FOLK DANCE SCENE First Class Mail 19 Village Park Way U.S. POSTAGE Santa Monica, CA 90405 PAID Los Angeles, CA Permit No. 573 First Class Mail Dated Material ORDER FORM Please enter my subscription to FOLK DANCE SCENE for one year beginning with the next published issue. Subscription rate: $15/year U.S.A., $20/year Canada or Mexico,. $25/year other countries Published monthly except for June/July and December/January issues. NAME ___________________________________________ E-MAIL ______________________________________________ PHONE _____________________________ ADDRESS _________________________________________________ STATE ________________________ CITY _____________________________________________________ ZIP _____________ - ___________ Please mail subscription orders to the address at the top left corner of this page. (Allow 6-8 weeks for subscription to start if order is mailed after the 10th of the month.) Published by the Folkdance Federation of California, South Volume 48, No. 6 August 2012 Folk Dance Scene 24 Folk Dance Scene Committee Coordinator Jay Michtom [email protected] (818) 368-1957 Calendar Gerri Alexander [email protected] (818) 363-3761 On the Scene Jill Michtom [email protected] (818) 368-1957 Club Directory Steve Himel [email protected] (949) 646-7082 Dancers Speak Sandy Helperin [email protected] (310) 391-7382 Federation Corner Beverly Barr [email protected] (310) 202-6166 Proofreading Editor H. Barbara Cutler [email protected] (818) 782-6715 Design and Layout Editors Pat Cross, Don Krotser [email protected] (323) 255-3809 Business Managers Gerda Ben-Zeev [email protected] (310) 399-2321 Forrest Gilmore (310) 452-0991 Nancy Bott (310) 475-6112 Circulation Sandy Helperin [email protected] (310) 391-7382 Subscriptions Gerda Ben-Zeev [email protected] (310) 399 2321 Advertising Steve Himel [email protected] (949) 646-7082 Printing Coordinator Irwin Barr (310) 202-6166 Marketing Bob, Gerri Alexander [email protected] (818) 363-3761 Contributing Editor Richard Duree [email protected] (714) 641-7450 Contributing Editor Marge Gajicki [email protected] (562) 439-7380 Jill and Jay Michtom Gerda Ben-Zeev Steve Himel Sandy Helperin 10824 Crebs Ave. 19 Village Park Way 1524 Vivian Ln. 4362 Coolidge Ave. Northridge, CA 91326 Santa Monica, CA 90405 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Los Angeles, CA90066 Folk Dance Scene Copyright 2012 by the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc., of which this is the official publication. All rights reserved. Folk Dance Scene is published ten times per year on a monthly basis except for combined issues in June/July and December/January. First class postage is paid in Los Angeles, CA, ISSN 0430-8751. Folk Dance Scene is published to educate its readers concerning the folk dance, music, costumes, lore and culture of the peoples of the world. It is designed to inform them of the opportunities to experience folk dance and culture in Southern California and else- where. SUBMISSIONS: Information to be included in the Scene should reach the editor by the 10th of the month preceding publication. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for space considerations. Electronic submission (including all photos) is required. Views ex- pressed in Scene are solely the opinions of the authors. Neither Scene nor the Federation assumes responsibility for the accuracy of the information sent in. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscription orders and renewals should be addressed to Gerda Ben-Zeev. The subscription rate is $15 per year, USA , $20 for Canada or Mexico, $25 for other foreign countries. Change of address or circulation problems should be addressed to Gerda Ben-Zeev; see table above. ADVERTISING: Ads must be consistent with the purposes of the magazine, accompanied by full payment, and either camera-ready on bright white paper or 300 dpi electronic format (TIF, JPG, or PDF). Ads that are not camera-ready will be returned, or an additional fee will be charged to make the ad camera-ready. Size (width x length) Federation Club Others To: [email protected] 1/4 page (3” x 3 1/2”) $10 $15 Folk Dance Scene Ads 1/2 page (6” x 3 1/2” or 3” x 7”) $15 $25 1524 Vivian Lane Full page (6” x 7 1/2”) $25 $40 Newport Beach, CA 92660 On the cover and page 8: Dunai’s Appalachian Suite, photo courtesy of Richard Duree Folk Dance Scene 2 23 August 2012 Folk Club Directory Teachers Corner Dance Daniela Ivanova is an accom- Scene plished, professional folk dance Volume 48, No. 6 teacher, choreographer and August 2012 researcher of the South Slavic folk culture. She was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and began Editors’ Corner dancing at age 4, learning tra- ditional dances from her We’re back after our June break with a slightly new grandmother, a native from look. Pat’s computer suffered a breakdown and need- the Shop region. At age 12 ed a new operating system. That meant we could no Daniela began touring Europe as a member of Rosna longer use the program that made the Scene ready Kitka Children's Folk Dance Ensemble. Daniela later for publication. We hope you like the new look. There became a full-time teacher in choreography, ethnog- may be some tweaks in the coming months. raphy and philosophy. She was a co-founder of Medena Pitka school ensemble, artistic director of Our summer was terrific with a visit to Yosemite Tropanka folk dance group (New Bulgarian Universi- with the grandkids—always a joy. We’re off to New ty), and assistant choreographer of Zornitsa Univer- Mexico soon to learn more new dances. sity Student Folk Ensemble. She worked as assistant Rich Duree contributes our cover story this month, a professor in cultural anthropology at St. Kliment history of American social dance. Thanks, Rich. Ohridski Sofia University, as a lecturer in dance folk- Be of good cheer! lore at New Bulgarian University, and other institu- tions. As a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, field researcher and scholar she has traveled repeat- Pat Cross and Don Krotser edly to France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Table of Contents Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, former Yugo- slavia, Malta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Tur- Teachers Corner ........................................... 3 key, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Mongolia. American Social Dance .................................. 4 Calendar ...................................................... 10 Since 2003 Daniela has made teaching tours to On the Scene ................................................ 12 the U.S., appearing in over 25 states. She has taught Dancers Speak .............................................. 16 at major dance camps: Stockton, California (2005, Recent Events............................................... 18 2008), Mainewoods Folk Dance Camp (2008), Florida Poetry Corner ............................................... 20 Folk Dance Camp (2007), San Antonio Folk Dance Club Directory ............................................... 22 Camp (2007), Chicago Spring Festival (2006, 2007), Buffalo on the Danube: Labor Day International Mu- Federation South Officers sic and Dance Weekend (2009), Balkanalia Music and Dance Camp, Oregon (2009, 2010, 2011), and President Valerie Daley (805) 647-1634 more. Vice-President Lynn Bingle (626) 914-4006 Daniela completed her Ph.D. at the Institute of Treasurer Rick Bingle (626) 914-4006 Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (2010), specializing in Ethnochoreology and Dance anthro- Secretary Carl Pilsecker (526) 865-0873 pology. Her two Masters degrees are from St. Membership Steve Himel (949) 646-7082 Kliment Ohridski Sofia University: Philosophy, with Historian Cultural Anthropology minor, and Bulgarian Philolo- gy, with specialization in folklore. She also holds a Publicity Sylvia Stachura (626) 300-8138 Bachelor degree from Institute for Music and Chore- For information about dancing in the area, contact the ography (Sofia). Her scientific publications focus on Federation at (310) 478-6600 or Federation website: Continued on page 15…. SoCalFolkdance.org Folk Dance Scene 22 3 August 2012 American Social Dance AMERICAN SOCIAL DANCE, THE DANCE IS US. Our social dance tradition goes back well into the 18th Century with the importation of country dances Why do we dance the way we do? Why does any- from England, Ireland, Scotland and France, Germany one dance the way they do? Why are the differences and Scandinavia. Even the fandangos of Early Califor- between the flamenco of the Spanish gypsies and the nia are important. American Lindy so obvious and extreme? Or the Ukrainian hopak? Or the Greek hasapiko? Why, in- George Washington loved to dance. His favorite, deed, do people dance the way they do? "Sir Roger de Coverly", now known as the "Virginia Reel", is a version of the Baroque minuet, dancers Indeed, why do we dance at all? And what is standing apart from partners, gentlemen supporting dance anyway? It's a bit like asking about the mean- heavily-gowned ladies through the latest complex ing of life. If we give it some thought, dance, and figures created by touring dance masters. how we perform it, tells us a lot about ourselves. And not just ourselves; with a little insight we can see into The formal polka and waltz from Europe became the intimate values of anyone who dances. And that the popular ballroom dances of the 19th Century, includes almost everyone. Serious studies are made delayed at first by the reluctance