International Folk Dance Association   of University City presents . . .
	Past Event Page  •  IFDA Home Page

Italian Traditional Dances and Music

a workshop taught by

Celest DiPietropaolo
Marie DiCocco

November 18-20, 2005
University City (St. Louis), Missouri

No previous experience required  •  No partners needed

The commonly-held belief in North America is that the Italian traditional music and dancing consists mostly of "the" tarantella and a few other choreographed dances and songs.  A richer tradition, still very much alive today, exists in the mountain villages of Italy and can be observed by those who wish to come in contact with a culture which has not been dominated or changed by tourism or television.

Italian traditional dances are the most varied of any country in Europe, because they reflect the influence of many conquering or migrating peoples over a span of three thousand years.  They include line, couple, improvisational, carnival, courtship, social, wedding, religious, competition, game, and singing dances.  The dances are rich in tradition but are not complex.  The working class in Italy did not have time to learn complex dances.

This dance workshop will feature cultural immersion with live music, Italian food, and lots of anecdotes.  Saturday evening will be mostly traditional northern Italian dancing and will feature live music.

Schedule and Prices

See schedule at the right for details.  A weekend dance pass is available for $45 which includes everything in the schedule except for the lunches.  You may use the Registration Form to order weekend passes and lunches.  Individual sessions, the Saturday night party, and the lunches may also be paid for at the door as indicated in the schedule.

The Sunday sessions are intended for those who have attended earlier workshop sessions, but other interested persons are invited to come and observe.

About the Teachers

Celest DiPietropaolo and Marie DiCocco lived in Italy for three years, during which time they researched and analyzed traditional Italian village music and dance from the mountains of southern, central, and northern Italy including the island of Sardinia.  They have taught Italian dancing in over 40 cities and have appeared at Florida Folk Dance Camp, Friends of International Folk Dance Weekend in New Orleans, Mendocino Folk Dance Camp, the Chicago Festival, and Folklore Village Farm.  In 1976 Celest founded the Italian Folklore Group of Washington, D.C., and was its director for 18 years.  He was also one of the founders of the Italian Folk Art Federation of America and served as its folk dance chairman.

As professional musicians, Celest and Marie are both classically trained but also deeply steeped in folk traditions.  Celest grew up listening to the sounds of Irish, Yiddish, Slovenian, Bohemian, and Polish music, and then spent several years dancing and playing accordion with Balkan, Scandinavian, Polish, Bulgarian, and Swiss performing groups in the Washington, D.C. area.  Marie grew up playing German music.  She currently plays professionally for theater and liturgical events.  Celest has performed traditional music at all of the major festivals in the Washington, D.C. area, including those sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, Folklore Society of Washington, and the Italian Embassy.  They regularly perform Italian music under the name Italian Village Music and Dance. Celest plays accordion and organetto; Marie sings and plays guitar and percussion instruments.  For more information on Celest and Marie, you can visit their Web site at users.erols.com/mdicocco/home.htm.

Two musical friends, Sean Folsom (bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy), and John Parrish (fiddle), will entertain for the Saturday evening party in addition to local musicians.  Other instruments will include clarinet, cello, bass, tambourine, bottle, castanets and harmonica.

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 6:00 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.

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

	Made possible by grants from

Hard-soled shoes (leather or synthetic) are recommended, since rubber tends to stick to the floor.  Dress is casual.

Lunches will feature soups and salad.  Dinner on Saturday will be potluck, with Italian dishes encouraged.  Contributions of fruits and sweets for snacks would be appreciated.

Joan Amsterdam of International Folk Rhythms, Ltd. will have a variety of ethnic recordings, books, clothing and accessories, and crafts for sale on Friday and Saturday.

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 or Bill Blanchard (phone 314-726-5737, E-mail diana.blanchard@att.net).