Dancing at the Festival
The dancing just gets better and better every year at the Festival. On Saturday, the dance workshops, in two venues, start at 10:30 a.m. Take a dinner break at 6:30 p.m. and then come back for the Saturday evening dances that start at 7:30 p.m.. This year, the Barn Dance co-sponsored by ADC will feature Cathy Faber's Swingin' Country Band, and the Contra Dance, sponsored by FolkMADS, will feature the Albuquerque Megaband with Wendy Graham calling.
Of course, you can always dance to the live music at various venues around the festival. And if you feel like dance jammin', you can join in the Band/Dance Scramble, with planning, rehearsal, and name creation from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and performance from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Dance Workshops
Here's our 2012 dance workshop schedule, with two dance venues. Don't miss the chance to try all kinds of different dancing styles. Thanks to Patsy Gregory for organizing the dance workshops.
Dance Tent
| Time | Session | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 AM | Scottish Country Dance | Kenneth Armstrong | The Enchantment Scottish Country Dancers (http://www.losalamos.com/nmrscds/) love dancing. We meet on Friday nights and new people are very welcome to join us. Scottish Country Dancing is usually done in a four couple set. The dances are Reels, Jigs and Strathspeys and are great fun and good exercise. Further information from Kenneth Armstrong at 294-0042 or karmstrong00@comcast.net. |
| 11:30 AM | Contra Dance | Wendy Graham with 5 Dog String Band | Contra dancing is traditional American folk dancing most often done with a partner across form you in a long set. Each couple dances with the couple next to them and with the larger set, forming moving figures as the couples progress up or down the set. These dances are social, providing opportunity for dancers to relate to each other in a fun and non-stressful way. All of the dances are taught, and beginners are welcomed warmly and encouraged. You can do contra and traditional community dancing with the New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society (FolkMADS). In Albuquerque, community dances are held on the first and third Saturday of every month at the Heights Community Center. In Santa Fe, the dances are on the second and fourth Saturday of every month at the Odd Fellows Hall on Cerrillos Rd. More information can be found at: http://www.folkmads.org . Wendy Graham is a self-described "dance maniac" who serves up delicious and nutritious dances for all with infectious enthusiasm and a smile. A Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) board member, Wendy leads weekly folk, swing and Latin dances in her current hometown, Durango, Colorado. She also calls at community dances, dance weekends, and dance weeks throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her roots are in English, American, and Scandinavian dance and music but she also enjoys experimenting with non-traditional music and choreography crossover. In 2011, she celebrated twenty years of folk music and dance involvement. Find out where in the world Wendy is at http://www.perkypantsdance.com . |
| 12:30 PM | Square Dance | Kris Jensen with Victory Chicken | Square dancing is a truly American folk dance that's evolved over the years to its current modern form. In this session, we'll learn dances that show how square dancing has changed over time, and you'll see a demo of the exciting modern dance where the dancers never know what will come next. You won't need any experience to try a little do-si-do; everyone's welcome. Kris Jensen calls both modern and traditional squares locally and around the country. For more information on modern square dancing in Albuquerque, check the Albuquerque Square Dance Center's website at http://www.asdc.org . |
| 1:30 PM | Irish Ceili Dance | Norita Callahan | A lively Irish hoedown, led by Norita Callahan, with round, line and square figures danced to reels 'n jigs 'n hornpipe music. Traditional Irish Ceili (K-lee)dance classes for beginners - pre-teen to adult - are held on Wednesday evenings at 7pm.** These classes have been on-going in Albuquerque since 1985. Ceili dances are simple, mildly aerobic and no partner is needed. We dance 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 16 hand dances in round, square and line formations. The lively music - which makes your feet want to dance - are reels, jigs, polkas and hornpipes. Please call/email Norita 298-2708, noraabq@yahoo.com for more information. IT'S FUN - Join us... |
| 2:30 PM | Irish Step Dance | Coleman Academy of Irish Dance | Irish Step Dance is noted for leaps, points, and other precise foot movements, done to complex rhythms such as jigs, reels, and hornpipes. Two varieties, soft shoe and hard shoe, can be done as solos, in couples, or in larger groups. The Coleman Academy does performances and offers classes on Saturdays to anyone ages 5 though adult at all levels. |
| 3:30 PM | International Folk Dancing | Noralyn Parsons and Patsy Gregory | "International Folk Dance" can be dances from - well - anywhere!! Favorites of local groups include dances from Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Israel, Turkey, and other faraway places, but also Northern European couple and set dances, waltz, swing, salsa, rueda, and even contra and English country dances! Noralyn Parsons grew up with folk dancing parents in Tennessee, and enjoys dancing and teaching locally with several local groups. Patsy Gregory, a current AFF Board Member and this year's dance manager, started folk dancing in about 1955 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She also plays flute in the Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer Band, as well as singing in Tan y Ddraig, the local mixed voice Welsh Choir. Folk music and dancing are a very important part of her life. The two International groups in town include the Thursday night group at the First Unitarian Church on Carlisle, NE, and the Saturday night group at Lloyd Shaw Dance Center. Both groups welcome beginners at any time, and you don't need to bring a partner! We'll try to have flyers with details on local groups (including the international groups, the Scandinavian group, the Hungarian group, salsa contacts, etc.) available at the Festival. There are also events where you can dance to live music, such as the Greek Festival, Goddess of Arno Balkan Dance Parties, and FolkMADS events. Look for them in the local media, as many are irregularly scheduled. |
| 4:30 PM | Klezmer Dance | Rikud Yiddish Dancers and Nahalat Shalom Community Band | Fun, easy and joyous Yiddish folk dances with Albuquerque's own Yiddish dance troupe 'Rikud' and live music from The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer band. Rikud Yiddish dance troupe is open for all to join in and dance. Contact Michele Diel for more details: 505-265-6748 e-mail: dancerMichele@gmail.com. Rikud usually rehearses with The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer band on Sundays from 2-4pm. Both groups co-produce and perform in Albuquerque's annual Klezmer music and dance festival ""KlezmerQuerque"" - held in February over Presidents day weekend. |
| 5:30 PM | Country Western Swing | Susan and Gary Kellogg | You'll be dancing swing by the end of class - no partners needed! Come practice your new steps at the Barn Dance Saturday evening at 7:30 in the dance tent. If you want to learn about fun dance activities in New Mexico as well learn how to dance just about any form of dance, please sign up to receive my free dance e-newsletter, Local DanceNews by replying to glkello@nmia.com or call 505-299-3737. Also contact me for information on the Albuquerque Swing & Country Dance Club activities (over 700 members), about the ongoing dance lessons offered at The Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall every Tuesday and Wednesday, and classes offered through U.N.M. Continuing Education . We look forward to dancing with you soon! |
Indoor Dance
| Time | Session | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | Zwiefache | Donna Howell | The zwiefacher (TSWEE-FAKH-ER) is a living folk dance from Bavaria. The catchy music alternates between ¾ and 2/4. Couples dance waltz steps to the waltz bars (3/4) and pivot steps to the 2/4 bars. Live music!! Zwiefache have been around since Columbus was in diapers. Two forms of documentation have been preserved from the 1400's; musical notation and arrest records. Arrest records? Dancing in a closed hold, even with your spouse, was equivalent to 'doing it' in public. Basically, the dance is a fast turning waltz sprinkled with pivots. A couple's rate of rotation will continuously speed and slow, centrifugal forces changing at the same time. If you never dance it again, you'll still come away with improved social waltz skills. The workshop will be blessed with live music from Gary Papenhagen, Della Okeeffe and Lara Aho. The tunes are melodic to the point of being 'ear-worms' and each tune has its set pattern of waltzes and pivots.You may consider it wise to wear shoes that protect your toes. A video of folks dancing zwiefache is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWp8lz0fJ3k&feature=related Instructor Donna Howell has taught historic and modern couple dances for over 25 years. She currently teaches at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe, produces a program of dance music on Santa Fe Public Radio KSFR 101.1 FM and can be reached at donna_jhowell@hotmail.com. |
| 12:30 PM | Hawaiian Dance | Cindi Heffner with Ha`aheo O Hawai`i | Halau Hula Ha`aheo O Hawai`i shares ALOHA and hula thoughout the Southwest. Come and learn the basic hand, foot, and body movements that entwine to tell stories of Hawaii's history and every aspect of Hawaiian life. The group is directed by native Hawaiian Cindi Heffner. |
| 1:30 PM | Belly Dance | Joy Germack with Sadaqah | Traditional Greek Belly Dance, Tsifteteli, with live music, often seen at weddings and parties, for both men and women. |
| 2:30 PM | Bhangra Dance Blowout | Jennifer Woods | Bhangra is the exuberant hip-hoppy folk dance style from the Punjab region of northern India. It is a celebration of life and community, and is part of many festive events throughout India. Almost every Bollywood movie features a Bhangra dance, and it has worked its way into the nightclub scenes in Delhi, London and New York. Come to this workshop to have fun dancing to some really hot beats. |
| 3:30 PM | Argentine Tango | The Tango Club of Albuquerque | Tango is a sensuous yet very intricate social dance. In the workshop students will learn a few basic steps, how to keep the dance frame and how to move to the music. Come with your partner or by yourself. |
| 4:30 PM | New Mexico Traditional Quadrilles | Lorenzo Trujillo with High Desert Dancers | Lorenzo Trujillo will teach the 5-part "Las Quadrillas" dance from early Territorial northern New Mexico. The High Desert Dancers will demonstrate the dances. Workshop participants are encouraged to learn the dances or play the accompanying music. |
| 5:30 PM | Cuban Style Salsa and Rueda de Casino | Sarita Streng | In Cuba, the "equivalent" of salsa dance is known as "casino." Casino is a vibrant dance that has incorporated son, mambo, chacha, Afro-Cuban sacred dance, East Coast swing and more into its movements. Casino may also be danced in a circle or wheel - similar to contra dance - with partner switching and a caller. Come experience the "de facto" national dance of Cuba at this workshop taught by Sarita Streng. Sarita has traveled to Cuba seven times to study dance and co-directed and co-produced the documentary film "La Salsa Cubana." |
Evening dancing for everybody
Saturday Night
Variety Barn Dance "under the stars" in the Dance Tent, 7:30-10:30 p.m., sponsored in part by the Albuquerque Dance Club. Music by Cathy Faber's Swingin' Country Band
and
NM FolkMADS Contra Dance in the Indoor Dance area from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.. Music by the Albuquerque Megaband and calling by Wendy Graham