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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1981)
4 Focus, The Battalion Thursday, February 19, 1981 Folkdances from around the world keep these dancers ’ feet tapping By Valerie Shockey Battalion Reporter The Texas A&M University International Folk Dancers may not be the largest group of dan cers on campus, but they cer tainly bring alive a bit of culture. The group does all types of international dances including Russian, Swedish, and Bulga rian, group member Sue Friesen said. "If someone would like to teach us a dance, they are al ways welcome," Friesen said. The club, which has been is exsistence for about five years, is sponsored by funds from the Memorial Student Center Book store and by the $1.50 dues each member pays, Friesen said. The group has given perform ances for Library Week and Washington-on- the-Brazos ceremonies, Friesen said. The group also co-sponsored a clogging and American dance workshop with the Texas Inter national Folk Dancers, on Feb. 6,7 and 8. Friesen is also a mem ber of the state group. Friesen said about 115 people attended the workshop, mostly clogging groups from around Texas. People from Austin, Friendswood, Houston and San Antonio attended, but the work shop also attracted people from Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ten nessee, said Kaye Roth, another member of the state-wide orga nization. Jerry Duke, who has held workshops at other colleges and universities and who is complet ing his doctorate in dance at Texas Women's University in Denton, taught the workshop. Duke taught clogging, some American dances and some Bul garian and Swedish dances. He also gave a culture session on influences upon clogging and how it came about, Roth said. Duke said there are two types of clogging: the old-time frees tyle, where the dancers are re laxed and do what they want, and the precision, which is mostly done by teams who do the same step at the same time. Precision clogging, which has been in existence for 15 years, is the most popular and is done all over the United States, Duke said. Some of the groups who attended the workshop gave performances on Saturday night, Roth said. The Cadence Cloggers from San Antonio and the Friend swood Country Cloggers were two groups who performed, Roth said. "Some groups gave demon strations of unusual instru ments such as the mouthbow (something like a Jew's harp), Paul Duke demonstrates the finer points of clogging to the Texas A&M International Folkdancers. Photo by Valerie Shockey. WILDERNESS ETHICS SEMINAR presented by Dr. Richard Bury professor Recretion and Parks Thurs. Feb. 19 7:30 p.m. 401 Rudder MSC Outdoor Recreation Committee Paul Duke and partner twirl their way through one of the dances Duke taught at the clogging workshop at Texas A&M University. Photo by Valerie Shockey. the saw and the spoons," Roth said. Most of the money earned by the workshop went to the Texas International Folk Dancers for the Thanksgiving Folk Dance camp they sponsor every year, Friesen said. Anyone interested in joining the Texas A&M International Folk Dancers should attend the meetings and dance sessions held every Thursday at 8 p.m. in 263 G. Rollie White. Basement hosts Uncle Walt The Memorial Student Center Basement Committee will pre sent Uncle Walt's Band in concert this Friday and Saturday. Uncle Walt's Band, a country and bluegrass band from San Antonio, has appeared in the Basement several times. Because of renovation in progress in the Basement Coffee house, the band will perform in 201 MSC. Admission for the show is $3. Send a “Peek At Spring!” to snmponp A to someone v you love — with a colorful bouquet of helium balloons! CaU fr om Weekdays 1-5 p.m. n 696-4179 bunch-a-b’loons