International Folk Dance Association   of University City presents . . .
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Couple Dances from Croatia
a workshop taught by 

January 21 - 23, 2005
University City (St. Louis), Missouri

Croatian dances fill a special and popular place in folk-dance repertoire because of their joyous nature and lively music, often with full-voice, melodic singing.  Those who attended our previous workshop by Zeljko Jergan learned some couple dances like Skaljarsko Kolo, which is simple yet fun and elegant.  Come and fill out your dance repertoire with more gems from Croatia, this time with an emphasis on couple dances.  Most of the dances are prearranged, with fairly simple patterns that are not very difficult to learn, and are also accessible to relatively new dancers. It is not necessary to bring a partner.

Schedule and Prices

See schedule at the right for details.  A weekend dance pass is available for $35 which includes everything in the schedule except for the lunches.  Individual sessions, lunches, and the Saturday night dancing may also be paid for at the door (see schedule for prices).  You may use the Registration Form to order weekend passes and lunches early.

Easier dances will be taught on Friday night as an introduction to the workshop.  The Sunday afternoon review session is for workshop attendees only, but other interested persons are invited to come and observe.

About the Teacher

Zeljko Jergan (pronounced "ZHEL-ko YAIR-gahn") is a renowned choreographer and teacher throughout the world.  Since moving to the United States in 1986, he has created over 350 original choreographies for 70 different amateur, semi-professional and professional ensembles, including Les Sortileges, Brigham Young University, Radost Folk Ensemble and the Duquesne University Tamburitzans.

Zeljko has been extremely busy working with the international folk dance community, where he is in popular demand for his depth and style in teaching Croatian folk dancing.  He has traveled extensively both domestically and abroad, and has been featured at folk dance seminars and workshops in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan.

Zeljko has made a significant contribution to the Canadian Croatian folklore community, where he has been sought year after year to create original new choreographies for both the eastern and western Canadian Croatian Folklore Festivals.  He also serves as artistic director for the Kraljica Jelena Folklore Ensemble of Kitchener, Ontario, and the Croatian Village Folklore Ensemble of Hamilton, Ontario, in which he continually strives to elevate the level of authenticity and presentation of those ensembles.  He is also the artistic director for the folklore ensemble Hrvatski Tanac and the Kumovi Adult Ensemble of Pittsburgh, and the St. Anthony's Folklore Ensemble of Los Angeles.

A native of Varazdin, Croatia, Zeljko was a leading performer with the Croatian National Folk Ensemble Lado for twelve years.  He also performed with the Zagreb National Ballet and Modern Dance Companies for several years.  He is a graduate of the Varazdin School of Music and the Cakovec School of Architecture, and worked under the tutelage of Milica Glavocic Pininsky, a consultant to the Zagreb Ethnographic Museum.  Zeljko has received two full fellowship grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in support of his artistic work.

See also Zeljko's web site at www.tamburaland.com/bands/zjergan.

• To hear examples of the type of dance music that will be featured at this workshop, tune in to Music from the Hills on Saturdays from 4:00 to 6:000 p.m. on radio station KDHX, 88.1 FM in St. Louis.  The program is co-hosted by IFDA members John Uhlemann and Gitry Heydebrand.  You can also listen online -- see KDHX's web site at www.kdhx.org.

Made possible by grants from

Locations

University United Methodist Church (Friday and Saturday):  6901 Washington Ave., University City, Missouri; on the northwest corner of Washington and Trinity south of the Lion Gates on Delmar -- see Yahoo! Map.  Parking is available in the church lot and on Trinity, but please do not park on the residential part of Washington.  Walk by the playground in front of the church, and enter by the door at the inner corner of the L-shaped building.

The Focal Point (Sunday):  2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, Missouri; 1 1/2 blocks south of Manchester -- see Yahoo! Map.  Watch for one-way streets in the area.  Park on street.  Directions will also be available at the Saturday sessions.

Other Information

Lunches on Saturday and Sunday will feature soups and salads.  Dinner on Saturday will be pot-luck.  Contributions of fruits and sweets for snacks during the workshop would be appreciated.

Hard-soled shoes (leather or synthetic) are recommended, as rubber tends to stick to the floor.

Crash Space is available.  Please contact Diana Blanchard at 314-726-5737 or diana.blanchard@att.net, or indicate your needs on the Registration Form.

For Other Information: Please contact Nancy or Rex Couture (phone 314-275-8228, E-mail ), or Diana Blanchard (phone 314-726-5737, E-mail diana.blanchard@att.net).