|
| |
|
Some
Background on the Federation
|
|
As I traveled around the country doing workshops, it became clear to me
that most German groups knew very little about German dance, culture,
geography, and history. However, everyone was so eager to learn
that I thought about how to get everyone to dance the same dance the
same way and call it by its proper name. So, I set the date,
invited the officers of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Volkstanz and
leader of America-German dance groups, and we spent a weekend learning
German Dances! Everyone received a syllabus with the dances
taught, and was able to purchase the music and a video tape of the
teaching sessions. There was a costume exhibit and we developed a
constitiution, by-laws, and set the date for the next weekend workshop.
Since then we have become the North American sector of the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Volkstanz (DGV), along with Siberia, Khasakstan, and
Brazil.
|
|
Karin
Gottier
|
|
The
North American Branch of Der
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Volkstanz e.V.
A
collection of associations, groups and individuals interested in promoting and
preserving the traditional dance, music, folklore and crafts of Germany and
German speaking countries.
A
not for profit organization formed with the purposes and goals stated below:
The
Federation shall :
-
Practice
and cultivate German folk dance forms as found in Germany and minor German
communities outside of Germany.
-
Preserve
and disseminate related aspects of folklore in their historical and cultural
context including costumes, needlecrafts and music. Conduct seminars and
workshops on the skills and talents necessary to recreate, as close as
possible, the costumes, dances, instruments and music in German regional
styles.
-
Educate
members in a basic repertoire of dances in their original, as-collected,
form and in their historical, geographic and cultural context. Strive to
understand the impact of German minorities on their host community and the
community on them.
-
Translate
source materials using a standardized vocabulary to assure consistent and
accurate folklore presentations by members.
-
Document
the cultural and historical background of members.
The
NAFGFDG* was founded in July 1994.
(*)
The organization’s name was changed to “American Federation of German Folk
Dance Groups” in 2009.
|
|
STATEMENT
OF PURPOSE
NORTH
AMERICAN FEDERATION
OF
GERMAN
FOLK DANCE GROUPS*
The
North-American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups was founded in
1994 with the following objectives:
|
OBJECTIVES |
|
To practice and cultivate traditional dance forms as
found in Germany and
among the German minority communities in other European
countries.
To preserve and disseminate related aspects of folklore
in their historical
and cultural context, including dance, costumes, needle crafts
and music. To this
end, conduct seminars and workshops on the skills and talents
necessary to create,
as closely as possible, the costumes, dances, music and folklore
of the various
regional styles.
To establish a basic repertoire of dances in their
original, as-collected form
and in their historical, geographic and cultural context which
is shared by all
member groups.
To strive to understand the impact of German minorities
on their host
community and the host community on their German neighbors.
To translate source material using a standardized
vocabulary to assure
consistent and accurate folklore presentations by members.
To document the cultural and historical background of
members.
|
|
Click
Here for PDF Printable Version |
The organization is the North-American sector of the 'Gesellschaft
für Volkstanz im Bundesgebiet' - 'The Society for Folk Dance in the
Federal Republic of Germany' (DGV).
(*) The organization’s name was changed
to “American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups” in 2009.
|
|
American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups