in and dance, and find Pat at the break for your schedule, map of the
camp, button, etc
Some
left-overs:
1.
I would really appreciate it if someone would offer to bring bedding and towels
for our teachers. I can do it, but I
got a lotta stuff in my car already!
Please???? Sheets, blankets,
pillow, towels, wash cloth.
2.
Could use someone who lives near the old camp in Ocala to pick up our easel
that we left there last year. There
should also be a pad of paper, but they can’t find it. Ask anyway.
Do I have an offer?
3.
Would someone like to volunteer to do warm-ups in the morning before
instruction begins?
4.
Can anyone bring a big cooler?
It
would appear we will need a new editor next year. Dan will continue to be the historian, and would also help the
new editor send it appropriately through our computers (as he has so
wonderfully done to date), but we need someone with the time to actually make
the newsletter in a computer -- collect
the articles and make it printing ready. That person would also do the snail mailing,
which is a very short task. Is it
you???
If you missed directions or any other directions, we are reprinting them in this issue. Use these instead of the ones from an earlier issue. If you need a registration form, look at our website, Dan has it there. www.folkdance.org
REFLECTIONS ON DANCE
by Dan Lampert, 1-22-2006
In
my search to answer the question “why dancing”, I’ve stumbled on a list that
was published by a small group of ballroom dancers in Melbourne, Florida. They
listed these benefits (and these all apply to folk dancing, too!):
Develop a sense of timing
and rhythm
Fix those two left feet
Gain social teaching
ability
Increase your confidence
Become more popular
Learn something new
Lose weight
Get exercise
Relax
Have fun
Develop a sense of
accomplishment
Meet new people
Have more grace and poise
I
believe I’ve identified all of these points in the past, except the last one.
Something about “grace and poise” got me thinking. We are put here on Earth for
a lot of reasons. We could argue about the exact “purpose” in life, but one
thing is obvious. We learn in layers. We start out crawling, then walking,
running, driving, and perhaps flying. We live in layers. We start with
infancy, then childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. We even think in
layers. Our cognitive skills start with physical interactions as an infant,
then language skills in childhood, and then logic and abstract concepts as an
adult*. In fact, everything about life has layers. And with each new thing
learned, we build upon the previous layer. The mention of “grace and poise”
caused me to realize that dancing is a conduit. Dancing helps us to add more
layers to our lives. Dancing helps us reach fulfillment in life, regardless of
our ethnic and religious backgrounds. In short, dancing helps us “become.”
So,
next time you’re out dancing, remember what we’re discovered here today. Life
is layers** and dancing helps us move through life. And don’t just picture the
layers of life like those of an onion -- growing out in all directions. Imagine
the layers in your life forming underneath you, pushing you upwards -- helping
you to reach upward. That, my friends, is why we have the popular expression:
“something to live up to”.
Footnotes:
* The four layers of cognitive skills were identified by the
famous psychologist, Jean Piaget, although he called them stages. You can read
more about Piaget’s work by searching the net for his name, or start here: http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html
** The quote “Life is layers” is the result of a year of
research by Dan Lampert in 2003.
DEBBIE’S ISRAELI DANCING-MAITLAND
We
are having a mini-workshop on Monday, February 13 with Dany Benshalom. It
will be at the regular dance session, although we are starting at 7PM.
Come at 6:30 if you want to bring your dinner (dairy or veggie only, please)
and schmooze. We'll be in the auditorium. The charge is $10 and we will be meeting from 7:00 PM to 10:00
PM for our workshop and dancing. We can't stay later since the JCC
closes at 10.
The
previous weekend Dany will be in Gainesville, so try to attend that one as
well. [See next article] Please let me know if you are coming and if
you need a place to stay on Monday night.
ALSO,
we are having our annual weekend workshop on April 1 and 2, with our special
guest teacher, Ruth Goodman. Mark your calendars. The flyers will
be mailed out at the beginning of February.
Hope to see you at both
workshops!!
Best wishes, Debbie (Meiten)
A NOTE FROM RUTHY SLANN
Hello my dancing friends,
Our spring weekend workshop in Gainesville, FL is a bit early this
year. Dany and I will be there on Feb. 11-12 and would love for all of you to
come dance with us. I know Tony has
sent the flyer to most of you, but just in case, I will attach it to this note.
As usual, Dany will bring some new dances, and some “classic” that proved to be
“keepers”.
Looking forward to dancing with you soon,
Love and shalom, Ruthy
FROM JACK & CO. (Gainesville)
Hey ya'll out there in folkdance land......This here Gainesville International
Dance group which meets every Friday from 8 - 11....is rocking to some fine
tunes and hot times......
Ron Tomocik was our energy this weekend (Jan 20, 21) as we danced to some great
live sounds from his accordion.....A Russian dance called "Sasha" and
a Greek one called "Larikos" were introduced to our group.....Ron
sure does know how to belt out a folk tune...!!!!
Our teachers for the month have been: John with "Matura de la
Felnac", "Donne Donke Lesnoto", "Atlantic Mixer",
"Sulaam Yaakov,” D'Hammerschmeidgeselln", "In Gradina",
"St. Bernard's Waltz", and a bunch of others which I can't think of
right now....Linda with "Lepa Maca", "Zaplanski Cacak, "Paidusko",
"Lum Lum Ley",
"Tsamikos", "12th St. Rag"(with me),
"Allunelul".....Margaret with "Cucuk", "Rustemul de la
Intoarsa", "Ya Abud", "Vulpuita", and
others.....Julieta with "Muresanca", "Paraliakos", Hora de
la Tulnici", "Bracno oro", " Oj Devojce",....
Joyce before her toe injury did a few....." "Godecki Cacak",
& "Krecavi Ketus".......hey Joyce....we sure do miss
you.....hurry up back......And by the way, I did a
few...."Tropanka"(Yves), "Ekizlijsko Horo", "Evev
Ba", and "Yalel" ......
And guess what....?.....we've recruited a new teacher from our folk.....Stefan
Craciun.....a student at UF who is our new whiz kid of folk
dancing...!!!!.....He gave us his great interpretation of "Hora de la
Gorg"........he has given our group a great impetus of energy...!!!!.....and feelings too......
Anyway, we're having a blast
up here in G’ville......don't forget to stop by on your way north any Friday
night......just contact us beforehand
and we'll try our best to accommodate you.....
Good luck FFDC officers with your last minute preparations for camp in a few
weeks.....we're ready.....and able.....
BABIAK ENSEMBLE PERFORMS
The Babiak Dance Ensemble performed on the
International Stage for Sarasota Arts Day on January 15, 2006. It was a
spectacular show with12 dancers in elaborate Slavic costumes. The
newspaper said that 30,000 people attended the downtown event.
Rich and Linda Nicoli, experts in Czech and Slovak dances have been performing
with a dance group in Minneapolis and now live in Sarasota and are teaching the
local ensemble some elegant dances, like Vrtielka.
Other experts in the troupe include Mary Finegold, Tahja, Juan de la Sierra,
Dr. Cristina Babiak, Mariano Vo and Andrea Sturgess.
In 2005, the Ensemble performed at the Ringling Museum's Italian Festival
and their Oktoberfest. They also presented German dances at the county
fairgrounds. As usual, they entertained at nursing homes, private parties
and mobile home parks, but in 05 they began teaching folk dancing to public
school children, sponsored by the Sarasota Arts Council and special grants.
The Ensemble rehearses weekly on the Babiak's wooden porch. At this time
they are under the direction of Andrea Sturgess, the Babiak's
granddaughter. The dancers love to rehearse.
Watching
the ancient Dmitri with his two titanium knees swing his granddaughter around
with great joy on their faces as they display the old Latino dances taught by
Nelda Drury in San Antonio many years ago...is a wonder.
Six of these dancers plan to attend the Florida Folkdance Camp at Crystal Lake
this February.
GRAPEVINE INT'L FOLK DANCERS OF SARASOTA by
Marie Millet
I had a wonderful time at my 80th birthday party last Sunday at the Unitarian
Universalist Church. I was so pleased to have Terry, Bill Schwarz, Andi
and Ursula from the Tampa Bay area. I can't imagine a more wonderful way
to celebrate than to be dancing with my folk dance and Unitarian friends
accompanied by live music from a great band that played music
from my era.
See you at camp.
PENSACOLA GROUP DONATION
The
following card and check was received from Becky Garcia of the Pensacola group:
Enclosed please find a check in the amount of $100.00. This is a gift to
the Olga Princi Fund given by the Pensacola International Folkdancers.
This gift is made in memory of Mrs. Judy Marsh, who met her husband through
folkdancing. Mrs. Marsh passed away in December after a lengthy battle
with cancer.
Sincerely, Becky Garcia [ed. Note – we
thank you so much!]
ORLANDO
INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE CLUB
By: Pat Henderson
Juanita
Schockey made great strides in recovering from her hip replacement
surgery. She returned to dance less than a month after the surgery and
did three dances. The next week she did many more. After just five
weeks after surgery, she got rid of her cane. It shows how dancing
affects the recovery from surgery and also how dancing conditions a person
before surgery. By camp, you will probably not even know that she had
surgery.
On January 5, Bobby and I traveled to Tarpon Springs for the Greek Epiphany
Celebration and stayed with Kay Demos in the home she bought a year ago.
Terry Abrahams, Ruthy Slann and a Canadian Israeli dancer [Livia]
also were there. There was a Greek dance workshop going on the entire weekend
so Kay bought tickets for us all to go the dance party that evening.
There were three bands: two from the U.S. and one from one of the Greek
islands. One of the bands played a lot of Macedonian dances that we knew.
Then on Friday, we watched the processional to the lake and the diving for the
cross. It was a special celebration since it was the 100th Anniversary of
the Epiphany in Tarpon Springs and the Patriarch from Constantinople was
there. There was very high security with snipers on rooftops. It
was very cold and windy that day so after having a Greek lunch and dancing to a
Greek band for awhile, we all left to dance international in Tampa. It
was our first Epiphany and we enjoyed it.
On January 18th, we were glad to see former member, Bob Monaghan from the NY/NJ
area. He is at Embry Riddle for 10 days working on some re-certification
for pilots which means he is still flying. We enjoyed doing Ramot
with him since he is the one who taught it to us. We look forward to
seeing everyone at camp. If you cannot come for at least a day, come for
a night party. Where else can you folk dance with 60-80 other dancers?
TAMPA TALES
Bobby,
Pat, Ruthy Slann and Livia and I all joined Kay Demos for the 100th
annual Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs.
We went to the party/dance the night before with a couple of good bands,
John Lulius organizing his usual good evening of food and dance, spent the
night at Kay’s new home, walked the next day to the Procession, diving for the
cross and the performances, food and buying stuff for the afternoon. Ruthy, Livia and I got home in time to dance
with our Friday night International group, before they left the next morning,
we were joined by Jeana (Israeli) from St. Pete for breakfast. Very cool weekend! Bobbie Ward and I also trekked to Tarpon the day before for the
Tammies – always terrific – saw Kay there too!
Bobbie and I spent New Year’s Day kayaking – my first time – and I loved
it! New Year’s Eve contra dancing was
so-so, but good to be out I guess.
Andi,
Bill, Ursula and I went to Marie Millet’s 80th birthday party and it
couldn’t have been better! Folk dancers
danced Marie’s favorite dancers, a band played for our ballroom dancing
pleasure, there was wine, punch, cheese and crackers, salutations, tons of
people, one of the nicest parties ever! And for such a happy occasion!!! Judith had a Scandinavian workshop last
Saturday. She has these every now and
then – such a devoted gal! She,
Ernesto, Susan, Kathie, Jim and I are going to the Snowball (Tampa big contra
weekend) – actually will have been by the time this issue comes out – of course
we’ll have a good time. Ursula’s on the
mend, Charlene is recovering from a very bad car accident and finally back
dancing, Andy is helping put on various swing activities. We’re small, but we’re busy!
DIRECTIONS TO CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE
(NOTE: Directions Are From N OR S)
The camp is located at 6724 Camp Crystal
Road about 5 miles north of Keystone Heights.
Since this is the first time for most of you to find this camp, we
highly recommend that you come in daylight hours. As a reference, it is probably 45 minutes further from the south
than our previous camp.
From the North
If you are on
I-95:
Just north of Jacksonville, exit onto
A1A & US 301 S and go to Starke. Go through Starke on US 301 and then look
for a sign for the Keystone Heights Airport on your left. (If you get to Keystone Heights, you missed
the turn.) Turn left on Keystone
Airport Road. Go one mile and turn right on Camp Crystal Road. Follow the signs into camp.
(Note: If you are in
Jacksonville, take I-10 W to US 301 S and continue as above.)
If you are on I-75:
Exit at Lake City onto US 90 E; go through Lake City and then turn right onto
SR 100 East ( You will actually be going southeast). Go through Starke and then look for a sign for the Keystone
Heights Airport on your left. (If you
get to Keystone Heights, you missed the turn.)
Turn left on Keystone Airport Road. Go one mile and turn right on Camp
Crystal Road. Follow the signs into
camp.
.
From the
South
If you are on
I-95:
Exit at Flagler Beach on SR 100 W; continue through Keystone Heights on SR 100
W; go 5 miles; turn right at Keystone Airport road. Go one mile and turn right
on Camp Crystal Road. Follow the signs
into camp.
If you are on I-75:
Exit just north of Ocala on SR 326; go a short distance and turn
left on US 301N (along with US 441 and others); go about 5 miles and stay on US
301 N when it forks right from US 441N (Do NOT go to Gainesville); continue on
US 301 through Waldo; about 5 miles from Waldo, look for a sign to Hampton and
turn right on Hwy 18 to Hampton; go
about 4 miles and you will dead end at
FL 100; turn right onto SR 100 E; go 1 mile; turn left at Keystone
Airport road. Go one mile and turn right on Camp Crystal Road. Follow the signs
into camp.
(Note: If you miss Hwy 18, go to Starke and then
take SR100 E to the camp.)
If you are lucky enough to be coming from
Gainesville:
Take Waldo Road (Hwy 24)
or take 39th Ave east to Waldo Road (Hwy 24) to Waldo; turn left
onto US 301N in Waldo; about 5 miles from Waldo, look for a sign to Hampton and
turn right on Hwy 18 to Hampton; go
about 4 miles and you will dead end at
FL 100; turn right onto SR 100 E; go 1 mile; turn left at Keystone
Airport road. Go one mile and turn right on Camp Crystal Road. Follow the signs
into camp.
(Note: If you miss Hwy 18, go to Starke and
then take SR100
E to the camp.
CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
February 2006
3,4, Friday, Saturday: Greek Festival, Ocala
17-20, Friday-Monday: FFDC Florida Camp, Camp Crystal Lake,
Keystone Heights, FL
March 2006
25, Saturday, Spring Fling
in Port Orange, FL
April 2006
1,2, Saturday, Sunday: 19th
Annual Israeli Workshop at JCC of Greater Orlando
Guest Teacher: Ruth Goodman
7-9,
Rang Tang, Shawn Donaldson, Armenian and Bulgarian, music by Bulgarian and
Armenian Bands, shopping at Opet.
Contact: Liz Nunan 1237 N.
Valley Brook Rd. Decatur, GA 30033 or 1-404-292-7176 or maryturl@juno.com or liznunan@hotmail.com
11-12
– Gainesville – Dany Benshalom
13
– Orlando – Dany Benshalom (see article)
- Czech Pleasure in
the Heart of Europe
July 25 - August 16
DICK CRUM
Date:
Tue, 13 Dec 2005 06:14:21 -0800
Subject: [BBMDE] Dick Crum-
We
Have Lost a PreciousTreasure
Good Morning friends. It is just before
8:00 a.m. in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota, in the USA. I just got the word from a local folkdancer
who is close to his family that Dick Crum has died. We don’t yet know what caused his death, but according to the folkdancer,
who heard from Dick’s sister in St. Paul this morning, Dick has been quite ill
the past week or so, but had not been to a doctor. Friends and family became worried when they hadn’t heard from him
and couldn’t reach him by phone. I’m
sure more news will become available.
His body will be cremated and ashes brought back home to St. Paul. There will be a memorial service here in the
Twin Cities (his birthplace and home) at some point. I or someone here will keep you posted as we get information to
share. There are so many wonderful,
personable, creative, and talented dance teachers, researchers, and dancer in
the world, but Dick Crum was THE most precious treasure of them all. May his soul rest in peace, knowing how much
he was loved and appreciated all over the world.
Ceil
Wirth, Mpls
There were many things that made Dick one of the best teachers ever (not just best dance teachers). One was his ability to look at a crowd and see where they were having trouble with a step. Then he'd reach into his bag of analogies to help them out. If he didn't have what he needed he'd make up a new one on the spot. If that didn't work he'd try another and so on.
by andypo@atlantic.net THIS JUST IN
The Duquesne University Tamburitzans will be performing at 7pm in Crescent City on Saturday, March 4. I have a contact in that area to get tickets in advance and save $5 a ticket. The price this year is $18 advance and $23 at the door. Bobby and I saw the show in Melbourne on Jan. 15 and it is great as usual. We had to pay $28.50 so the increase in the price of gas in reflected in the price of the tickets. Even though we already saw the show, I am ordering and getting advance tickets for you like I did last year. Please let me know how many tickets you want and pay me by Wednesday, February 8.
NOTES FROM TENNESSEE (JULIETA)
The following was written in Nashville, at the end of a
meeting in early December, and is being sent to you from Ft. Lauderdale.
Greetings from Nashville, the US capital of country music,
and its many variations. Wherever I
travel, I look for music and dance experiences, even if just as an
observer. Line dancing was a memorable
first for me. The Christmas Spectacular
I attended included ballet, much of it of On Pointe. The Radio City Rockette
dancers were fantastic in all their dances, the best dance being the Wooden Toy
Soldiers, which required exquisite precision, balance and control. Most shocking of all the show was its end,
with real sheep and camels coming on stage for a quiet, gentle Nativity
skit. This latter included gorgeous
Middle Eastern scenes with music.
But more important, this trip was a relative success,
because I danced! I joined in line
dancing at the Crazy Horse, which was unforgettable in part because I was so
bad at it. So I stepped out and watched
the dancing instead. If I am back in
Nashville again, I will return to this strange place with full size horses
running upside down in the ceiling, tasty fries, and local country bands such
as 32 below. Do not cringe at the idea
of line dancing with country music. The
music was lively (with a stead standard 4/4 rock beat), the steps were
familiar, and of all things, it is an authentic American tradition. We already do Cotton Eyed Joe. Best of all is line dancing with friends,
with boots (any comfortable smooth-sole boots will do), and with fiddle in the
background. With all the steps we know
as folk dancers, we could show them some new choreography starting with more
closely-spaced lines. We might as well
try line dancing at least once every six months, I say! I know a prize-winning
line-dancing entomologist that could teach us one day a few dances in a
workshop at 308.
At the Grand Ole Opry show in the Ryman Hall, our claps (and
whistles, yells, and stomps) were broadcasted live on local, web, and satellite
radio. Most forgettable song was
“Whisky Lullaby”, funniest was “Leroy the Redneck Reindeer” with perfectly
recognizable music (but with different instruments), and most enjoyable music
was Kentucky Blue Grass fiddle, banjo and mandolin playing, in the style of
Bill Monroe. Slide guitar and Dobro
were also played. Slow fiddle music was
wonderful in this famous Hall with the better acoustics only found in Carnegie
Hall. Other music to remember as a new
live experience was what they called Honky Tonk, Christian Rock, Hee-Haw jokes,
and the unnecessary plain truck-plus-dog songs. In the Opry we joined in clapping to the songs, directed by the
show’s MCs, who also read aloud 1930s and 40s style commercial announcements,
the type that inspired Garrison Keillor’s live music and radio theatre show on
Saturday nights. They alternated famous
seasoned singers (85 year olds included), ladies (to me rare in this very
masculine environment), and up and coming young musicians and groups. All this
was to tell you that the above and other trips downtown helped me balance with
music and cheer a not-so-great trip away from Florida. I look forward to being back in Gainesville
soon, ready to dance at 308. A post note: I completed this trip by watching the
well-timed new movie about Johnnie Cash, “Walk the Line” while my car was being
fixed near Royal Park Cinema. See you
dancing. Julieta
MENSA WORLD GATHERING 2006
By: Pat Henderson
In August of this year, Mensa will be hold its World Gathering (WG) in
Orlando at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. This means that some
of the smartest people in the world will be meeting for a week to share
programs and camaraderie. You have a chance to be part of this
once-in-a-lifetime event. David Digby and I have volunteered to organize
two folk dancing events for the WG. The first event will be on Thursday,
August 10 from 10:30-11:30 AM. We will have a dance show and then teach
dances to volunteers from the audience. David and I have done this type
of program before at our RGs (Regional Gatherings) and at AGs (Annual
Gatherings held for US members). The second event is an international
dance party in the evening after a comedy program. We will be playing the
music for the party and leading many of the dances. If you are interested
in participating, we plan on having a meeting to pick what dances to do for the
morning show after lunch on Sunday at camp. If you do not come to camp
and are interested, contact me at above email or at: 407-275-6247.
What do you get for your participation? You get admittance to the days
programs and activities including the hospitality suite with non-stop food and
drink. If you need a place to stay in Orlando, let me know that
also. For more info, go to: wg06.us.mensa.org
FLORIDA FOLK DANCER
Florida Folk Dancer is a monthly
publication of the Florida Folk Dance Council, Inc., a non-profit corporation
whose purpose is to further knowledge, performance, and recreational enjoyment
of International Folk Dance.
2005 FFDC OFFICERS:
President: Terry
Abrahams
Editor this 813-324-1231
issue terry.abrahams@verizon.net
VP:
John Daly
321-951-9623
Treasurer:
Pat Henderson
407-275-6247
-
Return
Address
FFDC
Newsletter Editor
701
W. Idlewild Ave.
Tampa,
FL 33604
USA
FIRST
CLASS
Secretary:
Jean Murray
321-952-7025
Historian: Dan
Lampert
PO
Box 151719
Altamonte
Spgs., FL 32715
dan@dlc2.com
Send all submissions to the
Editor during the last week of the month, to be published the first week of the
next month.
Copyright: articles in the
Florida Folk Dancer are copyright by the Florida Folk Dance Council, Inc., or
by their individual authors.
Subscriptions are $15 per
year and include membership in the Florida Folk Dance Council. The membership year runs from one Annual
Camp (usually February) to the next.
Members can receive the newsletter electronically if desired.
For more info: www.folkdance.org