With Nancy Ellinghaus,
my favorite dance partner,
in Orsa, Sweden, 1997.
With Roo Lester,
my favorite dance partner,
at Oglebay Camp, 1998.
With Marianne Eriksson,
my favorite dance partner,
in Stockholm, Sweden, 1999.
With St. Erik,
my favorite dance partner,
in Uppsala, Sweden, 1999.
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I started folk dancing in a little international folk dance group
at Virginia Tech in 1978 while I was in graduate school. I think
what drew me to folk dancing, and what continues to draw me, is
the wide variety of music and movements from across the world.
The incredible richness of melodies, rhythms, beats, and instruments
is fascinating to me, and the opportunity to move to these rhythms
is great fun and provides a physical outlet for my energy.
I finished my studies
at Virginia Tech in 1980 and moved to the Dayton area. I then
joined the Miami Valley Folk Dancers (MVFD) in Kettering, Ohio.
The MVFD Club is one of the oldest folk dance clubs in the country;
it started in 1952. The MVFD
webpage includes directions to the Michael Solomon Pavilion
where we dance (best dance floor in Ohio).
At Virginia Tech,
we did very few couples dances. My first love was for Israeli
folk dances, then I grew to enjoy the Balkan dances most, especially
from Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. However, the MVFD Club included
as many couples dances as non-couples dances; it had a very balanced
repertoire. I then began dancing many more couples dances - dances
from England, Scotland, Germany, and Sweden. Now my favorite dances
are Swedish "polskas" - a "polska" is a type
of Swedish turning dance done to three-beat music. A close second favorite is Scottish Country Dancing.
I'm available to
give workshops in international folk dance with a specialty in
Swedish turning dances (polska) and Scottish Country Dances. My "folk
dance vita" is attached.
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With Sonia Bäck, my favorite dance partner,
in Myrviken, Sweden, 2000. Dancing for
Diplom.
Receiving my "Big Silver" medal in Sveg,
Sweden, 1999.
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