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2026 Still Zooming

We will continue to meet on Zoom for folk dancing on Friday evenings, 8pm-10pm. Contact lindaandjay@comcast.net for Zoom meeting info.  Pl...

Friday, September 28, 2007

Roo's Scandi class Sunday Sept. 30 and ongoing (updated)

Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:54:44 EDT
From: DancingRoo@aol.com

Chicagoland Scandinavian Turning Dance Classes Autumn 2007

Our class will meet:

Sept 30
Oct 7
Nov 11 & 18
Dec 2 & 9

Classes begin at 6 pm at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Downers
Grove, located on Higland off of 41st Street.

Contact Roo Lester 630-985-7192 for more information.

Note, no partner necessary, every one is welcome. Wear hard soled
shoes for dancing.

Please call in advance if you plan to attend.

Looking forward to dancing with you.


If you do not wish to receive announcements, please let me know and I
will remove you from the list. Thank you.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Back from Oconomowoc, see you Friday in Downers Grove

Updated 9/19/2017 - removed broken photobucket links, replaced with youtube playlist.
We're back from Oconomowoc, where a good time was had by all. We picked up several nice dances, and will be reviewing them this Friday & in the coming weeks. I took some video clips, and have uploaded them to my free photobucket.com account - I'm going to try to link them here, we'll see how it goes (haven't tried doing video on the blog before).

Saturday morning, Dit, Edie & Jay taught 2 dances apiece (see list in photo), and in the afternoon they each taught one "pattern"-type dance (Dit & Edie taught Scottish set dances, "Robertson's Rant" and "Dundee Whaler", and Jay taught an Alsatian couple mixer "La Salamandre".

Here goes with the video - note that I only take short clips, mostly from behind the line, just for reminders of the pattern (simpler and more accurate than taking notes) - these aren't videos of the teaching or the whole dance start-to-finish:

Monday, September 3, 2007

Chicago Celtic Festival Sept. 15-16 2007


Yet another event you might be interested in if you're not headed up to Oconomowoc camp the weekend of Sept. 14-16 (remember, no dancing in Downers Grove Fri. 9/14!): the Chicago Celtic Fest

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Susan in the Trib

Susan was quoted in this Aug. 30 story in the Chicago Tribune:

Peck Farm Park: This charming 395-acre preserve was created in 1998 from the estate of George and Erdene Peck. In addition to outdoor gardens, nature trails and more, Peck Farm features a butterfly exhibit that houses some 300 butterflies during the summer months. Whether you want to visit for a day or volunteer for the summer, the butterfly house is a breathtaking break from blacktop. Susan Jensen, butterfly house coordinator, calls it "a wondrous place to hang out." The best time to come is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and be sure to look for the brilliant blue back of the Pipevine Swallowtail, Jensen's favorite. Peck Farm Park, 38W199 Kaneville Rd., Geneva; 630-262-8244, www.genevaparks.org/peckfarm.

Vasa Park Scandinavian Day, Elgin, Sept. 9 2007

The 28th annual Scandinavian Day is next weekend:

Scandinavian Day Festival-28th Annual

Monday, August 27, 2007

EDC Live Music Balkan Dance Fri. Sept. 14

We aren't going to be dancing in Downers Grove Sept. 14, but here's an alternative, if you're not headed for Oconomowoc:

ETHNIC DANCE CHICAGO

Dancing As A Second Language

News Release

In conjunction with Chicago's World Music Festival, Ethnic Dance Chicago
presents a Live Music Balkan Dance
Party with two Balkan dance/music bands:

- Chris Bajmakovich & Muzika 4 U with Ljupco Milenkovski (Macedonian & Bulgarian), and
- T-Rroma (Croatian, Serbian & other)

When:
-Friday, September 14, 2007
- 7:00pm to midnite (or later)
- 7:00pm-8:00pm - Balkan Dance Lesson to live music
taught by Paul Collins of Ethnic Dance Chicago
- 8:00 until ­ Balkan Dance Party with live music

Where:
- Chicago Lavtian Cultural Center, 4146 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL
60618, (NW corner, entrance on Hamlin)

Cost:
- $12.00 ­ general admission
- $8.00 - full-time students & kids under 12

Further Information:
- Paul Collins
- Tel: (773)-463-2288
- Email: info@ethnicdance.net
- Website: www.ethnicdance.net/special_event


About the Artists

Chris Bajmakovich & Muzika 4 U (Highland, IN)
Chris Bajmakovich is a Macedonian-American, whose parents are from Bitola and
Ohrid, began studying music at
the age of five and continued formal music training for the next twelve years.
His main instrument is accordion,
though he is also well-versed on tarabuka (doumbek) and other drums, clarinet
and singing. Chris plays
professionally with his band Muzika 4 U for many different functions, primarily
for the Macedonian and Serbian
communities in the Chicagoland area as well as in Detroit, Indiana and Ohio. He
also teaches accordion privately,
and has been featured on several recordings, including two of his own. Chris
excels as a vocalist, accordionist
and as a composer, having written the incredibly emotive song, "Rakija i
cigari", that drives Balkan audiences crazy.
He was part of Ilija Ampevski's critically acclaimed ensemble which wowed the
audience at the 2004 Chicago World
Music Festival and is in demand around the US.

Ljupco Milenkovski (Merrilville, IN)
Ljupco Milenkovski originally from Dracevo, Macedonia, moved to the U.S. in
1985. He made and learned to play
his first wooden flute at the age of 10 years old. By the time he was 14, he
had started playing kaval (open-ended
flute) with the famed Macedonian musician, Mile Kolarov. About two years after
he started playing kaval, he also
started learning to play the gajde (bagpipe) from his father, Andreja
Milenkovski. Between 1977 and 1985, Ljupco
played traditional Macedonian dance music with Mile and other musicians for the
"Kitke" Dance Ensemble in
Dracevo. In recent years, Ljupco has taught himself to play the clarinet and
saxaphone. He plays some of the more
Macedonian and Southeastern European music with several ensembles in the
Chicagoland & Northern Indiana areas
including his own ensemble, "Sar Planina". Ljupco lives with his wife Linda and
their two children, Andres and
Dionaa in Merrillville, Indiana.

T-Rroma (Joe Kirin, Lyons, IL)
An energetic quintet performing Eastern European gypsy music, T-Rroma
(Tamburitza Rroma) takes the audience on
a jubilant journey with their strings and Slavic voices. Born out of the 2001
World Music Festival, T-Rroma made its
debut at HotHouse in May 2002 and have delighted audiences with their fresh
approach to traditional folk music
ever since. Although T-Roma, is based in the Chicago area, its musical roots and
its fan base spread far beyond that
city's boundaries. Its repertoire, which includes original as well as folk and
modern compositions, is as rich and
diverse as the culture of the Gypsy (or the preferred "Rom"), from which it
takes its name. At every performance,
therefore, T-Rroma takes its audience on a compelling worldwide journey that
stretches from the Balkans to South
America, punctuated from start to finish by everything from hushed and haunting
ballads to powerful, pulsating Latin
rhythms.

Paul Collins (Ethnic Dance Chicago, Chicago, IL)
Paul Collins has danced since the age of eight and has been an ethnic folk dance
leader & square/contra dance caller
since high school in the mid 1960's. Paul has been a guest caller at dances from
the North Country to the Deep South
and has even called squares and taught folk dancing for the hearing impaired at
Galledet University in Washington.
DC. Between 1966 and 1979, Paul led the University of Chicago Folk Dance Club
and introduced squares and
contras into the group's repertoire. After directing the U of C Folk Dancers'
Annual Fall "International Folk Festival"
for twelve years, in 1980 Paul joined Gerhard Bernhard in producing the DCFF and
two years later became co-
director. In 1989, Paul and Bill Sasso started the Mid-North Folk Dance Club
that has today evolved into Ethnic
Dance Chicago. Paul has also presented dance programs for kids in Midwest area
schools, tutoring programs and
scouting organizations. In the world outside of dance, Paul is an independent
management consultant for web-based
collaboration, interpersonal communications, group facilitation and personal
network development and is a co-
founder and director of the Midwest Facilitators' Network. Paul is also a
student in Northwestern University's
Leadership and Organization Behavior Program.
_________________________________________________________________
EDC c/o Jordan-Webb - 2656 W Montrose Ave - Suite 110 - Chicago,
Illinois 60618 - (773)-463-2288
pcollins@ethnicdance.net -
www.ethnicdance.net

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Madison World Music Festival -- Sept. 13-15

Just received from Michael K. in Madison:
http://www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusic/
From: "Michael Kuharski"
To:
Subject: Madison World Music Festival -- Sept. 13-15 !
Date: Saturday, August 25, 2007 2:50:31 PM
Dear Friends ~
The amazing Madison World Music Festival continues to surpass itself and invites you to share the experience! I am sending a quick sketch of this outstanding FREE festival to you early because I really feel it could be worth making time or taking a little road trip to be part of the scene. We all consider that sort of effort once in a while for performers we know will thrill us. This gathering of a dozen great groups offers more -- come for the ones that call out to you and then be swept away by others you had no idea existed. This really works, and the festival has quickly become an eagerly anticipated high point of Madison's lively music calendar. More later, but for now here is the plan as we have it. Enjoy!
Michael Kuharski
Madison World Music Festival



Artist Date Time Venue Rain
Margaret Beissinger Lecture 9/13 4pm Tripp
Ismail Lumanovski Lecture/demo 9/13 6pm PlayCircle
Ilgi (Latvia) 9/13 7pm Terrace GH 7pm
NY Gypsy All-Stars (Turkey, Macedonia,Greek and Balkan) 9/13 9pm Terrace GH 9pm




Margaret Beissinger Lecture 9/14 12noon Ingraham
Chirgilchin Workshop 9/14 3pm PlayCircle
Huong Thanh (Vietnam) 9/14 5:30pm Terrace WUT 5:30pm
Dragon Knights (Stilt Walkers) 9/14 7 & 9:15 Terrace
Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) 9/14 7:45pm Terrace WUT 7:45pm
Romano Drom (Hungary) 9/14 10pm Terrace WUT 10pm
Chirgilchin (Tuva) 9/14 6:30pm Theater MH 6:30pm
Haale (Iran) 9/14 9pm Theater MH 9pm




Romano Drom Workshop 9/15 11am PlayCircle
Dragon Knights (Stilt Walkers) 9/15 5 & 7:15 Terrace
Estrella Acosta (Cuba) 9/15 5:45pm Terrace WUT 5:45pm
Dhoad Gypsies (Rajasthan) 9/15 8pm Terrace MH 7pm
Louis Mhlanga (Zimbabwe) 9/15 10pm Terrace WUT 10pm
Rodriguez/El Medioni (Cuba/Algeria) 9/15 7pm Theater WUT 8pm
Gerard Edery Trio (Sephardic Jewish) 9/15 9:30pm Theater MH 9:30pm
Dobet Gnahore (Ivory Coast) 9/15 3:45pm Willy St Fair ?? ??
Rain Locations:
GH=Great Hall
WUT=Wisconsin Union Theater
MH=Music Hall
Times and stages are subject to change -- any updates promptly shown at: