Howdy Dancers, Last Saturday's Kalispell International Folk Dance brought together a good group of dancers and a bodacious supply of food snacks to celebrate Russ Conn's birthday. We also did about 30 dances! It was a fine evening. Contra dancing is on the calendar for this Saturday Dec. 12. International folk dancing in Kalispell is cancelled this weekend. The Contra dance is scheduled from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., at the Northridge Lutheran Church (an alternative venue since the Salvation Army gym is now a staging area for a Christmas toy give-away). Live music will be by Skippin' A Groove, and Morna Leonard wll be calling. Admission is $7 for adults & teens, $13 for families, free for kids & non-dancers. The international dance schedule is a bit up in the air for the rest of the holiday season. We would normally dance on Saturday Dec. 19, but that's the last Saturday before Christmas, and in the past the Salvation Army has used the gym for a Christmas event on the Saturday before Christmas. I'm assuming that there will be international dancing on Dec. 26, Jan. 2 and 9, but Rose & I will miss the next four dance weekends so will be unable to update the schedule. For the latest info, best bet will be to email Roger or Russ Elsewhere around the state, Eva reports: The Butte folk dancers will be partying this Sunday evening (Dec. 13) 7-9 p.m. at Sacred Ground, 601 W. Park. Come join us for request dancing, food (bring some if you come) and time to visit. Fancy skirts are ok as are bottles of wine and jingle bells on your shoes! Let us know if you're coming and if you'd like a billet( i.e. place to stay over!) maxneva@rfwave.net In Bozeman, International/Scottish dancing is scheduled Tuesday Dec. 19 on the MSU campus. Contact Cecelia if you are headed that way. cecelia@notess.com Cecelia also sent the following links to Seattle music & dance videos: Songs of Sevdah A show about traditional urban music of old Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dancing is at 14 minutes and at 40 minutes.You may recognize the dance, U Sest. Note the women's footwear: backless, strapless slippers. Vocalists, note Mary Sherhart at 46 min. http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=6010835 Dances Under the Crescent Moon Helene Eriksen's Traditional Dance Theater presents a showcase of dances from Algeria, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Uzbekistan, Amenia, and of the Roma (Gypsy) communities of Hungary. Note hand motions at 19 min - like the 4 part women's Armenian dance, Aghchka Jerazanke. Helene Eriksen was the fine teacher and lovely dancer who presented in Butte this past August. http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=6010823 Information from Tineke Van Geel Cultural Tours to Armenia in 2010 *May 9-23, August 15-29, Sept. 26-Oct. 10 **Price: 1995 Euro (flight included) *No dancing, but Armenian culture (historic monuments), nature (hiking), Armenian cuisine and people (i.e. visit to a village) will be the focus of these tours to this beautiful country* **Detailed information on my new website: * www.armeniaholiday.com * * *Dance Tour with 2 guest teachers *April 29-May 9. Price: 1545 Euro (flight included) *Detailed information: * www.tinekevangeel.nl Kind regards, Tineke van Geel For more information on international dancing and links to music, events and other information, visit the Kalispell International Folk Dancers web site, where you can also find recent dance lists: http://montanafolkdance.org/flathead/ ------------------------------ Hi, Our next Contra Dance will be at the Northridge Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army gym is being used for Christmas stuff. December 12th, 2009 Band-Skippin a Groove Caller-Morna Leonard Northridge Lutheran Church, 323 Northridge Drive 7:30-10:30 PM The first part of the evening will have very easy dances and explanation of common calls. ALL the dances throughout the evening are taught and called.... $7.00-Adults and Teens $13.00-Families FREE-Kids FREE-Non-Dancers Directions to the Northridge Lutheran Church From the intersection of Hwy 2 and Hwy 93, turn north toward Whitefish. At the crest of the hill, before you drop down to the college, turn *left* onto Northridge Drive. Qdoba is on the right, you want to turn left onto Northridge Drive. Northridge Lutheran is about 2 blocks on the right OR, if you're coming from Whitefish, when you see Qdoba on your left, turn right onto Northridge Drive. If you have any questions, call Joe at 752-7469 or Sherry at 752-8226 Hope to see you there! Joe ---------------------------- Hello Dancers, Quick correction: looking ahead to January, Joe points out that Jan. 9 will be a Contra Dance night here in Kalispell. Maryann Zeliznak in South Carolina sends the following: Hey, there's a movie running for the holidays on the Lifetime channel called "The 12 Men of Christmas". It's a romantic comedy and guess what - the backdrop is Kalispell. It reminded me of when I was there. Wow. Merry Christmas to everyone at the KIFD. From Michael Sweet in Missoula: As a follow up to the link that Cecelia sent : [Songs of Sevdah “note Mary Sherhart at 46 min.” http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=6010835] I discovered this band was hosting an evening Balkan Dance party in Seattle on March 12th: http://www.ratchenitza.com/Flyer/BalkanCabaret3-12-10.pdf Up for a road trip? Please pass along. Maybe so! Happy holidays & happy dancing to everyone. Don