Roamin’ in Romania
by Terry Abrahams
Between June 17 and 29, one could find a big bus full of folk dancers – 29 tour participants and 4 staff members – ready and anxious to ‘do’ Romania. Five us were from Florida – Kelly Fagan, her mom Tina, Ann Robinson, Annette Brand (O.K., winter Floridian) and me. We came from FL, NJ, NY, TX, PA, GA and Hong Kong and many of us had been on these tours before. Ping Chun organized us, Theodor and Lia Vasilescu organized the activities, and Marin (Theo’s assistant and new president of the Romanian dance organization) kept us moving on and off the bus and into dance studios and restaurants.
The teachers also have ensembles, and those groups did performances for us – just us – in the evening – in full force! Full costumed orchestras, singers, 20 or more dancers with four or five costume changes. Each performance was better than the one before – it was a privilege to watch them all! To add to that, we visited a teen group, who danced, and we danced with them; then a school – children (ages 8-12) who are prize winners in Romania.
Beyond one’s expectations; we visited two villages, a small one where the band and dancers (also in costume) danced for us and with us, a bigger one where the band met us at the bus, marched us to the square, where all the villagers were there to greet us. This time they were celebrating a saint’s day, so the entire village watched the performance. At another lunch, five teen boys did some stomping dances with fabulous bells all over their socks and great peacock hats. At each of these places we were greeted with a loaf of bread and salt, and often – their plum “wine” – which was whoooeee!!!
A performance in Romania
Photo by Terry Abrahams
Terry surrounded by Romanian ensemble dancers
It was amazing! We concentrated on three areas of Romania, in the cities of Craiova, Targu Jiu, Sibiu and Brasov, which covered South Oltenia and Gorj county, Marginime and Transylvania. We danced at least three hours a day, usually in dance studios or on stages. Theo and Lia oversaw the operations, but teachers from those areas taught us and dancers from their ensembles were there to help us as well (very exciting). Theo taught the first hora, which we started with every day, and did the final reviews. We learned a total of 28 dances and will receive a DVD in case we can’t remember (thank goodness – although we think we “held” quite a few of them). The biggest difference between us doing Romanian dances, and Romanians doing Romanian dances was the noise made while doing the dances. We spent quite a bit of time learning to shout words and numbers, and hope we’ve kept some of that – it was great fun, and we loved that part of the learning, e.g. "She uno" (and one!) Of course we’ve learned a couple at our camps, but this was really concentrated..
Terry drinking Tsuica at a village dance, Annette (far left) watching.
Photo by Carol Wilson
When we were not dancing, we visited a farm home, with animals and vegetables, and went inside the home; we ate at a “rich” farm – a sort of B&B where we were served a piece of fat (hmmm); we drove through many villages, stopped for storks, water buffalo, donkeys and carts, haystacks. We went to some museums, some folk, some art, one outdoors which happened to have a huge folk art sale going on (did we shop!); Vlad Dracula’s castle (of course); the Women’s Cave, the Parliament in Bucharest, wonderful plazas in each city (why doesn’t the US have these?); and of course, we were led to various costume shops. The boot man visited us at our hotel, where some of us lucked out and bought fabulous shoes or boots; costumes were available on a couple of occasions, but we mostly bought in the antique area of Bucharest where the prices were great! We’re showing off at the next camp – even if there is no Romanian night!
Part of the gang waving from Vlad Dracula's castle
Photo by Ting Kwak Lau , one of the Hong Kong participants
Food was plentiful, but not fabulous; we may have even gained a little weight. Salads were always cukes and tomatoes, often with feta cheese. Meat was, for the most part, smashed chicken and pork; lots of potatoes; soups contained some vegetables and were meals unto themselves. We often had wine and/or tsuica. Desserts were most often ice cream. I wouldn’t go there especially for the food, but we were well taken care of (although the vegetarians drove Lia nuts). The gang was fun, a lot of singing went on, a lot of comparisons to other trips, a lot of talking about dances. Lia (the major translator) and Theo have such great senses of humor, it was a pleasure. A few mishaps, but nothing to squelch the trip. Would we recommend you go next year? A resounding yes!!!
Dancing in Boston and Cambridge
by Pat Henderson
During our recent trip to New England, Bobby and I danced on Tuesday, June 17, in Copley Square, which is right in front of Trinity Church. We were dancing while the Celtics were playing their way to the NBA championship just a few blocks away. There was a live band and we saw a band member, Ralph, who had danced with us in Orlando. It turns out that Ralph was subbing that night and not a regular member of that band. The group of around forty enjoyed dancing outdoors in downtown Boston. There were many experienced dancers but some people just joined the group while they were passing by. Each dance was presented by one of two teachers and one of them was Marianne Taylor's daughter, Andi. She looked very much like her mother and even had some of the same mannerisms during teaching.
Most of you know that Marianne is not doing well and her cancer is spreading. On July 8, she was sent home from the hospital under hospice care. Those of us who attended the National Folk Organization (NFO) Conference were very privileged to dance with one of the international folk dance institutions. I treasure the memory of the English dance that she taught Saturday night.
The next night, we danced Israeli in Cambridge at MIT. We met Sharon Kalter and her boyfriend, Amitai, for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant before dancing. Sharon left Orlando and our Israeli group about three years ago. The MIT dance group was very large (by our standards) with around 40 or 50 dancers of all ages. The programmer would play a set of circle dances, then line and then partner dances. It was surprising to me that Bobby and I knew or had seen most of the circle dances. They danced until 11:30 PM but Bobby and I pooped out earlier than that, since we had walked the Freedom Trail that day. It is good to know that Israeli dance is alive and well at MIT!
[There is a website where you can read the latest information about Marianne Taylor: www.caringbridge.org/visit/mariannetaylor1. Click “Read Story” at the lower left of the “My Story” box to get the full story. Also, the March/April 2008 Florida Folk Dancer has a picture of Marianne, along with Roo Lester, taken March 1 at the NFO Conference workshop.]
In June, Bobby and I took a trip to New England. We were in five states (all of them except Vermont), and saw the sights in: White Mountains, NH; Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Plymouth, Boston MA; Newport, Providence RI; Mystic CT, Portland and Kennebunkport ME. See Dancing in Boston and Cambridge about our experiences there.
Bon Voyage Party
Kneeling: Bobby Quibodeaux, Terry Abrahams; Others, left to right: Kelly Fagan, Arleen Kaufmann, Lucy Birkemeier, Linda Black, Joy Herndon, Pat Pieratte, Phyllis Dammer, Pat Henderson, Jan Lathi, Joe Birkemeier, Juanita Schockey, Claudia Terrence, the top of Manuel Mora-Valls' head behind Claudia, Palmira Mora-Valls, Ann Robinson, Eva Gaber
Photo by Joe Terrence
On June 4, we had a triple birthday celebration. It was Kay Afonso's birthday that day and we also celebrated the June birthdays of Juanita Schockey and Palmira Mora-Valls.
June Birthdays: Palmira Mora-Valls, Juanita Schockey and Kay Afonso
Photo by Bobby Quibodeaux
Orlando News
by Pat Henderson
Our club is very fortunate to have more dancers consistently come than in previous years. May and June were active months with around twenty dancers every Wednesday. We have added a few new dancers and the Palm Coast contingent coming almost every week helps. Bobby and I are considering remodeling the dance studio to make more room – a great problem to have!
It turns out that we have been dancing with a celebrity's parents – Tom and Linda Black. Tom Black is Jack Black's father and Linda is his step-mom. Tom danced with us for a while and then Linda danced with us April through June. They’ve now returned to their home and vineyard in Washington State. Before she left, Linda invited Bobby and me to the Florida Premiere of Kung Fu Panda, in which Jack did the voice of the panda. We had a great time seeing the movie and schmoozing at the Columbia Restaurant in Celebration, FL. Bobby and I plan to visit Tom and Linda at their farm in Tonasket, Washington next month. Linda is arranging a night of folk dancing with Bobby as the guest teacher.
I'll report on a few trips this month but there may be more in the next newsletter, after our group resumes in September. First, in May, Ann Robinson attended Penland Craft School in the mountains of North Carolina close to Asheville. She learned how to make glass beads.
Then Kelly Fagan, her mother, Tina, and Ann joined Terry Abrahams and Annette Brand in Bucharest, where they were all part of the Vasilescu Romanian dance tour. We had a Bon Voyage Party for them on June 11. Terry dashed up from Tampa for it and brought along Pat Pieratte, who was down from Tallahassee on business. The travelers had a great time in Romania and brought back some nice dances that you may start seeing soon.
(See Roamin’ in Romania).
From the Editor
I hope you are all having as much dancing fun as Gary and I have had this summer. On June 2, we took off and started driving across the country to California. We saw and did a lot of things on this trip and danced whenever and wherever we could. Our first dancing opportunity came when we stopped in Houston and stayed with my older daughter’s in-laws, Greg and Lydia. They are country-western dancers and we went along with them to their weekly class. Luckily for us, the class had just started working on a new dance called the Night Club, a dance done to very slow music, too slow for a regular two-step. We were able to pick up the basic moves and it was fun.
Scandi Camp Mendocino: Top: dancers and musicians at an evening party; Left, above: Caroline Lanker, Roo Lester in Scandinavian costume, Gary Lanker, Judith Baizan; Right, above: Musicians leading procession
Photos (except left, above) by Caroline Lanker
The second opportunity to dance was a week at Scandi Camp Mendocino, which was one of the main purposes of our extended trip. Judith Baizan was there (of course) and Roo Lester. We also found a few people we knew, had met or with whom we shared acquaintances.
To Gary’s surprise, one of the women was someone he had danced with nearly 50 years ago at Washington State University. Gary didn’t recognize her at first until she saw his name and exclaimed, “Gary Lanker! You were the best man at my first wedding!”
The camp is held near the coast in northern California, on the western slopes of the mountains, in a redwood forest. The setting is beautiful, but it was cold the first few days and the cabins are unheated. The dancing was good; the teachers were good. A lot of the people who attend that camp are the leaders of Scandinavian dance groups all over the U.S. A group of four dancers had come from Japan!
There were few novice dancers. Gary and I were challenged to keep up with the classes and join in the evening dancing.
After camp, we spent the next week in the San Diego area. On Wednesday, we danced with the Scandinavian group there, with music provided by two fiddlers. Unfortunately, like many folk dance groups, the numbers in the Scandinavian group are dwindling and they meet less often in the summer. So, even though it was billed as a monthly party, there were only four couples of dancers there, including us. They did no teaching, except for brief descriptions of the dances for our benefit when we asked. Luckily, we had already been exposed to the dances they did. They systematically changed partners after every dance, so we each enjoyed dancing with all the people of the opposite sex who were there.
Also in San Diego, we saw Kevin Johnson and Suzanne Papp, whom Florida dancers may remember, as they danced international in Orlando and Scandinavian in Tampa a few years ago.
Besides all the dancing, we renewed other acquaintances. In Albuquerque, we visited some college friends of mine whom I hadn’t seen since 1974. They were folk dancers in college, but no longer dance. On the way back to Florida, we stayed in Ft. Worth with a woman I worked with at IBM in Houston, starting with the Apollo project in 1965, when we were fresh out of college. She had attended Gary’s and my wedding in 1989, but we may not have seen her since then. In both cases, we had kept up acquaintances with Christmas letters all these years!
Gary and I could write another account of our trip, focusing on the visits with family members up and down California and many other places we saw, but that is a story for another time and place.
On our way back to Florida, we stopped in Houston and stayed with Greg and Lydia again. This time we took them dancing – to the Monday night beginner’s session of the Houston International Folk Dancers (HIFD). I danced with HIFD from 1965 to 1989, the Baizans started folk dancing there from 1965 until moving to Tampa in 1971, and Gary and I met at that club in 1985. The beginner’s group was started around thirty years ago to augment the regular Friday night club dances; on Mondays, almost every dance is taught and all the dances are easy. We had not folk danced in Houston since some time in the 1990s, but we found that the Monday night group is still led by the same man who started it. There were about 20 people there, including several of our old friends and a few brand new dancers.
Gary (at right) dancing at Houston beginner's group
Photo by Caroline Lanker
Sarasota Grapevine Folk Dancers
by Marie Millett
We have been happy to have about 15 dancers every week this summer. We are having a variety of teachers during Andi's absence. I started off in May and June. Eva Stunkel just finished teaching for three weeks and Judy Merkt will teach the next three weeks, followed by Delores Lustig. Varda Ruskin has added to our Israeli dances and Estrella Engelhart is reviewing us on the dances she choreographed last year. Thanks for all their help so that we can keep on dancin' in the good ole summertime.
The Scientific Study of Dancing
The July 2008 Scientific American contains an interesting article, “The Neuroscience of Dance”, p. 78. This article describes some interrelated scientific studies of how our brains function when we dance. What the ongoing studies have shown so far is that dancing is a very complex mental as well as physical activity. One part of the brain provides an internal representation of the orientation of the body and all its parts, while another processes the feedback from sensors in our muscles telling us where our body parts are in space, other areas process the sound of the music, another is a synchronizer pacing our movements to the music and another sends signals to our muscles perform the movements. All of these parts must communicate with each other through yet other brain parts in order for us to perform the movement to music that we call simply “dancing”. Fascinating!
- CL
Farewell to Buffalo Gap
by Judith Baizan
Ernesto and I were completely blown away by our very first Buffalo Gap Camp experience, way back on Memorial Weekend, 1975. It was just a rustic kids' camp lost in the rolling hills of the Smokies, but it had something unusual: a huge suspended wood floor. And no matter where we walked we heard music playing. Then, and in the years following, we marveled at the effort and imagination that went into the staging of the various special events. What was a gymnasium at dance class might become a classy night club, a sultan's tent, or a Venetian ballroom for an evening party. And in the kitchen reigned an expert chef, producing meals you had to be there to believe!
Larry Weiner and Mel Diamond, along with their spouses, organized Memorial and Labor Day International Folk Dance Weekends in those years, and Ernesto and I were there for ten of them, mostly over Labor Day, when the weather was predictably better. We flew at first, but soon began making the trip from Tampa by car, an 18 hour drive. When Judy Barlas and Bruce Sagan put on the first Scandinavian Dance Week over July 4 in 1986, we switched from Labor Day to midsummer, and I have not missed a one since. Slight clarification here – there was the year that wasn't, when Judy was traveling and it was not to happen without her. (But many of us danced our woes away at organizer Mel's one and only Norrland event held at Mainewoods Camp during its traditional break week.) And there were stresses and strains that led to the couple of Ramblewood years; and then, at last, our joyous return to Buffalo Gap!
There have been significant changes over the years, notably the construction, on a rise above the cluster of camp buildings, of the gorgeous open sided dance Pavillion, where you can look out and see forever. It replaced Paul's Hall, which had burned down. Then the kitchen/dining complex burned down too, very inconveniently just before Scand Week. A plucky and resourceful kitchen crew moved heaven and earth in order to cook in a makeshift kitchen and serve meals on picnic tables in a tent with a dirt floor that sloped so badly it was hard to sit straight.
An authentic Finnish Sauna was built at the far end of the pond, just perfect to go from scalding heat to chilly dip. One of the double sided cabins, remodeled to have private rooms and bathrooms, and known thenceforth as "The Hilton," became
available for our teachers and a few privileged – ordemanding? – others. (Well. . . those of us enjoying the breezes in the cabins up on the hill didn't want to be in those hot rooms anyway. . .!)
In 2001 Scandinavian Week morphed rather seamlessly into Nordic Fiddles and Feet under the able direction of Meg Mabbs and her Board, but almost everyone still talked about going to "Buffalo Gap." At goodbye time after an early year Scand event, or Mendocino camp, what we said was "See you at Buffalo Gap!" The Buffalo Gap years have been wonderful dance experiences for a great many people in various expressions of dance. We will always treasure our memories of this very special place.
Next year Nordic Fiddles and Feet will meet in its new home in New Hampshire. We will start new traditions, or maybe adopt some we find and refit them to suit us. We will certainly dance ourselves silly and have a marvelous time doing it.
Folk Dancing in Charleston
by Shirley Babiak
On June 25, Demetrius and Shirley Babiak of Sarasota drove up to Charleston, South Carolina at the request of Elena and Alex Bell to help them restart the folk dance group that the Babiaks had assisted them in organizing in 1985. Elena's mother, Olga Chernosky, is also very involved.
The Babiaks brought them folk dance music on CDs. (Do you remember when we used tapes?) The two and a half hour session was attended by 17 of their dancers.
Their dance location is remarkable – a brand new Russian Orthodox Church with a great wooden floor. It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for folk dancing in Charleston.
Left: Shirley Babiak and Elena Bell in 1985. Right: the Russian Orthodox Church in Charleston
This Year's Buffalo Gap. . .
Uh, I mean Nordic Fiddles and Feet
by Judith Baizan
Luxuriating at Scandi Camp Mendocino, with absolutely no rushing around to do, Nordic Fiddles and Feet Week head honcho Meg Mabbs claimed everything to be "under control." Little did she know that the very camp crew pledged to make everything bright and beautiful for the incoming NFF campers were even then unknowingly embarking on the sabotage of the century by applying fresh linseed oil to the dance floor.
What confronted us at the Saturday evening dance in the Pavilion was not the silky smooth surface we expected, but sticky stuff that built up on the soles of our shoes, made turning a chore, and threatened to ruin our knees! Who could have imagined a worse start to dance week. Well, Meg and her staff rose to the occasion. Emergency workers were brought in to sand and scrape away the accumulation of gunk, dance classes were sent down to the old gym until further notice, and sole scrapers were in vigorous use everywhere.
After this initial cleansing of oil and wax buildup, the floor was ready for another try, this time with the help of a liberal application of cornmeal. It worked!! For the rest of the week the steady diet of cornmeal kept us happy. It meant a lot of extra floor sweeping, and constant sole scraping, but, hey, in Scandinavian dance, smooth turning is what really matters.
The next thing that happened was the electricity went out. Our hot lunch was served cold, and campers were warned that the pumps that kept the water circulating would not be running for some hours, so no showering, and hold the flushes! But instruments could be played, singing classes could practice, crafts could be pursued, and naps were in order for those not otherwise engaged. At dusk the lights came on, water flowed again, and all was well once more at Buffalo Gap.
But the dances! What about the dances? Oh yes, Norwegians taught Norwegian, Valdresspringar again this year; and Swedes taught Swedish, some dynamic dances from Follinge, including the "most beautiful bakmes in the world." If you'd like to see what that looks like you'll just have to check out Scandinavian dancing on Wednesday evenings in Tampa, won't you?
July 22, 1933 – May 20, 2008
Tampa is bemoaning the death of one of our dancers – Barbara Ward Donovan (Bobbie Ward’s twin sister). She passed away at home on May 20, following one of her usual active weekends which included folk dancing on Friday.
Barbara was Tampa-born in 1933 and is remembered by her family as a very outgoing girl. Barbara led a most exciting life which included travel, dancing and performing, starting with a USO show at the U.S. Air Force Hospital on MacDill Air Force Base, circa 1946. She traveled with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus circa 1968 -1971 (a show girl 35 feet up, as well as an elephant rider). She joined the U.S. State Department in Washington DC in 1971 and took Foreign Service assignments in India, Germany, and Portugal. She returned to Tampa in 1985, later accepted a position MacDill AFB and was planning her retirement this August.
Barbara was active in many organizations including her high school Alumni Association, Eastern Star, Spanish Lyric Theatre, Tiger Bay Club of Tampa, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Ybor City Grape Stompers and loved to kayak and see nature at its best on the Hillsborough River. She was a flamenco dancer, as well as an international folk dancer, and performed whenever asked. She designed and created her own flamenco and folk dance costumes plus dirndls for waitresses at the Old Swiss house at Busch Gardens, circa 1974. Friday night dancing in Tampa will not be the same without Barbara.
- Terry Abrahams
[The St. Petersburg Times ran an article about Barbara and Bobbie after Barbara’s death. You can read it on line at
www.tampabay.com/news/obituaries/article523562.ece.]
Check the Calendar
Check out the calendar on the FFDC website, www.folkdance.org. Notices of events, camps and tours appearing in the newsletter will also be posted on the calendar, and notices will be posted on the calendar between newsletter issues. So, check the calendar regularly to see the latest notices.
Yoav and Rakafet Ashriel Workshops in Tampa and Gainesville
by Terry Abrahams
Here’s yet another fabulous treat for everyone. Yoav Ashriel and his daughter Rakafet, will be in Florida, as part of a sweep of the U.S. Tampa is lucky enough to present him on Tuesday, September 16. The price will be $10.00, all proceeds to go to the Ashriels for their expenses (minus the rec center fees). The Gainesville workshop will be Thursday, September 18, sponsored by the Gainesville Israeli Dancers. See Events for more information.
Yoav Ashriel helped popularize Israeli Dancing with his classic works, still favorites in many Israeli and international folk dance groups. His dances include 16 Tons, Ad Or Ha'Boker, Be'Lev Echad, Chabibi, Erev Ba, Hava Nagila, Hora Medura, Hora Nirkoda, Klezmer, Koreim Lanu La'Lechet, La'Midbar, Likrat Shabat, Sapri Tama, Sovevuni, Sugar Fast (Hit The Road Jack). Rakefet Ashriel is Yoav's daughter, an accomplished folk and modern dancer and teacher on the faculty at Wingate Institute. For a full list of Yoav’s dances, see
www.israelidances.com/search.asp?SearchThis=ashriel&intPageNo=1.
This is truly an occasion to have someone so well known right here in Florida. The contact for the Gainesville workshop is Andrew Weitzen, 561-939-2469, 352-378-2219, publish@jewishnetwork.com. If you are coming to the Tampa workshop, please let me know – I’m planning treats. Questions? Call me at 813-234-1231, cell 813-453-9462 (but not in between July 21 and Aug 14); or Andi 985-5611 (she answers in Vancouver but please remember the time difference – it’s three hours earlier in Vancouver than in Tampa). If you have a special request, RSVP by email – terry.abrahams@verizon.net. My guess is he would oblige. OK everyone – see you there!
Letters
From Connecticut:
Hello Caroline,
I am here in Connecticut since April 28th.
I quickly joined the Seniors' Folk 'n Line dance class yesterday from ten AM to noon. About 10 same faces and about 10 new faces. When I am dancing, I am thinking of you, the dancers!
May this message find you well. Have a pleasant summer 'til we meet again in the fall.
Happy dancing. If you are not dancing, you are wasting your feet!
Ruby Durian
From Delray Beach:
Hooray for uncamp ’09. I am looking forward to Yves repeat visit and to meeting Roo for the first time.
Doris Wolman
P.S. Congratulations to Caroline and Gary on the successful inauguration of their new dance floor.
October 11 - 12 Fall Fling 2008
Host: South Brevard International Dancers
Place: Historic Community House, Melbourne Village, Florida
Times: Saturday 11 AM to 11 PM, Potluck at noon. Bring a dish to share. Carry-in (plus leftovers) at supper; Sunday 9 -11 AM
Price: $5.00 Saturday for hall rent
Also, please come to regular dance night Friday October 10, 7 - 10 PM
Contact: John Daly 321-482-6818 or Jean Murray 321-506-7918
Thursday, September 18 Yoav and Rakafet Ashriel Workshop in Gainesville
Place: B'nai Israel, 3830 NW 16 Blvd., Gainesville
Time: 7 - 7:30 PM : beginner dancing; 7:30 - 9:30 PM: Yoav and Rakefet Ashriel Workshop; 9:30 - 10:30 PM: advanced dancing
Price: $15 per family, $3 students
Contact: Andrew, 561-939-2469, 352-378-2219, publish@jewishnetwork.com
October 17 - 19 Sharpes Assembly
English Country Dance, featuring Robin Hayden of the Country Dance and Song Society
Music by Full Circle Band
Place: Historic Kenilworth Lodge,1610 SE Lakeview Drive, Sebring, FL 33870
Contact: Catie Condran Geist, 321-427-3587, catiegeist@att.net.
More information at:
http://chagalo.org/ecd/StCloudECD.shtml
August 16 - 22 Mainewoods Dance Camp
Session 1, featuring Italian, Balkan, Israeli, English
Place: Camp Indian Acres in Fryeburg, Maine
Information: www.mainewoodsdancecamp.org
August 23 – 29 Mainewoods Dance Camp
Session 2 (filled)
August 7-10 New Mexico August Folk Dance Camp
Teachers: Lee Otterholt (Balkan, Greek, Albanian) and Ewa and Tommy Englund (Swedish)
Place: New Mexico Tech Campus, Socorro, NM
Registrar: Terry Jordan-Culler, 505-332-2125,
August 29 - September 1 Mainewoods Dance Camp, Labor Day Session,
featuring Hungarian, Balkan and English dance
Place and website above.
August 29 - September 1 Buffalo on the Danube International Music and Dance Camp,
featuring Romanian, Bulgarian, Scandinavian, and Turkish Romani social dance plus singing and instrumental workshops
Place: Timber Ridge Camp, High View, WV (this annual camp was formerly held at Buffalo Gap Camp)
Friday - Sunday, August 29 - 31 English Infusion, Summer's End English Dance Weekend
Sponsored by Gainesville Dance & Music Association, Music by Full Circle Band and Reynierson Assembly
Place: 308 W University Avenue, Gainesville, FL
Time: Friday 4 – 9 PM, includes tea; Saturday 11 AM – 11 PM, includes lunch; Sunday 11:30 AM – 6 PM w/ pot luck lunch
Information: Tara Bolker, tara(AT)p2c2e.net, 352-246-3688, www.p2c2e.net/infusion/
Please note: The Florida Folk Dancer prints information on folk dance tours, camps and other events that may be of interest to our readers. This does not imply an endorsement or recommendation of any tour or camp (except our own FFDC events!).
July 6 - 22 Dance on the Water
Seventeen-day Dance on the Water cruise with dancing led by Lee Otterholt. Visit Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Sail the Knieper River and the Black Sea.
Cruise/land cost is $2,299 if reservation is made by September 30, 2008.
Contact Mel Mann, 510-526-4033 or meldancing@aol.com.
More information at: www.folkdanceonthewater.org
March 15-27 Israel Tour
Led by Jim Gold and Joe Freedman. Includes Israeli, Arab, Druze Debka, and Balkan dance workshops. Meet Yemenite, Bedouin, and Kurdish cultural groups.
Petra-Jordan extension: March 26-29
Contact: Jim Gold International, Inc. 497 Cumberland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666; (201) 836-0362, jimgold@jimgold.com.
Information about 2009 dance tours has begun arriving. Notices of selected tours will be published in the newsletter and changed with each issue. The full list of tours will appear in the FFDC calendar on the website.
International Folk Dance Tours and Workshops
October 19 – 31 Jim Gold Tour – Greece and the Greek Islands
Led by Jim Gold and Lee Otterholt.
Santorini extension Oct. 30 - Nov. 2
For complete information on Jim Gold Tours, see www.jimgold.com. Or contact Jim Gold International at (201) 836-0362, jimgold@jimgold.com
October 4-13 Country Dance Tour of Prague and Bohemia
A combination of sightseeing and dancing with Czech native enthusiasts of country dancing. The dance focus is on American contras and squares with some traditional Czech dancing. The main caller is David Millstone. The tour ends with the Country Dance Festival Jasana Bonuše, where there’ll also be English country dance, vintage, Irish, Mexican, and more.
Sponsored by Dvorana Dance;
information and registration at http://dvorana.cz/dance/2008/country/index.php.
Contact: Jitka Bonušová, Dvorana, Španielova 1275, 163 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic; Fax: +420 235 318 267; Phone: +420 235 318 279; dvorana@dvorana.cz
[A flyer with the full list of Jim Gold's 2009 tours is available on the FFDC website – see the FFDC Calendar entry for "Jim Gold Tours - 2009" on 2009-03-15 and click the More Information link.]
April 9-24 Greece, the Greek Islands, and Greek Easter
Jim Gold Tour, led by Lee Otterholt. Classical tour of the Greek mainland plus Greek island cruise – Easter on the island of Mykonos.
Contact: Jim Gold International, Inc. 497 Cumberland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666; (201) 836-0362, jimgold@jimgold.com.
June 13-23 Norway Tour
Jim Gold Tour, led by Lee Otterholt.
Norwegian and international dancing, midsummer in Norway, includes a fjord cruise.
July 31-August 11 Hungary Tour
Jim Gold Tour, led by Adam Molnar. Includes Jaszbereny Folk Festival and Csango Folk Festival
August 3-17 Balkan Journey
Led by Jim Gold. Visit Albania, Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria
Contact for all Jim Gold Tours:
Jim Gold International, Inc. 497 Cumberland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666; (201) 836-0362, jimgold@jimgold.com.
Return Address:
Florida Folk Dancer
3001 Connor Lane
Kissimmee, FL 34741
USA
FIRST CLASS
FLORIDA FOLK DANCER
Florida Folk Dancer is published six to eight times a year by the Florida Folk Dance Council, Inc., a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to further knowledge, performance, and recreational enjoyment of International Folk Dance.
2008 FFDC OFFICERS:
President: John Daly
321-482-6818
jdaly@palmnet.net
VP: Fannie Salerno
772-664-0580
fansale@aol.com
Treasurer: Jan Lathi
386-447-8396
amarjan1@bellsouth.net
Secretary: Willa Davidsohn
321-254-7090
annona2@earthlink.net
Historian: Dan Lampert
PO Box 151719
Altamonte Springs, FL 32715
dan300@dlc2.com
Newsletter Editor: Caroline Lanker
1963 S. Lake Reedy Blvd.
Frostproof, FL 33843
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Copyright: Articles in the Florida Folk Dancer are copyright by the Florida Folk Dance Council, Inc., or by their individual authors.
Subscriptions for printed and mailed copies are $15 per year per person ($20 per family) and include membership in the Florida Folk Dance Council. Membership without printed newsletters is $10 per person or $15 per family. The membership year runs from one annual Florida Folk Dance Camp (usually February) to the next. The newsletter is posted on the FFDC website and members with e-mail addresses are notified of its availability.
FFDC Website: www.folkdance.org
