SIMPLE Int'l folk dances

Subject: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 03:56 PM

Hi there- wonder if anyone can provide resources or even instructions for some very simple European folk dances for kids and melodies to accompany them

Looking for Italy, Germany, Scandinavia and France

Thanks
Julia

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 05:42 PM

I take it that you don't already know the dances yourself. I suggest that you go to www.folkstyle.com. You'll find a selection of books, videos and DVDs designed to teach you how to teach the kind of material you want.

Jacob

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 09:21 PM

Andro Retourne' is an easy and lively dance from Brittany that kids like. I think this link to the dance directions includes one to the music. Also, France Moreau in Montreal specializes in folk dances for children. The website she and Yves maintain has information on how to get in touch with her.

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: GUEST,hen harrier
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 10:12 PM

Check out the SIFD (Society for International Folk Dancing) website, they have publications available:

www.sifd.org

or here

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: Jacob B
Date: 10 Jan 06 - 02:17 PM

I see that my cookie wasn't set yesterday.

You've got two sources of information above, one in the U.S. and one in the U.K.. Where are you located? We might be able to put you in touch with a dance near you.

Jacob

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: bet
Date: 10 Jan 06 - 02:55 PM

When I was teaching in Colorado I had a series of folk dances I used with all ages of kids. I can't remember the name of the series but have e-mailed the new teacher for the info. As soon as I get it back I will let you know. bet

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: Alan Day
Date: 10 Jan 06 - 03:08 PM

French Schottishe (written as mans position female reverse)
Hold your partner in a ballrooom hold
Take Two steps together left and then two steps right.(Could be four instead of two as a variation)
With both your legs stiff turn with your partner swivelling on the right foot and then left foot.Turn through 360 degrees.
Start again (Music timing as Whistling Rufus )
Remember that French Dancing is fairly smooth ,no leaping about , or high foot movements in any part of the dance.If viewed from the side the dancers should be floating around the floor heads almost at the same level as you start off.
French Waltz
Same as English waltz but once again minute steps and plenty of spinning.Once again no lifting of the feet up high.
Music is much faster than an English walz.
This may give you a start
Al

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: bet
Date: 10 Jan 06 - 07:33 PM

O.K. Julia
I got the information back on the series I used as an elementary music teacher. I am retired now but found this series very useful in both districts I taught in. (39 years in education). Here is what I used:

YOUNG PEOPLE'S FOLK DANCES (if I remember right there are 7 CD's
   in the set and it is for all levels and ages)
      There is also a square dance series I used,
EVERYONES' SQUARE DANCE
They are produces by
    Merit Audio Visual
    132 W. 21st
    New York, New York 10011
I purchased it from one of the many school music supplies, Poppler, Friendship, West Music or such.
Hope this helps out. bet

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From:
Date: 11 Jan 06 - 12:45 PM

Contact the Lloyd Shaw Foundation at lloydshaw.org--They have a full series of teaching manuals and recordings for all levels of folk dance as well as running camps to teach teachers

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: bet
Date: 12 Jan 06 - 12:08 PM

renew

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: M.Ted
Date: 12 Jan 06 - 03:37 PM

As a long time member of an Int'l folkdance band, who has been involved with many music and dance encounters with young people--let me suggest that, if possible, you will do much better to find someone who is an Int'l folkdance leader that works with children and invite them to come and do a workshop with your kids(assuming that you are a teacher)--they will know what dances will work, they will have the music, and they will know how to teach the kids in a way that is engaging and fun.

It will be easier and less time consuming to do this, and be assured of a better outcome, if you get someone who knows the dances and the music to come in--and it will be a real cutural exchange, too--

Look in the community calendar of your local paper to find out when and where the local folkdancers meet for social dancing--then drop in, meet some people, and learn a few dances. You should be able to find out who is around and what they can do--

If you live in an area where there are large ethnic communities, there may even be a few folkloric dance performing ensembles associated with religious orcultural associations--often times, they have programs of various sorts that they offer--

Good luck!--let us know more about what you are doing, and how it turns out--

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: bet
Date: 12 Jan 06 - 06:00 PM

Good advise M.Ted. However that is not always possible. I taught myself the music and dances when I first started way back in 1965. I remember the strange looks I first got as others teachers were leaving school to see me in the room dancing with myself. I spent many hours over the years doing this. I admit that it would have been much easier to have had someone else teach it but it can be done by ones self. Not all dancers are good teachers. I had a
darn good folk/square dance unit that the kids loved and learned from. I did not just teach the dances, we "visited" the countries. Many performances were enjoyed by parents and community members but mostly by the kids and their teacher, me. The last 3 years of teaching I team taught with the PE teacher who didn't know beans about dancing but took the reins when I left and has continued this great unit.
Julia, I hope you can find something in this thread that can be of help to you. And, like M.Ted, let us know how it is going.
       bet

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 12 Jan 06 - 09:17 PM

You are all so GREAT! Thanks so much
Yes, indeed this is a do-it -yerse'f situation in rural Maine in a public school with stressed out teachers and limited time and money for "kulcher" (Isn't that the sour stuff in yogurt)

My partner and I are in fact the hired guns who will put this together for them for their "international" unit. Yes folks, the third grade is doing "the British Isles", k- Italy, 1-Germany,2-France, 4-6 Scandinavia we are sposed to teach one dance and one song for each "country"(we have 4o minutes for each ) which they will then present to their adoring parents
Let's get on task now children!

I really appreciate all your suggestions

Best- Julia

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: NH Dave
Date: 13 Jan 06 - 12:10 AM

Alunelil, Rumunsko Kolo, Ersko Kolo, Bavarian Landler.

These are a few of the dances the Hermans used to teach at the Maine Folkdance Camp in the 50-70's. They have both died, but their library of music and instructional inserts has been bought and is being reissued by The Kentucky Dance Foundation . Currently they are marketing the Herman tunes on 45rpm records containing four dances, along with an insert teaching, or diagraming out these four dances. They also have some books on all the dances they sell, annotated with the records containing the music, and will do up a custom CD with the specific dances you want at a reasonable price.

The three Kolos are fairly simple line or circle dances, with a repearing pattern of steps. As I recall, the Ersko Kolo has the line starting off with a simple grapevine step, and on the first repetition, the leader does a new step, which the line does the second time around. Except for the very beginning, the leader is one step pattern ahead of the line, as their example for the next step. Alunelil or the Hazelnut, is simple side and grapevine steps to the right or left. The Bavarian Landler is a fun dance, that lends itself to be a demonstration dance. The music is a heavy German 3/4 beat, to which couples do a series of figures while dancing or swinging as couples; Cross Hand Swing, Woman dances forwards turning under man's arm, Man kneels as partner dances around him, Cross hand, leading into a Little Window, as woman turns under their crossed hands twice, leaving the couple looking at each other through a window formed from their arched grasped hands and arms.

As I noted, The Kentucky Dance Foundation will make up custom request CD's for anyone who is interested, but you may want to use the 45 rpm records for one reason only. Many schools still have the old Bogen Educational Record players around the music or dance areas of education. These record players are unique in that they have a turntable with a constantly variable speed. The turntable is driven by two cones connected by an idler wheel, so that the speed can be adjusted from about 10rpm up to about 90rpm. This is valuable when teaching dance steps as you could slow the music down to a crawl, and walk the dancers through the figures a step at a time, and speed the music up when they got better at the figures. Unfortunately most gymn floors have enough bounce in them that the needle skips across the record, with these upbeat songs, so they won't work directly. What you need to do record the music with a cassette or CD burner at various slower speeds, so the cassette or CD, which don't skip can be used with the class, giving them three slow or learning speeds and one set up to tempo to use when they get better at it.

You may find that either UMaine, or UNH still have folk dance groups, frequently in the Women's Rec or Sports department, and there may be some former members near where you teach who can help you start this project off. Of course there's nothing wrong with teaching American Square Dancing, or New England Contra Dancing, dances done in squares of four couples, or lines of six to eight couples, dancing to music handed down from England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Another thought, The New England Folk Festival Association holds an annual Folk Festival at the Natic High School, the end of April, April 21-23, 2006 this year. This festival will bring in a number of vendors of folk material, books and records of songs, instrumental music, and folk dance tunes. This is a great place to see what is available for music and teaching materials.

If you aren't too far north in Maine, one of our better Contra Dance fidlers and callers, Dudley Laufman lives in Canterbury, NH, and frequently can be persuaded to visit a school with his wife who also plays, to lead a teaching/dancing session of Contra Dances. Dudley picked up some of the pieces lying about when we lost Ralph Page, a world famous caller and teacher of of Contra Dances, while Bob MacQuillin continued, writing and playing music for these dances. Today, these two people are world famous for their work promoting Contra Dancing. The University of New Hampshire has an annual Ralph Page Dance Weekend/Festival, I don't have the dates handy but you can get the dates from UNH.

I hope your students really enjoy this effort on your part. I got roped into folk dancing when a friend of mine asked me if I'd be her partner for a 4-H demonstration square dance, as a young man and have never looked back.

Enjoy,

Dave

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: Genie
Date: 15 Jan 06 - 10:14 PM

One of the simplest folk dances I know is Les Noto, a Macedonian line dance that can be done to many 7/8 time folk tunes.

Hava Nagila is another very simple one (with steps a lot like Les Noto).

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 16 Jan 06 - 02:53 PM

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/shenanigan/whatsonCDs.htm      

http://www.musikinnovations.com/StoreCat.cfm?Info=Education&StartRow=71   

Here are two sources for international dances that come with CDs and directions.

Subject: RE: SIMPLE Int'l folk dances
From: Jacob B
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 05:40 PM

The Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend was last weekend, so you'll have to wait for that one till next year. It's always Friday through Sunday of Martin Luther King Day weekend.

Coming to the NEFFA Festival in April is a great idea.

For dances in Maine, check the DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts listings, and The Dance Gypsy. I see international dances in Bar Harbor, Brunswick, Rockland, and Tenant's Harbor.

Good luck, and good dancing!

Jacob