* Folk Dancing in the
Upper
Peninsula * * Special Events *July 7 - 11: Door County Folk Festival. 31st Annual Folklore Music and Dance in Sister Bay, Ephraim and Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin. They pack more dancing and other activities into five days than one would think possible! With wonderful teachers and leaders, there is International Folk Dance workshops and dance parties that won't quit, as well as Contra Dancing and Singing and great live music. Go to www.dcff.net for details. July 29 - 31: Blueberry Dance Festival, Marquette. 3rd annual dance event, held in conjunction with the Marquette Downtown Blueberry Festival, brings guest artists from around the Midwest to the U.P. It is both a celebration of the art of dance and a chance for local students and adults to add new steps and styles to their repertoires, or try out something different. There will be special workshops by returning instructors Deborah Choszczyk in Modern/ Improvisation Dance and Byron “Illastik” Reynolds in HipHop. In addition the Festival also features over 20 free workshops throughout the 3 days. 2009 free workshops included: Performance Arts, Modern, Highland Dance, Salsa and Latin Dance, Commercial/Street Jazz, Swing, Middle Eastern-Belly Dance, Pre-Pointe Technique Class, Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Appalachian Clogging and Step Dance, Creative Dance, American Tango, Tap Rhythm, YoDance, Jazzy Funk, Classical Ballet, Hip Hop, International Folk Dance, and Folk Italian Tarantellas. Sponsored by the Marquette Arts and Culture Center and Second Skin Shop of Marquette. September 10 - 11: Upper Peninsula Folklife Festival, held outdoors on the campus of Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI. 3rd annual Festival sponsored by the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. This is a wonderful event full of activities and presentations and performances celebrating the Upper peninsula's diverse cultural, ethnic, and artistic traditions. This year's celebration looks to be even larger and more fun than the first two, and they were great! Watch for posters or postings on their website for details as plans are firmed up. http://webb.nmu.edu/Centers/BeaumierHeritageCenter October 7, 21, 28: New! Square Dancing in Garden, with John Bagley calling, sponsored by the Village Artisans. Second Sunday Folk Dance and
Concert with White Water: From November through April,
monthly Second Sunday Folk Dance activities begin at
4:00 pm Central Time (5:00 Eastern) with concerts by the ever poplar
and wonderful musicians "White Water" (Dean and Bette Premo) and their
special guest musician(s). At Fortune Lake
Lutheran Camp, located between Iron River and Crystal Falls. 1st Sundays: Dance to live music at Gwinn. 2nd Sundays: Dance to live music at Rock Community/Senior Center located at 3892 W Mapleridge Rd. 1:00 - 5:00 pm. Cost $5. Lunch is available. All proceeds benefit the Rock Senior Corporation. For more info call Alice at 356-6588. 3rd Sundays: Dance to live music at Trenary Town Hall. * Ongoing Dance Schedules ~ International Folk Dancing * Crystal Falls Iron County Folk Dancers -- Wednesdays – Folk Dancing at Crystal Falls Town Hall, corner of US 141 and US 2, 6:30 pm CT. All are welcome, no experience or partner needed. 2nd Sunday Folk Dances with White Water – see above. Escanaba Bay de Noc Int'l Folk Dancers -- Open to anyone who is interested in dancing a variety of folk dances from around the world**. New dances with instruction are added periodically. We dance a variety of mostly non-partner International dances, some contras and set dances, and other odds and ends. Great fun and good exercise! There is no formal membership -- just show up to dance and you become part of the group. New dancers are welcome. You don't need a partner and no experience is necessary. Main dance teacher/leader is Sue Robishaw (also the author of this page). A small nightly donation is requested to cover expenses. Location: Bonifas Arts Center, 700 First Ave So, Escanaba (Studio entrance, in the back). Dates: Monday evenings (with some exceptions) from mid-September through mid-June. Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm EST. For more information contact: Carol Irving, 786-0331; or me (Sue Robishaw), 644-2598, sue@manytracks.com. ** Dances (in order
introduced): KorTanc, Ersko Kolo, Alunelul, Miserlou, Setnja, Biserka,
Trgnala Rumjana, Ali Pasa, Nevesto Acano Mlada, Schottische, Zemer Atik, Pata
Pata, Bannielou Lambaol, Hora lautareasca din Dolj, Opsa, Cacak, Makedonsko
Devojce, Savila se Bela Losa, Makedonijo, Erev Ba, Mori Shej, 12th Street Rag,
French Canadian step dancing. Plus various reels, contras, quadrilles and
squares. Hancock Copper Country Ethnic Dancers -- Fridays – Int’l Folk Dancing. 8:00 pm at the Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy St, Second floor ballroom, use side entrance. $3. Learn and perform dances from around the world. Beginners are welcome, and no partner is necessary. Contact: Mark Jindrich, 906-337-5650. newhouse@pasty.com. Iron Mountain "Dances of Universal Peace", First Presbytarian Church, Iron Mountain. 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Plan is to start a dance circle in Iron Mountain every first Friday of the month. For more information contact Barb Schieffer 715-696-6630. Marquette Fridays – Marquette Int’l Folk Dancers. 7:00-9:** pm, at Northern Light's Martial Arts' new location between Office Max & Jilbert's, 1500 W. Washington. Contact Bob Railey, 226-9617 or rmrailey@excite.com. No partner or experience needed. Mixture of line, circle, and partner dances from all over, specializing in partner dances. Repertoire is primarily from Europe. $3/person/night.Tuesdays – NMU International Dancers. 7:00 pm at the NMU University Center Sept-May when school is in session. June-July-August at Presque Isle Park. Contact Marge – msklar@nmu.edu, or 225-5702. During NMU breaks, dancing is in their home, so check ahead. No partner or experience needed. A wide variety of dancing, mainly line and circle, from a range of countries and regions of the world.one Thursday a Month – Scottish Country Dancing. 7:00 pm at St.Paul’s Episcopal Church on High Street between Ridge and Arch. Led by Dorothy Kahler. For dates contact her at 249-5659. No partners or dance experience necessary. Dress comfortably, wear soft-soled shoes.For other dance and live music happenings in the Marquette area, check listings in the "Marquette Monthly", free at many locations or online at www.mmnow.com. What is International Folk Dancing? Folk dancing is what everyday people of a community might dance at gatherings such as weddings, parties, celebrations. Most ethnic groups have their own dances that are common in their countries or villages. The International Folk Dance groups are people who get together to learn and dance folk dances from around the world. Most IFD’s specialize in certain types and styles of dances, such as couple dances of Western Europe, square and contra dances of the US, circle and line dances of the Balkan regions, etc. Some groups specialize in dances from specific regions or countries, such as German dances or Scandinavian dances. Others do a little of everything! Folk dances are community dances that can be enjoyed and participated in by everyone. Where to Learn -- Where to Dance The best way to learn is in person. There is a great wealth of generous dancers in the U.P., and opportunities to dance (though you may have to drive a bit). A special thanks to all the folk dance group organizers and dancers who put so much into keeping these dances alive and strong, sharing generously of their time and talent, encouraging dancers and would-be dancers of all ages and abilities. Following is a list of dancing groups and opportunities in the U.P. If you know of others, please let me know. If there are no dances or teachers in your area, learn some dances and start a group! This is how community folk dancing begins and continues. Most importantly, get out and dance whenever you can, and bring your friends with you. * * There is a lot of information on the internet. Many of the larger IFD groups and a number of individuals have generous listings of dances, dance steps, video clips, and information on their sites. Some of the sites I’ve found helpful are: Andew Carnie -- http://dingo.sbs.arizona.edu/~carnie/
(old list) Dancilla -- www.dancilla.com/ Dick Oates -- www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/ Dunav-Balkan -- www.dunav.org.il/index.html Evansville IFD -- www.evansvillefolkdancers.com/id103.html FD Fed of Calif -- www.folkdance.com/ Tom Deering -- www.seanet.com/~deerings/dnotes.htm Hugo’s -- www.mts.net/~jinks/fd/menu.htm Lloyd Shaw -- www.lloydshaw.org/ Miami Valley FD -- www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/ Sacred Dance Library -- www.sacredcircles.com/ Skandia FD -- www.folkdancing.com/ The Round -- English Country Dance site maintained by Hugh Stewart -- a large and informative site of Playford and Cecil Sharp dance info and descriptions. Also one of the best descriptions of dance figures I've seen in an article by Hugh Stewart. Not just for English Country dancers. -- www.srcf.ucam.org/round/ Corrections or Additions? Contact me - sue@manytracks.com, 644-2598 Copyright © 2009 by Sue Robishaw ~ ~ Give yourself enough rope to live and learn and laugh and play. |