FOLK DANCING ,.,./ C-, -; --;:7 . ,7 The folk dance as we know it is mostly peasant dances, as opposed to court, theatrical or ballroom dances, although it has absorbed some aspects of the other types of dancing. Folk dancing began in this country when per- Fqns of many nationalities came here bringing with them their countries1 . aces. Since most of the immigrants to the U. S. came from Europe, most Ameri- can folk dance has European roots. Folk dancing was a natural, spontaneous expression by the people. Children learned by watching and imitating the adults, thereby maintaining tradition. Some additional steps might have been invented by someone, but the basic pattern of tradition was not changed. In addition to dances being handed down from generation to generation in peasant villages, there are other sources of folk dances being done today. Some folk dance leaders take movements from several villages, put them together and choreograph dances incorporating all the movements. They are then new dances but not characteristic of any particular village. Choreographed dances are also made up by using steps that have been han- ded down but put in different formations or combinations to become new dances --folk dances because they use the same styling and same movements as peasant dances but, at the same time, fresh, new dances. An instructor might also revive old, almost forgotten dances. He would use folk movements he knows in a way he thinks the dances would be done by the villagers. Music plays a part in the creating of folk dances, too. Sometimes music so well liked that spontaneous dances are made up to the already popular melody. Many of the dances passed down from generation to generation were not written down. Most of the ones done now are written down for American dancers to have something to which to refer. Folk dances originally had national or regional costumes. However, the American folk dancer, who does dances from many different countries in the course of an evening, cannot wear the national costume of each dance, and it would not do to wear a costume from one country and perform a dance from an- other one. To avoid problems of dress,. there are two things American folk dancers can do; they can either dance in everyday clothes or adopt a general peasant-type costume. For such a peasant-type costume the women might wear bright-colored, full skirts, peasant blouses and soft shoes with heels that won't come off when they stamp their feet. The men .might wear comfortable pants and shirts in bright colors with sashes instead of belts. This costume is not from any par- ticular country but is a general, folksy type one. There are many folk dance clubs in this country, most of which are in the eastern and western areas. Although they are fewer in number, there are folk dance clubs in the Midwest, too. One such club is the Miami Valley Folk Dancers, a member of our Council. In the next issue our local folk dance ganization will be spotlighted. ---THE FOLK DANCE CORNER -----SO YOU WANT TO TEACH FOLK DANCE? It you are serious about teaching folk dance, study. There are many ways, but here is a technique that I use. 1. Know the dance well enough to lead it, or call it. 2. Study detai led written instructions, either yours or someone else's. 3. Compare written instructions from various sources and see how other people describe the dance. Glean from these instructions any background information that would make other people interested in the dance. 4. In private, practice the dance utilizing the written instructions. 5. Figure out what cues to use for each type of step. 6. On a 3x5 card, write down the cues and a much condensed description of each step. 7. Dance the dance using your cues to cue yourself. 8. Pick a sympathetic individual and teach him/her the dance even if they already know it. (Husbands/Wives are good suckers for this phase). 9. Be critiqued by them (if you can stand to be criticized by anyone). Otherwise, thei r unspoken reaction should give you clues about your, performance. 10. If a sympathetic individual does not exist, use a mirror. 11. If needed, rewrite your cues on another 3x5 card. 12. Teach the dance to the intended group using your cue card. 13. If needed, rewrite your 3x5 card using feedback from the group. If lot of questions are asked about the same part of the dance, either this is,,difficult part or your instructions/cues were not understood very well. Rethink this part of the dance. Change something if necessary. (Cues/Instructions) 14. If some part of the dance was difficult for you, chances are, it will be dif- ficult for other people. Concentrate your effort on this part. 15. In general, it is better to demonstrate rather than talk your way through a dance. A Combination of the two is* quite powerful. 16. If there are parts of the dance that require the student; backs to you, stop at that point and get in front of them so that they can see what you are doing. Couple dances are prone to this type of pitfall. I have gotten more stiff necks trying to turn around to see what was going on that I disliked the dance for a long time. (Until someone else taught it properly.) If possible, think of some way to teach the dance individually before teaching it in the correct formation. 17. In general, if you like the dance, you will do a better job of teaching it. 18. Keep the 3x5 cards for future use. 19. You should concern yourself with the style of the dance, demonstrate it cor- rectly, and correct any wrong styles as immediately as you see them. But don't browbeat your students. We all make mistakes. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF MY 3x5 CARD FOR CUES FOR TREI PAZESTE. f : 1 -TREI PAZESTE BATRINESC (Romanian T - I 1. Introduction (No dancing) 8 - 4 ct measures 2. Step, kick, step, slap (4 x) 3. Slap, slap, step-behind-step (4 x) 4. 1-2-3-hold (2 X) 5. stamp-2-3-4 (Right foot) (3 x) 6. Cross right, left, cross right, left. 7. Stamp-back-back (Rt. ) , stamp-back-leap-sl ap. 8. 7's to left, 7's to right, 7's to left, kick, kick, step, slap MIAMI VALLEY FOLK DANCXRS The only folk-dance organization in our Council, the Miami Valley Folk Dancers, was organized some 25 years ago by Michael Solomon, who was then with the Bureau of Recreation in Dayton. After a few years under his leader- ship, the club was then led by Grace Wolff for about 15 years. Since that time, the club has been a cooperative; that is, there is no designated leader --each member takes his turn in leading the club. Business matters of the club, whose members range in age from 14 to 83 years, ase conducted by the club council, consisting of five persons elected from the membership. The council appoints the program comittee. The program committee is responsible for providing one hour of instruc- tion for new dancers each week, as well as a one-half hour instruction period on a more-advanced level for the members. The comittee also assigns members to plan and direct the weekly program sessions. Another responsibility of this committee is to provide the ethnic Sunday programs. On the second Sunday of each month a particular nationality or ethnic group is designated, and dances from -that group are taught and danced.. The members also enjoy a covered-dish dinner of ethnically related foods. The club is comprised of members and associate members. An associate member can become a member by attending 20 instruction sessions. The club does not offer specific lesson classes, although it did at one time, but has a weekly beginners' session prior to the club's program. Anyone may begin with any session and need not attend 20 consecutive weeks. The cost is 50 cents per person per session, and singles as well as couples are welcome, for many of the dances do not require partners. The club does not demand the students become proficient folk dancers, since there are so many different styles in folk dancing. It asks only that they have an introduction to folk dance, so they can enj oy themelves . During the year, the club sponsors weekend workshops, featuring nation- ally-known instructors who teach dances of their specialties. The workshops attract folk-dance groups from other areas. The club also. conducts programs and demonstrations to promote folk dan- ing in the community. During the demonstrations, the performers wear a folksy-type costume, but there are no special clothes worn for the weekly dances. The folk dancers meet every Thursday from 7 to 11 at the Michael Solo- mon Pavilion for a full evening of folk dancing. Each evening is organized in the following manner: 7:OO - 8:OO Beginners' instructions 8:OO - 9:OO Program 9:OO - 9:30 Advanced teaching session 9:30 - 1O:OO Program resumed 1O:OO - 11:OO Request time The Miami Valley Folk Dancers would like for you to get to know them. Visitors are always welcome. The ed. acknowledges the assistance given by -JOHN PAPPAS and -KEN STEED. /"71cm; &/dy $anre /V&ws flar-Ppr /?7F 1 /i kP' THE C)jp FOLK DANCE CORNER -- by John Pappas, MVFD WHY DOES A PERSON FOLK DANCE? I am sure there are as many reasons why as there are people who participate in folk dancing.