A very special evening of dancing is planned for this coming April 27th. Franklin Houston will present a program of "Golden Oldies" (dances introduced to AIFD before 1980, dances taught by Bobbi Gillotti and dances taught by Dick Crum). The program will have something for everyone.
Many of the dances will be easy enough for the newer dancer, while a number of them will be challenging enough for the most experienced dancer.
Short biographies are included below for Bobbi and Dick, along with a list of the dances from which the program will be created.
Estella "Bobbi" Gillotti was born in New Fairfield, Connecticut, on May 31, 1933. She was a graduate of Danbury Teachers College and later received a Bachelors and a Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Until her retirement, she was a school librarian at Hill School and St. Louis School in Austin. Bobbi was an ardent folk dancer, belonging to Austin International Folk Dancers as well as Texas International Folk Dancers. She taught and led dances and ran dance programs for 40 years. Bobbi died in Austin, Texas on December 24, 1998.
Richard George "Dick" Crum was born on December 8, 1928, and raised in a Romanian neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. He started folk dancing in 1947 and later became a teacher at an Arthur Murray dance studio. Beginning in 1950, Dick was with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans for many years, first as a dancer, then as choreographer and technical adviser. From 1951 until the late ‘90s, Dick was a perennial favorite teacher among folk dancers. He studied and received a Bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s degree in Slavic Languages and Literature from Harvard University. For years, Dick was an editor for a foreign-language translation service agency in Los Angeles, California. In addition to English, Dick spoke Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Spanish and Romanian. He also had a working knowledge of Brazilian, Chinese, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and several other languages, including Old Church Slavonic. Dick died on December 12, 2005.
The program will be chosen from the dances listed below (with perhaps a few spontaneous surprises!).
Dance | Country | Form | Level |
Aino Kchume | Assyria | Couple | Int |
Poskakusa | Bosnia | Line | Easy |
Bučimiš | Bulgaria | Line | Int |
Dajcovo Horo | Bulgaria | Line | Int |
Dobrudzanska Reka | Bulgaria | Line | Adv |
Ekizlijsko Horo | Bulgaria | Line | Int |
Eleno Mome | Bulgaria | Line | Int |
Gankino Horo | Bulgaria | Line | Adv |
Jambolsko Pajduško Horo | Bulgaria | Line | Easy |
Jove Male Mome | Bulgaria | Line | Adv |
Maričensko Pravo Horo | Bulgaria | Line | Easy |
Ripna Maca | Bulgaria | Line | Adv |
Trite Pâti | Bulgaria | Line | Int |
Sardana | Catalonia | Circle | Int |
Čiro | Croatia | Circle | Easy |
Hopa Hopa | Croatia | Circle | Easy |
Kolo Kalendara | Croatia | Circle | Easy |
Kriči Kriči Tiček | Croatia | Circle | Easy |
Lički Tanac | Croatia | Set | Int |
Moja Diridika | Croatia | Circle | Int |
Šestinski Drmeš | Croatia | Circle | Easy |
Slavonsko Kolo | Croatia | Circle | Int |
Sukačko Kolo | Croatia | Cir/Cpl | Easy |
Doudlebska Polka | Czech Republic | Mixer | Easy |
Sønderhoning | Denmark | Couple | Int |
To Ting | Denmark | Couple | Int |
Zwiefache | Germany | Couple | Adv |
Miserlou | Greece | Line | Easy |
Sylivriano Syrtos | Greece | Line | Int |
Tsamiko from Epirus | Greece | Line | Easy |
Korcsardas | Hungary | Couple | Easy |
Dodi Li | Israel | Couple | Int |
Erev Ba | Israel | Circle | Easy |
Ma Na'avu | Israel | Circle | Easy |
Tanko Bushi | Japan | Indiv | Int |
Arap | Macedonia | Line | Easy |
Berovka | Macedonia | Line | Easy |
Jovano, Jovanke | Macedonia | Line | Easy |
Katuše Mome Katuše | Macedonia | Line | Int |
Kopacka | Macedonia | Line | Adv |
Kostursko Oro | Macedonia | Line | Easy |
Povrateno Oro | Macedonia | Line | Int |
Rørospols | Norway | Couple | Adv |
By A Spring | Russia | Circle | Easy |
Korobushka | Russia | Mixer | Easy |
Bela Rada | Serbia | Line | Int |
Djurdjevka Kolo | Serbia | Line | Easy |
Ersko Kolo | Serbia | Line | Easy |
Fatise Kolo | Serbia | Line | Easy |
Makazice | Serbia | Line | Easy |
Malo Kolo | Serbia | Circle | Easy |
Orijent | Serbia | Line | Int |
Prekid Kolo | Serbia | Line | Int |
Rokoko Kolo | Serbia | Line | Easy |
Vrtielka Czardas | Slovakia | Couple | Int |
Hambopolska | Sweden | Couple | Adv |
Schottische | Sweden | Couple | Int |
Arkan | Ukraine | Line | Adv |
Jitterbug/Swing | USA | Couple | Int |
Texas Two-Step | USA | Couple | Int |