PIFD - Phoenix International Folk Dancers

Member Spotlight Archive

March 2008 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.

February 2008 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!

January 2008 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.