Dance Instructors |
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Kim Caisse (Madison, WI) (back to top)
Kim has danced with the Madison international folk dance group for over ten years. She has been helping to organize and teach on Sunday nights for several years now, and enjoys being one of the little elves that help make the Madison Folk Ball and June Camp happen. Kim also teaches crochet at a marvelous cafe/yarn shop in Verona, WI, and finds it strangely similar to teaching dance. She has been self employed as a ceramic jewelry artist for over twelve years. in the spring of 2011, Kim will be relocating to an artist's colony in Hannibal Missouri, but will return as an instructor and staff member for DCFF this year. |
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George Davis (Chicago, IL) (back to top)
George, editor of the short-lived journal, Folktravesties, has been dancing since the days of the Great Society in the bright lights of Chicago. Learning dances from all of the legends: Crum, Palfi, David, Hebert, Moreau, Koenig, Filcich, Page, Czompo, Wixman, Ozkok, Drury, Mr. J. and Greene, he has managed to be known to none of them. A veteran of numerous performances at street fairs, old people's homes, testimonial dinners (before the belly dancers), and benefits for various handicapped groups; he has danced for international, Turkish, Israeli, Romanian, Latvian and Hungarian folklore groups. Dance research has taken George to exotic locales such as Milan's Lounge, the Rafters, Vi & Coy's and Tulipanos Lada. George is also a co-founder of the Franz Josef Verein, a central European cultural appreciation group. |
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Deepa Devasena (Milwaukee,
WI) (back to top)
Deepa choreographs and leads a Bollywood dance school - " Aarabhi School of Dance". Deepa has been trained in Indian classical dances from the age of four. Deepa is a senior degree holder in Bhrathanatyam, diploma holder in Kathak and she is currently pursuing her Kathak degree. She has over 6 years of experience working for various dance companies and has performed numerous dance shows in India and US. She has also participated as lead dancer in a documentary on Indian dance forms sponsored by the Government of India.The school’s Bhangra and Bollywood fitness classes are a huge hit with the residents of Milwaukee.Visit www.aarabhi.com for more information on classes and workshops.
Bhangra is a lively form of folk music and dance that originates from Punjab, India. Many people believe that Bhangra originated in the 1400s, however, it may be even older. Primarily men performed Bhangra, while the ladies performed their own fierce, yet elegent, dance called Giddha. The men wore the turbin, lungi (long cloth wrapped around the waist), and kurta (traditional Indian shirt), while the women, when performing Giddha, wore the salvar kameez (a long colorful shirt accompanied with a baggy style bottom piece) accompanied by their bright colored duppattas (cloth wrapped around the neck).The main instrument played during bhangra is a barrel size drum called the Dhol. Its strong bass beats are so contagious & can lure even the most dedicated of wallflowers onto the dance floor. Bhangra was created among farmers while they worked in fields. Since its grounded in earth, its basic movements relate to farming activities like plowing, sowing, and, harvesting. Bhangra was traditionally performed to celebrate the harvest. Nowadays, because of Punjabi influence worldwide, people perform Bhangra in all parts of the world at occasions such as weddings, receptions, and parties. Bhangra has evolved from a dance and music only performed in the Punjab region, to a popular style of music and dance that people perform throughout South Asia and many parts of the world. |
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Mary Garvin (Saint Paul, MN) (back to top)
Mary has taught at the Door County Folk Festival, Chicagoland Spring Fling, Mountain Playshop and other dance groups and festivals around the country. She is a leader at Tapestry Folkdance Center in the Twin-Cities and is one of the organizers of SNOPA! - a Twin-Cities Winter Dance Weekend. She was on the Earl Hall Folk Dance Circle committee at Columbia University in New York City. She was a member of modern & folk dance repertory companies at the University of Oregon, was a college dance Instructor and was a performer in the George Tomov Yugoslav Dance Ensemble. A proud feather in her cap is having been asked by Bulgarians to teach them Bulgarian dances. Mary has become addicted to Argentine tango in the last several years but stays loyal to her international dance roots. |
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Doc Hartnett
(Sound, Valparaiso, IN) (back to top)
Doc called his first square dance at the age of 17 at the Clearance Flitter farm in a small Hoosier town. Two years later, this type of dancing was no longer cool. So in the interim Doc practiced medicine in the town in which he grew up. This was a rare and wonderful experience. Doc didn’t realize that traditions have a way of renewing themselves and when contra and square dancing became popular again in the 1980s, he started up again with a vengeance at the age of 66, not only calling for dances but also hosting dances in his “Barn” in Valparaiso. |
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Leslie Hyll (Dayton, OH) (back
to top)
Leslie has been a member of the Miami Valley Folk Dancers recreational folk dance club for over 30 years, sharing teaching responsibilities (beginning and advanced levels) and serving in various administrative offices. She spear-headed a project to digitize 50 years of the club's dance workshop syllabi. She has been a member of several performing groups including: Zivio! (South Slavic), Beseda (American Czechoslovakian Club) and Bagatelle (Le Club Francais), at various times serving as a researcher, choreographer, instructor, and director for those groups. She choreographed an American suite for Zivio!'s 1987 tour of Yugoslavia, and Slovenian, Croatian, Macedonian and Pan-Slavic dance suites for the Dayton International Festival.. www.daytonfolkdance.com |
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Rick King
(Southfield, MI) (back to top)
Rick first danced at the Detroit Folkdance Club in 1973 for about
2 months but didn't dance regularly until 1978 at Alex Cushnier's group
at Wayne State University. In 1979 joined the Detroit Folk Dance Club. In
1984, he took a hiatus from dancing and became active again in 1989, dancing
2-3 nights per week. In 1990, he began teaching folk dance classes in Huntington
Woods and Southfield, MI and promoting folk dancing in the area, organizing
dance workshops featuring local Chaldean and Lebanese ethnic groups. In
1995 he started a monthly dance group on Suns that later moved to alternate
Sats in Ferndale. That year he also took a "folk dance" trip to Europe,
Bulgaria and the Koprivshtitsa festival. In 1996, Rick became leader of
what had formerly been the Wayne State group and moved it to the Ferndale
location, dancing two Fris a month, while continuing the monthly Sat group.
Eventually the two groups merged into Fris, meeting weekly. At the same
time, Rick became the leader for the weekly Monday teaching nights. Rick's
music collection goes beyond the basic folk dance "repertoire" recordings
and contains more current versions, especially from the Balkans and the
Middle East. His loves doing simpler dances to alternative music that has
an "ethnic" feel. Rick is also an avid bird watcher. |
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Michael Kuharski (Madison, WI) (back
to top)
Michael K, the perpetrator of Istanbul Bar, started folk dancing in Madison in 1969 & has been leading & teaching in that community ever since. He speaks Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, some Macedonian, a little Romanian, less Albanian, & a smattering of “MwaukeeTalk”. He has made 10 trips to the Balkans and regular journeys to Milwaukee to study the folklore, language and culture of the people (particularly Kosovo Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, & Wauwatosans) as well as to collect dances, music, instruments, costumes, friends, red scarves, & anecdotes. Michael is Artistic Director of Ensemble Narodno, the main man behind Folk Ball, a June Camp organizer, & adds energy almost anywhere. He teaches weekly at Madison Folkdance Unlimited, annually at Door County Folk Festival, and elsewhere upon invitation. Michael plays accordion, lugs a tupan around, & transcribes folk songs by the score. Beware of his edited versions of favorite folkdance recordings and try to catch him sitting down! |
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Nina Lusterman (Evanston, IL) (back to top)
Nina began folk dancing at Michael and Mary Ann Herman's teenage session in NYC in the late '60s. She continued to folk dance through college, and after college for a short time in southern California and then in Madison, WI in the 70s. She moved to Chicago in 1978 and danced with several performing groups, including an Eastern European, International, and Hungarian group. Then Nina took a 20 year break from dancing and returned to folk dancing in late 2007 and got hooked all over again. Now Nina dances at least 3-4 times a week, and although she sometimes feels like it's taken over her life, she is really enjoying it. She helps run the Evanston Folk Dance group, including coordinating the teaching sessions and teaching on a regular basis. When Nina isn't at work or folk dancing, she and her husband like to walk, hike, bird watch, and cross-country ski. |
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Dit Olshan (Skokie,
IL) (back
to top)
Dit has been teaching International Folk Dance in the Chicago area
for about 30 years, at one time, leading three separate groups a week..
Currently she leads a Wednesday Nite group at the Skokie Park District.
Formerly, as a math teacher in Chicago, Dit implemented an extra curricular
program in international dance at the district level, conducting district
teacher workshops while teaching classes at her own school. She has traveled,
studying dance, in Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Scotland. She has given
international dance workshops regularly on a semi-annual basis in Israel
to the Israeli Teachers Association and various local groups during the
1990's. Other workshops given include San Diego, New Orleans, Springfield,
IL and Racine, WI. Dit has been a regular member of the teaching staff of
Lake Geneva Camp for the past 25 years. She has served on the Midwest June
Camp committee for several years, chairing it for three of those years.
Currently, Dit is a docent at Lincoln Park Zoo, works as a tax preparer,
and has not spent more than a year without a dog - which she is known to
show up with at Paul Collins Dance group! |
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Steve Salemson (Madison, WI) (back to top)
Steve was first exposed to folk dancing in 1962, when he spent a year living on a kibbutz in Israel. It wasn't until he moved back to New York City in 1974 that he discovered Balkan dancing and really got hooked. Soon he was dancing between 4-6 nights a week, and attending workshops taught by Yves Moreau, Dick Crum, David Vinski, Atanas Kolarovski, Pece Atanasovski, George Tomov, Moshiko Halevy, Mihai David, Bora Özkök, and others. In 1977 Steve joined Tomov's Yugoslav Folk Dance Ensemble, dancing with the group for eight years, including trips to former Yugoslavia in 1979 and 1981 to perform at the Ilindenski Denovi Festival in Bitola, Macedonia. Steve's first love is Macedonian music and dance, and he speaks some Macedonian and plays the kaval. In 1999, while working as Associate Director of the University of Wisconsin Press, Steve published Christina Kramer's Makedonski jazik, a Macedonian textbook for beginning and intermediate students, and subsequently published Ronelle Alexander's authoritative two-volume Intensive Bulgarian: A Textbook and Reference Grammar and then her Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian: A Grammar with Sociolinguistic Commentary. Steve is happily retired and lives in Madison, where he spends his time doing crossword puzzles, making music, attending concerts, biking, and, of course, folk dancing at least twice a week. |
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Paul Wagner (Eau Claire, WI) (back
to top)
Paul W returns to the DCFF staff. Paul has been dancing, teaching and enjoying folk dance for over 34 years. He currently is one of the leaders of the Eau Claire International Folk Dancers, and has been a member and leader of the Eau Claire international performance group and the Bistra Voda band. While teaching dances from all over the world, Paul especially enjoys the rhythms, music and dance forms of the Balkans. In 2001 Paul completed his doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. He teaches computer science at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. In addition to his interest in dance and music, Paul enjoys running, canoeing and kayaking, bird watching and volleyball.
PAUL W HAS ACCEPTED AN INVITATION FOR A THREE MONTH TEACHING ASSINGMENT IN NEW ZEALAND AND HAS HAD TO CANCEL HIS PARTICIPATION IN DCFF THIS YEAR.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT, PAUL! |
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Jon Waite (Milwaukee, WI) (back to top)
Jon has been a member of the Hart Park dancers in Wauwatosa, WI since being dragged there, kicking and screaming, over 6 years ago. After a tense introductory period, he found he really enjoyed the music, rhythms and steps, but more importantly, the people. In addition to being a regular at the recreational group, Jon also teaches at Hart Park and just finished a 6 year stint with Viata Romaneasca, Milwaukee's Romanian performing troupe. When not gradually destroying his knees through dance, Jon is a band director and professional musician in the Milwaukee area.
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Jeanette Watts (Dayton, OH) (back to top)
Jeanette has been in a 25+-year-long love affair with various types of ethnic and vintage dance. She is proficient at ballroom dances from 1790 to 1960. She has studied with some of the world's best teachers at Stanford University, Newport, Rhode Island, Prague, Czech Republic, and Provence, France, as well as at folk dance camps all over the Midwest. She is currently a performer with the Forget-Me-Not Historic Dancers, and Raks Devi, has founded her own non-profit organization, the Terpsichorean Delights Dance Assembly, as well as a belly dance troupe and a French Cancan troupe. She teaches weekly social ballroom dance classes around Dayton, Ohio. Jeanette is also 'Madame Gigi' of Madame Gigi's Outrageous French Cancan Dancers, who are about to make their third appearance at Milwaukee's Bastille Days festival.
Middle Eastern Dancing, i.e. belly dancing, has been around for a really, really long time. Older-than-the-pyramids long time. It's THAT good. It's a dance form that exercises just about every muscle in your body, develops balance and control, and still manages to be fun. It is a group experience, while at the same time it is an intensely personal exploration of discovery. "I never knew I could move like that..." To top it all, it gives everyone something to do when you're stuck with those dances at weddings when you kind of stand there and wiggle! |
Singing Instructor, Concertmaster |
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Shelley Orbach (Skokie, IL) (back to top)
Shelley, a science teacher and singer/songwriter from Skokie, Illinois has been Cantorial Soloist for Congregation Or Shalom in Vernon Hills,Illinois for almost 29 years. He has won songwriter and poetry awards and released an album of original music. His music is performed around the country from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C. and he has appeared on NPR performing his original songs. He loves to teach songs to children and adults as well as folk dance. |
Musicians |
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Nick Bratkovich
(Tulsa, OK)
(Ethnic Dance Musician)
(back to top) |
Nick Bratkovich (Tulsa, OK) (back to top)
Nick has recovered from last years unanticipated surgery will play for the 2011 DCFF - July 6-10, 2011!
Nick was born in Milwaukee WI in 1951. He is a son of Serbian parents who immigrated
to the United States after World War II. He began playing the accordion
at age 6 and started his first band at age 13, the popular Šumadija Orchestra
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He performed with this group throughout the 60's
at Serbian churches and ethnic folk festivals in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. During the 70's he was a member of
the famous Beograd Orchestra of Milwaukee, performing at the Saratoga
Lounge on South 16th Street. It was during this time that he expanded
his repertoire to include not only Serbian music, but Balkan and International
folk music as well. While living in Texas during the 80's, he performed
solo for both Serbian and International folk dancers in Dallas, Austin
and Houston. He currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Nancy.
They have three grown children living in Texas and Utah. He still performs
with the original members of the Šumadija Orchestra, now known as the
Kumovi Orchestra of Los Angeles, California, and he also enjoys performing
solo for international folk dancers in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Texas. http://www.bratkovichmusic.com
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Orkestar Sloboda
(Milwaukee, WI)
(Ethnic Dance Orchestra)
(back to top) |
Orkestar Sloboda (Milwaukee, WI) (back to top)
Sloboda (meaning freedom or liberty), is a gathering of musicians coming from two Serbian Orthodox churches in the Milwaukee Area (St. Nikola and St. Sava). Sloboda was first formed in 1972 and has performed all around the Midwest for consecrations, weddings, dances, and festivals and for international folk dance events.
Members are: Milan Kontich (Accordion), Harley Schoville (Percussion), Stevo Petrovich (Tambura), and Savo Radjenovich (Bass Guitar). Website: www.balkanmusic.com/sloboda. |
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The Last Gaspé
(Madison, WI) (back to top)
The Last Gaspé is a
New England-style contra dance band based in Madison, WI, plays Canadian,
Irish and American fiddle music that swings. The band blends traditional
forms with contemporary innovations to create an infectious, exciting
sound. The band features John Kraniak (guitar), Amy McFarland (piano),
Maria Terres (fiddle), and Kevin Clark (bass).
Founded in 1987, they have
played for dances and folk festivals throughout the U.S. The musicians
come from very different backgrounds, ranging from self-taught to conservatory
trained. They all share a love of dancing, so while they aim to be more
innovative, they respect tradition and strive for danceability throughout
their music.
Their wide-ranging musical influences range from Count Basie
to Michael Coleman to the Grateful Dead. Some of these influences show
up in their approach to melody and some in their treatment of rhythm.
While they don't play jazz, they take a jazz approach to playing, stressing
improvisation, musical interplay and a solid ensemble sound. Play some
Last Gaspé Tunes (RealPlayer Required): Medley
of Reels, Medley of Jigs, Two Rivers Waltz, Play
All. |
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Al Day
(Evanston, IL)
(Musician, Singer)
(back to top) |
Al Day (Evanston, IL) (back to top)
Hailed as most "Most Promising Songwriter" by Chicago Magazine when he entered the music scene, Al Day has appeared in clubs and colleges throughout the United States and on such radio and TV shows as WFMT's "Midnight Special," WFMT's "Studs Terkel Show," WBEZ's "The Earth Club," and WTTW/Channel 11's "Sound Stage." Al is included in two compilations of singer/songwriters: "American Impressionist Songwriters" and "Uncommon Ground Sampler I." He is the vocalist and co-writer for the Los Angeles-based group, Naked Davis, Jr. The Al Day Trio has released its first CD, Guest House. His songs have supplied not only himself, but other artists with original material. In addition to individual songs, Al has written several concert theater pieces in which his music was wed to spoken texts. He wrote the English translation/version for the Brazilian theatrical production, "Terra." The most extensive piece Al has written to date is the libretto for the opera Two Soldiers, which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
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Program Coordinators and Support Staff |
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Chris Alfeld
(Madison, WI) (back to top)
Chris started folk dancing at Folk Ball 2003 and has been doing it
ever since. Besides being active in folk dancing he is also active in ballroom
dancing. Outside of dance, he spent a lot of time working on his Ph.D. in Mathematics
(which he just received) at UW-Madison and works part time as a research assistant in computer networking. |
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Sarah Bennett
(Madison, WI) (back to top)
Sarah is a graduate student studying geography in Madison, Wisconsin. She has been enjoying teaching mapmaking and is developing a project about art and nature. In her free time, Sarah likes reading, crafts, the outdoors, and of course folk dancing. One thing you may not know about Sarah is that she likes to speak Russian when she has the chance. One thing that if you don't know it already you will soon realize is that she likes to wear brightly colored and sometimes goofy clothing. |
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Eddie Cordray
(Dayton, OH) (back to top)
Eddie has been involved in sound for dance event almost as long as he’s been
dancing. Starting in the early 1970’s his parents ran a weekend dance
camp “Planina” at least four times a year for over a decade. It was at this
primitive and remote dance camp the he got involved in sound production and
made friends with Kelvin Buneman. For several years Eddie was the
assistant “sound guy.” Some of the events and venues that he assisted with
were the annual California Kolo Festival during the years when it was held at
UCB’s Hearst Gym, Stanford’s Roble Gym, and at San Jose State; the California
Federation’s Statewide festival held at the Fresno convention center, the
January festival held at San Jose’s convention center and Cubberley’s
Auditorium. After Kelvin “retired” in the 1980’s Eddie continued on his own
borrowing Kelvin’s equipment for several years for some of the smaller events
notably, a Scandinavian weekend workshop at the Oakland Veteran’s Center and
Mendocino Balkan Camp 1987-1989. After moving to Dayton, OH in 1990 and
acquiring his own sound system over several years, he now provides sound for
the occasional dance event in the Dayton area. |
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Jim Kiehne
(Minneapolis, MN) (back to top)
Jim is a long-time dancer and a veteran of the early years of DCFF. He loves Kolos and a few other folk dances; but also likes birds (mostly midwestern); music (esp. accordion); and drawing (with a peculiar twist). Jim was active as an accordionist with the Twin Cities-based folk dance band "Rakija", that played at DCFF several times and he also played percussion with Maritza Orchestra's gig at DCFF in 2006. Jim has been active in the affairs of Tapestry Folk Dance Center in Minneapolis. |
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Carol Johnson
(Big Bend, WI) (back to top)
Carol and her husband Forrest have been folk dance leaders and teachers of
the Tuesday Night recreational folk dance group in Milwaukee (now back
at Hart Park in Wauwautosa) for many years and through many changes of
location. They originally met at the University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis, fell in love and lived happily ever after... Then they
moved to the Milwaukee area! Before living in Big Bend, they made
brief stops in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Grand Canyon, Shenandoah National
Park (where Forrest worked as a Park Ranger no less) and back in Minneapolis.
Recently, they have been recruited to teach a folk dance class at University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Carol spent 33 years on the
"hospital scene" as a Medical Technologist (working with bodily fluids!)
before retiring. She has also sweated (talk about bodily fluids!)
for over 20 years as a dance aerobics instructor and has recently turned
that (the aerobics part) into a business. |
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Forrest Johnson
(Big Bend, WI) (back to top)
Forrest and his wife Carol have been folk dance leaders and teachers of
the Tuesday Night recreational folk dance group in Milwaukee (now back
at Hart Park in Wauwautosa) for many years and through many changes of
location. They originally met at the University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis, fell in love and lived happily ever after... Then they
moved to the Milwaukee area! Before living in Big Bend, they made
brief stops in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Grand Canyon, Shenandoah National
Park (where Forrest worked as a Park Ranger no less) and back in Minneapolis.
Recently, they have been recruited to teach a folk dance class at University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Forrest has done
a great job of arranging and coordinating the folkdance parties at DCFF.
He compiles and edits Milwaukee's Folkdance Flyer and takes a lot of abuse
from Tut. Since his "formal" retirement from the Milwaukee Public
Schools, Forrest has actually been employed on a part-time basis at the
Milwaukee Public Schools' Potters Forest doing the many duties of a forest
ranger. |
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Miriam & Dick Miller
(Middleton, WI) (back to top)
Miriam & Dick (Youth Activities) are both school teachers
and coaches who have been involved with youth and children for many years.
Miriam teaches a nature class in the summer for the recreation department.
Together they enjoy hanging out with the "kids" of all ages who attend the
festival and can be found painting rocks, singing and playing games. If you are considering having your kids participate,
we would appreciate if you would notify Dick or Miriam Miller by telephone:
(608)-836-5114 or by email:
. |
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Mara Kins
(Chicago, IL) (back to top)
Mara was born in Riga, Latvia and moved to the U.S. with her extended family. She attended Washington High School in Milwaukee and studied Pharmacy at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been involved in Latvian music and dance activities for many years and is on the Board of the Chicago Latvian Association. She has also been involved with Israeli Dancing and International Folk Dancing. Mara was a member of the committee that produced the tremendously successful Pot Luck Picnic in 2010 and will lead the Picnic Committee this year. |
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Mercedes Dzindzeleta
(Racine, WI)
(Silent Auction & Program Coordinator)
(back to top) |
Mercedes Dzindzeleta
(Racine, WI) (back to top)
Mercedes has over 55 years of curiosity for dancing and living fully,
16 years in the energy/massage profession plus years in various business/education
fields. Mercedes will encourage & nurture the use of your body's
knowledge to move comfortably & fluidly for dance and movement at "Dance
& Stress Relief classes". Mercedes also coordinates the Silent Auction
that benefits the DCFF Scholarship Fund.
For private therapy appointments
or to contribute items to the Silent Auction, contact Mercedes: ,
(262)-632-2986. |
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Karen Tutkowski
(Milwaukee, WI) (back to top)
Karen has invaded over 43 countries and often attempted to dance
with the locals before she even knew anything about folk dancing.
Now with 17 years of folk dance experience, the only locals who will dance
with her are the Na Lesa Bulgarian Folk Ensemble and Viata Romaneasca, Milwaukee's
Bulgarian and Romanian performing groups, and various others who propagate
the "distinctive styling" for which Milwaukee is famous. Karen is
famous for losing partners in any dance, including The Gie Gordons. She
is a high school English teacher, a member of the Ethnictricity International
Folk Band, and the announcer at Milwaukee's Hart Park folk dance group,
so she is used to people not listening to her. As co-announcer with Forrest
at the evening parties, she is hopeful that the Door County Folk Festival
will open new "Doors" for her. Coincidentally, she is the author of
the "Get your foot in the Door" slogan on which Paul is not sharing royalties. |
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Joan Amsterdam - International Folk Rhyrhms
(Northbrook, IL) (back to top)
Joan’s International Folk Rhythms "bazaar" at the Sister
Bay Village Hall will feature folk-related merchandise including CDs, books, cassettes
and ethnic apparel.
Joan will bring specific videos and other items only if
requested in advance!
To request specific items or to order items in advance contact International Folk Rhythms at:
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Work Scholars
(Adminstrative Staff)
(back to top) |
Work Scholars (back to top)
DCFF events generally start on time and end on time
because of a well-managed and highly competent and motivated Work Scholar Team.
The Work Scholar Team Leaders do and excellent job of planning, organizing and managing the work schedule.
DCFF wishes to thank the Work Scholar Team Leaders and the Work Scholar Team for outstanding performance.
- 2011 Work Scholars
- Chris Alfeld (Team Leader) (Madison, WI)
- Sarah Bennett (Team Leader) (Madison, WI)
- Kristina Arellano (Fond Du Lac, WI)
- Jean Borger (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Kris Hamon (Dunlap, IL)
- Holly Beth Hinnrichs-Dahms (Menomonee Falls, WI)
- Judi Lindquist (West Bend, WI)
- Susan Smith (Boulder, CO)
- Marsha Swenson (Madison, WI)
- Judith Toth (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
- Martha Turner (Chicago, IL)
- Arne Van Art (De Soto, WI)
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Staff Members Rotating In or Out (back to top)
One of the guiding principles of
the DCFF has been to expand the notion of community among international
folk dancers and traditional contra & square dancers and swing dancers in the Midwest
and beyond.
One of the best ways to do that is to reach out to and network
with leaders, callers and dancers in other areas and to invite them to
participate in the Festival in a number of ways.
DCFF welcomes new and returning staff members: (back to top)
- Nick Bratkovich (Tulsa, OK)
- Al Day (Evanston, IL)
- Deepa Devasena (Milwaukee, WI)
- Doc Hartnett (Valparaiso, IN)
- Leslie Hyll (Dayton, OH)
- Jim Kiehne (Minneapolis, MN)
- Rick King (Southfield, MI)
- Mara Kins (Chicago, IL)
- Michael Kuharski (Madison, WI)
- Dit Olshan (Skokie, IL)
- Shelley Orbach (Skokie, IL)
- Paul Wagner (Eau Claire, WI) [canceled]
- Jeanette Watts (Dayton, OH)
- Orkestar Sloboda (Milwaukee, WI)
DCFF wishes to thank members of the
staff who have rotated out this year so that we might invite a
different mix of teachers to join the staff: (back to top)
- Nick Aguilar (Columbia Heights, MN)
- Linda Blohowiak (Pulaski, WI)
- Penny Brichta (Wilmette, IL)
- Patti Cohen (Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada)
- Roger Diggle (Madison, WI)
- Kate Flynn (Milwaukee, WI)
- Jennifer Forbes-Baily (Omaha, NE)
- Diane Garvey (Chicago, IL)
- Dan Garvin (Vadnais Heights, MN)
- Daniela Ivanova (Silver Lake, WA & Sofia Bulgaria)
- Alice Janotova (Strakonice, Czech Republic)
- Kay
Josten (Waukesha, WI)
- Roman Kozak (Omaha, NE)
- Nancy Jo Lame (Columbia, MD)
- Debbie Kmetz (Madison, WI)
- Mars Longden (Evanston, IL)
- Sanna Longden (Evanston, IL)
- Jon Morovic (Seattle, WA)
- Carol Ormond (Madison, WI)
- Steve Pike (Madison, WI)
- Catherine Rudin (Wayne, NE)
- Mary Sherhart (Seattle, WA)
- Marge Sklar (Marquette, MI)
- Gloria "Sanut" Tarrer (Milwaukee, WI)
- Terry Simeone (Land O' Lakes, WI)
- Cecilia Wilkinson (Marquette, MI)
- Yuliyan Yordanov (Madison, WI)
- Balkan Cabaret (Seattle, WA)
- Joe Finn, Michael Lawson, Steve Ramsey, Rich Thomas
- Do Zore (Milwaukee, WI)
- Julie Hughes, Bryan Cobb, Luke Petrovich, Marko Savatić, Sam Showers, Jason Ottman
- Maritza Orchestra (Decorah, IA)
- Pine Wilson, Anne Streufert, Rob Van Tyn, Will Kernerman, Bill Musser
- Prazna Flasha (Milwaukee, WI)
- Misko Dragan, Steve Petrovich, David Rakovich, Mark Richards, Vlade Rokvich, Frank Sepic, Marko Stojsavljevic
- The Silvertones
(Chicago, IL)
- Walter Hojka,
David Jakush, Betsy Beckerman
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April 2011 has been a very sad month as we've lost two very wonderful people who were also key members of the International Folk Dance and Door County Folk Festival communities.
To honor the lives of Warren Kubitschek and Nancy Yugo, DCFF will offer moments of silence and time for remembrances at the Friday and Saturday outdoor dinner events – see below:
Click Here for the Warren-Nancy Remembrance Page
Click Here for the Warren-Nancy Remembrance Document (pdf)
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Warren Kubitschek
(South Bend, IN) (back to top)
Warren, known as the "Gentle Giant", was an indispensible planner and coordinator for DCFF and my friend. Warren helped me deal with
many tough planning and scheduling issues. I miss him greatly.
Warren was the director of the Spatter Dash Orchestra, which played for DCFF, Ethnic Dance Chicago, the Madison Folk Ball,
and the Fox Valley (Illinois) Folk Festival. He was widely recognized
in midwestern folk dance circles, as the tallest person around.
Celebrations of Warren's Life
- South Bend
- Friday, June 10, 2011, 7:00pm EDT, the South Bend Folk Dance Group will hold a Pot-Luck Dinner-Dance to honor the lives of Warren Kubitschek and Mary Gay Peltier (a Spatter Dash member who passed away in January). St Paul's Methodist Church, 1001 W. Colfax, South Bend IN 46616.
Info: Maggie Wiseman, (574)-288-3314,
- Saturday, July 23, 2011, 2:00pm to 4:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm), LaFortune Student Center, Notre Dame Room (Room 202), University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. RSVP & food/beverage contribution to Brandy Rypma: brypma@nd.edu.
- At DCFF
- Friday July 8, 2011, approximately 7:00pm during the Pot-Luck Picnic Dinner at the Voyager Inn Motel.
- Saturday July 9, 2011, approximately 7:00pm during the Fish Boil Dinner with Music, Dancing & Singing in Sister Bay Waterfront Park.
Nancy Yugo
(Madison, WI) (back to top)
Nancy had the "Gentle Voice " and was a key part of starting, planning and organizing the singing activities at DCFF. For many years she was a leader and organizer in the Madison International Folk Dance Community. Nancy was a member of Tri Bratovchedki (Three Cousins), along with Debbie Kmetz and Dan Garvin, which specialized in singing Balkan & Eastern European village music. The "3 Brats" were a cornerstone of the DCFF singing workshops.
Celebratons of Nancy's Life
- Madison Area
- On Sunday, May 29, 2011, there will be a memorial service to celebrate Nancy’s life, followed by a potluck dinner and celebration, at Folklore Village - 3210 County Highway BB - Dodgeville, Wisconsin 53533.
General outline: guests welcome at 2:00 (earlier arrivals may be drafted for preparation), Memorial 2:30-4:00, Dinner 5:00-6:00, Dancing & Singing 7:00-9:00.
Info: Michael Kuharski, (608)-241-3655,
- At DCFF
- Friday July 8, 2011, approximately 7:00pm during the Pot-Luck Picnic Dinner at the Voyager Inn Motel.
- Saturday July 9, 2011, approximately 7:00pm during the Fish Boil Dinner with Music, Dancing & Singing in Sister Bay Waterfront Park.
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