2008 Woodie Awards
Dancing with the world at international dance event
The Folk Dance Festival in La Villita attracts people from as far as Chicago,New York and Los Angeles.
By Andrea M. Pena
Last update: 5/17/06 at 8:20 AM CST
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Nelda Drury, who has been retired for 20 years as a San Antonio College dance instructor at this college, recalls the establishment of the San Antonio College Folk Dance Festival.
"When I was teaching at SAC, my performing group was invited to a National Folk Festival in St. Louis, Mo.," festival founder Drury said.
Drury and her team thought of raising money for the festival by having their own festival.
The festival, which was once used as an means to an end, is an internationally known annual celebration of world dance and music.
The event, which includes four dance workshops and a concert, is sponsored by San Antonio College, San Antonio College Dance Umbrella and the City of San Antonio.
The festival workshops begin at 7:30 p.m. March 10 at Bolivar Hall in La Villita. General admission for the workshops is $50. It is free to all Alamo Community College students, faculty and staff.
"Lots of people come from Chicago, New York and Los Angeles," Drury said. "La Villita is a nice place for our visitors to stroll around."
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. March 11 in the auditorium of McAllister Fine Arts Center. The admission is free for ACCD students, faculty and staff; $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and students; and free for children 12 and under.
The workshops consist of a Bulgarian dance, a Romanian dance, an English country dance and a country and western square dance.
"The teachers that we are bringing are a wonderful group with a big resume," Drury said.
The teachers come from Montreal, Canada. They have taught all over the world such as Korea, South America, Japan and all over Europe.
The concert brings many professional and nonprofessional groups to perform. One of the performances will be by Csárdás Hungarian dancers, who are an Austin group.
"They sing Balkan songs," said Evelyn Heni, member of the Folk Dance Festival board. "It has sort of a similar quality of Gregorian chants."
With all the various and intertwining cultures, the festival is an untapped resource for eclectic dance and music.
"SAC students participate very little because the festival lands on the first weekend of spring break," Heni said.
For more information on the folk dance festival call Heny 227-0814.
For more information on the San Antonio International Folk Dance workshop, call Drury 342-2905.
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