Phoenix International Folk Dancers | Folk Dancing in Phoenix, Arizona

Member Spotlight Archive

Featured Member Karen Gilbert

I discovered folk dance in 1976. It was our Bicentennial and I was looking for new things in life. I came upon this listing in Phoenix College's Special Interest Classes catalog for Folk Dancing. It stated no partners were necessary and amazingly it was free. My first night, I fell in love instantly with the music! A native of Phoenix, I had never heard anything like it, other than the Scottish Bag Pipes albums my granny would bring when she came to visit us. I couldn't get enough of the interesting rhythms, instruments like the gajda and the wonderful singing. Plus you DANCED to this great music. Wow! The people in the group were very welcoming and patient with newcomers like myself who seemed to have two left feet.

Our group was very close knit and enjoyed lots of activities together like eating together after dancing, having parties, camping in the woods, and attending folk dance camps and workshops. I have many fond memories of San Diego Camp, Idyllwild, L.I.F.E. Camp and numerous weekend workshops in Tucson and California that I will treasure always. It was a great time. I continued with folk dancing through 1994 and decided I was ready for a break. I regret now being away from folk dance for so long. It was not my intention. I returned to the group in October 2007 and have enjoyed being back very much.

Folk dancing to me is amazing music, wonderful people and great exercise. I love it!

Featured Member Susan Droz

My mother always told her friends that I came out of the womb dancing. My first recollection of dancing in a performance was at the age of four. From then on, I never stopped. I did the usual tap and ballet classes as a child and was lucky enough to be attending grade school during the time when folk dancing was taught as part of the gym class curriculum. In high school, I auditioned for a dancing part in the musical Oklahoma! and was selected. Several years later, I danced in two other musicals, "Where's Charley" and "Music Man".

In my early 20's and saw my first Polynesian dance performance, and was hooked. I immediately found a hula teacher and started lessons. That was the beginning of my 35 year career in Polynesian dance and my love of Hawaiian music. In the early 80's I danced professionally in a Polynesian dance show for 2 years as well as performing on a regular basis with my halau (hula school). Since my move to Arizona in 2001, I have studied under two well known Kumus (hula teachers) and continue to dance and perform with my current halau.

Folk dancing entered my life in my early 30's. I danced with the Vesselo folk dance club in Eugene, Oregon for 6 years and taught beginning folk dance classes. I attended many folk dance camps and workshops with great teachers such as Tom Bozigian and Yves Moreau and Dick Crum. Then, due to life changes, I had to put folk dancing on hold for a long time. Thirty three years later here in Arizona, thanks to the PIFD website and a phone call to Alice Stewart Fenwick, I'm folk dancing again.

In December of 2007 I was asked to dance in a variety show called "Heartbeats and Rhythm" www.heartbeatsandrhythm.com which performs all over Arizona from November thru the end of March each year. This year I'll be "on the circuit" again with the variety show performing comedy skits as well as dancing.

Featured Member Lois Postel

I grew up loving to dance. I took tap and ballet classes and some ballroom and swing classes. In school we learned the schottische, polka, Virginia reel, and some simple square dances. In high school, even though I couldn't really carry a tune, I got into the Girls Glee Club and stayed in it just so I could dance in the yearly operettas. In the summertimes we had a "junior light opera" organization, and I danced in three of those productions.

In college I took tap, dance pantomime, ballet, and modern dance classes. I got my first taste of social folk dancing at a party in the women's gym, and the first folk dance I learned there was "Cotton-Eyed Joe."

Dancing faded into the background for quite a few years (marriage, kids, teaching career, etc.) Starting about 1980 I discovered Tempe Parks and Recreation belly dance classes and later clogging classes. My love for dance was reawakened. I began going out dancing on Friday nights with some colleagues of mine, but I didn't enjoy the loud music and smoke-filled atmosphere. One of my friends knew of a teacher in our district who went folk dancing at Encanto Park on Fridays, so I got in touch with him and started coming to Encanto. I think it was 1991 when I started to participate.

Eileen Hug was teaching then, but soon after I started, she moved to Las Vegas. There were also other changes at Encanto, and the folk dancing was moved to Thursday night, which was my belly dance class night. For a time, I could only attend Encanto folk dances on the weeks between belly dance class sessions. Eventually my belly dance classes changed nights, so I was able to become a regular dancer again and could participate in the organization. I became a member-at-large in 1994, secretary in 1995, and have been president since 1997.

In 1992, I retired from Tempe School District No. 3. In my 15 years there, I had served as director of bilingual and funded programs, elementary school principal, and supervisor of various district level programs. Dance took over my life, my house, my computer, and my travel. I go out my back door to tap classes and dance exercise at Pyle Center. I am a member of Egyptian Cartouche, a belly dance fusion performing group, and Tap Dance Arizona.

My dance travel with dance teachers and to dance camps started with belly dance: Amaya's "Shake and Bake" in New Mexico, Delilah's belly dance retreats in Hawaii (six times); Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp at Mendocino, Calif. (with Morocco and Cassandra as teachers and our troupe leader Morgiana as room mate); travel to Turkey with Morocco, Kenya with Mesmera, Egypt with Delilah, and Morocco with Cassandra. I have hosted in my home Laurel Victoria Gray, Artemis, Aradia, and others when they came to Arizona to teach workshops.

My folk dance travel: California Statewide several times, Camp Hess Kramer four times, Branson with Beverly and Irwin Barr, "Dance on the Water" Mississippi River Cruise, Balkanfolk and Koprivshtitsa in Bulgaria. Along with others from Arizona, I'll be on the Volga River Russian folk dance cruise this summer. I host folk dance master teachers in my home when they come through Phoenix on tour: Wim Bekooy, Daniela Ivanova, Daniel Sandu, Ljupco Manevski, Goran Alacki, Adriana Alacka, Lee Otterholt, etc.

Folk dance has opened up my world to networking with IFD groups in Arizona and California as well as individuals overseas and in EEFC (Eastern European Folklife Center). This brings information, opportunities, visitors, and workshop teachers to our PIFD "village."

Folk dance is friendship in motion.
See you at Encanto Park!
Let's get acquainted and let's dance!

Featured Member Joyce Story

Joyce has danced in one form another since age four, beginning with tap dancing in kindergarten, where she blithely joined in tap dance lessons that were offered as an "extra" at the school, not understanding that her parents had not, and could not, pay for the lessons. Happily, the school allowed her to participate just the same. Joyce encountered the world of international folk dancing only as a graduate student at Indiana University, and from that time on, folk dancing has been her favorite form of dance. Wherever she goes, she investigates the possibility of dancing with a local folk dance group. (She often joins the University of Florida dance group in Gainesville but had no luck finding a group in Athlone, Ireland!). Joyce attended the Balkanfolk 2005 Workshop in Bulgaria, and along with several other Phoenix International Folk Dancers, she plans to attend Mel Mann's 2008 Folkdance Cruise in Russia.

Joyce is deeply interested in multiculturalism, an interest that is reflected not only in her love of international folk dancing, with its diverse dances, costumes, music, and food. This same fascination with the wealth of the world's cultural traditions is seen in her storytelling activity, which began many years ago with the telling of a Russian folk tale; as a teller, Joyce continues to favor traditional folk stories from around the world. Perhaps her dedication to cultural diversity can be seen most vividly, however, in her professional life, as a teacher of foreign languages. Joyce has lived abroad extensively, and she has studied and taught several languages--French, Russian, Polish, and Spanish.

Featured Member Jo-Anne Clemens

As of January 1995, I had never heard of international folkdance but that was soon to change. The term folkdance conjured up some sort of Kumbya type of movement done to music by Joan Baez. My dance experience up to that point was the free style non-partner dancing done to rock music of the late 60's and early 70's. Around 1987, while living on Long Island, N.Y., I paid $5 for an introductory lesson to ballroom dance at a Fred Astaire Studio. One half hour later, the young fellow hadn't been able to teach me to waltz! It never occurred to me that his teaching style didn't meet my needs–I just assumed that I was unteachable.

At the urging of my 84 year old mother to get her involved in square dance and contra dance (another dance form I'd never heard of), I found an ad in the local paper for line and folk dance taught by 81 y/o Muriel Miller (formerly from New York), a local folkdance teacher from the East Valley. I called her and asked if she taught square dance. She said she didn't but highly encouraged us to come anyhow and see if we liked what she did teach. My intention was to drop my mother off, return an hour and a half later, and take her home. With the two of us, Muriel had 6 beginners. We were warmly greeted and instantly put at ease. Muriel would not hear of me leaving, and on that first day started making a folkdancer out of me.

Country line dances such as those done to Boot Scootin' Boogie and Achy Breaky Heart were interspersed with folk dances such as Tarantella and Cotton Eyed Joe. I learned waltz, two step, grapevines and most importantly, rhythm. Muriel saw in me the potential to be a good folkdancer. She introduced me to her performing folkdance group, The Valley Folkdancers. I was quickly outfitted in ethnic costume and joined the group in a couple of performances. Sadly, Muriel passed away a couple of months later. Within a month, I became part of the Valley Folk Steppers, a group headed by another local folkdance teacher, Alice Stewart (now Fenwick, formerly from California). This group performed mostly couple dances such as German, Scandinavian, English, Irish, and Mexican at a variety of venues such as nursing homes, senior living complexes, the State Fair, Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix, libraries, and city recreational centers. I rapidly overcame my stage fright. By the following year, Alice had me assisting in the teaching by squiring around the newcomers as either a "boy" or "girl" as the need required. Being able to switch roles has become such a valuable aid in subsequent dance review sessions.

Another excellent folkdance teacher, Jack Goldberg (formerly from Chicago, Ill.), began coming regularly to Alice's practices. Jack (who at age 96 is still an active dancer) was adept at all the couple dances but would also teach the line and circle dances of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Israel, and Romania, to name a few. While learning folkdance, I also took lessons in square and round dance. The square dance club met Thursday nights and we became regulars there for the next 3 years. When my mother would come for the winter, we'd also attend contra dances held in Tempe. In retrospect, I'm not sure how I had time for my full time job as an emergency room RN working the 11pm to 7am shift!

By February 1999, I was no longer a regular square dancer so my Thursday nights were suddenly free. At the urgings of Harriet Daszewski, a fellow folkdancer with both Muriel's and Alice's groups, as well as a long time member of PIFD, I started dancing at Encanto Park on Thursday nights. I had a lot to learn as this group did very few couple dances. Fortunately, the group was practicing for the March Folkdance Festival. Alice had been reviewing many of the dances and most were not difficult. This introduction to eastern European line and circle dances prepared me for the teachings of Norman Ward (formerly from Yugoslavia) and his wife Susan, international folkdance teachers (also once part of a professional performing group) from Scottsdale. Now, I was learning Balkan dances with intricate footwork and tricky transitions involving step lifts, hesitations, and turns. I loved it!

One of the first workshops I attended at Encanto was that of Israeli dances taught by internationally known Shlomo Bachar. Up to that point, I hadn't realized that these teachers went all over the country (and world) teaching these kinds of dances. As I became a PIFD regular attendee and finally a member, I discovered that many of the folkdances I didn't know or found difficult to learn by standing behind the dance line, existed on VHS tapes thanks to the taping efforts of then PIFD vice president Alice Chong. Since one of the member benefits was access to these tapes, I would find out the name of the dance I liked, and then watch it on video as many times as necessary until I learned the dance. It was truly a magnificent obsession!

Since becoming involved with PIFD, I and other members have attended 5 folkdance workshops at Camp Hess Kramer in California coordinated by well known California folkdance teacher Beverly Barr. I've attended one California Statewide Festival in Palm Springs featuring world renowned Yves Moreau and his wife France teaching folkdances of Bulgaria and French Canada. Our group attended a workshop in Prescott by Athan Karras, a well known teacher of Greek dances. In 2004, myself and Wayne, my significant other, cruised to Hawaii with other folkdancers, many being members of Beverly Barr's California folkdance group. We enjoyed folkdancing twice a day during the cruise.

Through the efforts of our PIFD president, Lois Postel, our folkdance group has hosted many international teachers of diverse ethnicity for workshops several times a year. This summer, many of our group (myself and Wayne included) are joining Balkan folkdance teacher Lee Otterholt on the Russian Waterways 2008 Folkdance Cruise down the Volga River from Moscow to St. Petersburg. I've come a long way since stumbling and bumbling my way through a waltz in 1987!

Featured Member Joyce Himes (the webmaster was elected to be first!)

While attending college at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, I was required to take 6 physical education courses. Not being a field hockey type of gal, I decided to try folk dancing. To say I was immediately hooked is an understatement. From then on, every spare moment between classes was spent at the gym checking out records (yes, we still used vinyl back then) and dancing. After successful completion of the first course, I continued with Folk Dance Level II and eventually auditioned and joined the Banevolks, the college's performing group. Yaakov Eden had just joined BSU and took over the group, and even though he had a strict and stern exterior, he became a good friend and I learned a lot from him.

After graduation I moved to Arizona and began dancing with the Phoenix group which, at that time, was meeting at Phoenix College. We had a small performing group and danced at various festivals, churches and events. Since I was working for the airlines, I managed to combine my travel benefits with my love of folk dance and attended many dance workshops all over the country and Canada. I feel very fortunate that I have learned from and danced with great teachers such as Yves Moreau, Jaap Leegwater, Ahmet Lüleci, Joe Graziosi, Atanas Kolarovski, Nico Hilferink, Michael Ginsburg, Steve Kotansky, Petur and Georgi Iliev, Ventzi Sotirov, Athan Karras, Dick Crum, Tom Bozigian, Andor Czompo, Theodor Vasilescu, Mihai David, Želko Jergan, Bora Özkök, Ercüment Kiliç, George Tomov and many more. I've lost count of all the camps I've attended, but some were Idyllwild, Stockton, L.I.F.E., Santa Barbara, San Diego, Buffalo Gap, Pinewoods, World Camp, Montreal, New Mexico, Hess Kramer, CA Statewide, Mainewoods, Kolo Festival and Bannerman Family Camp (most of those multiple times!). I also took 3 folk dance tours to Bulgaria (led by Jaap) and Turkey (led by Ahmet and Joe) and got to experience the national fesitval in Koprivstitsa, Bulgaria.

There did come a time when I finally felt I needed a break from folk dancing, mostly because I was more into funk and hip hop aerobics at the gym, busy being self-employed and owning 3 businesses and just other things in life. So after a long hiatus I have recently returned to dancing with the Phoenix International Folk Dancers, feeling like a beginner again. I'm happy to see the group going strong with many talented dancers and I hope that I can add something positive to the group. I currently live in Glendale, Arizona with the special guy in my life plus our 2 greyhounds and work from home doing web design and various online enterprises.