CLOSE UP by Brian Rudnick

Children learn ballroom dance from Champ

Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Estonian and Italian can be heard spoken as mothers of these heritages prepare their 5, 6 and 7 year olds for a ballroom dancing class at the Water Tower Recreation Center, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.  Victoria Scotti brings 5 year old Isabella, who also takes ballet, both for the music and the chance to dance with boys.  Instructor Alina Fiorella, a teacher of 17 years,  says she stopped professional competition in ballroom dancing which led her to two Ukrainian national championships when she started a family. But she began instructing young children when she was a teen in the Ukraine and continues to do so, now bringing her class to Chestnut Hill.

Fiorella listens solicitously as one child asks for more snacks and another complains of a sore arm. After addressing their concerns, she firmly directs her students through the hour lesson in both dance etiquette and a variety of dance, along with music or with voice commands alone.

Of the  promenades, polkas and such, the “Box dance” is 7 year old Emma Barton’s favorite. Late in the lesson they heel-toe-heel-toe, “Shuffle off to Buffalo and then come back to Mexico.” And then their tired selves are taken up in their mothers’ arms.

Watch video here.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival - beautiful!

Israeli folk dancing Mount Airy

Although Rachel Wolok was exposed to Israeli dancing as a child, it was not until she had moved from Israel to the United States and was older that she had the time to learn and participate in Israeli folk dancing. Wolok has always loved seeing dancers upon the Tayelet, the famous boardwalk in Tel Aviv. Here she does Israeli dancing with the group that meets weekly at the Germantown Jewish Center in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Watch video here

West Philly Orchestra rocks the Art Museum

The West Philadelphia Orchestra entertained an enthusiastic and dancing crowd of youngsters and oldsters for a Chanukah celebration at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on a December Friday night as part of the museum’s “Art After 5” program. The West Philadelphia Klezmer Orchestra, an offshoot of the band, played primarily Klezmer, East European celebration music,  for the occasion. What began on a West Philadelphia porch in 2006 as a mostly string ensemble playing Macedonian tunes, Romanian ballads and Jewish folk songs has evolved over the years into brass instrument Balkan band  playing Serbian and Gypsy melodies and its own versions of these genres. Watch video here.

Dances midst sculpture: Philly Fringe

     

Watch video here. Ellie Goudie-Averill of Stone Depot Dance Lab performs structured and improvisational dances amidst art installations in the warehouse space of Pieri Creations in the  Frankford section of Philadelphia. She talks about how a poetry workshop by Philly poet C.A. Conrad inspired her to write dance instructions for her "Serpent" piece for her part of the bill of "Make it, Break it, Rebuild it," a series of dance performances for the Philadephia Live Arts/Fringe Festival. Averill narrates her first of two dances with a large, branch braided shield-like object, Averill talking about how it's hard to go to sleep with the television on and how 60 some percent of people aged 20 to 37 get their news primarily from Jon Stewart.

"Experimental movement artist Zornitsa Stoyanova. Often times theatrical, her collaborations explore non linear stories, movement invention, spoken word, and object installation." From the Philadelphia Live Arts Fringe Festival 2012 program description. When we walked into this performance, Stoyonova, dressed in large inflated, translucent plastic bags including one over her head was making fine and deliberate movements, sometimes just with her hands which drew our focus, trying to elicit meaning or purpose to their transformation. Watch video interview here.

Japanese men, women pound taiko drums

In this video, a male and female dancer from the Tamagawa Taiko Drumming Ensemble talk about drumming interspersed with footage from their performances at the Philadelphia Japanese blossom festival. See Video here. (Translation anyone?)

Tamagawa dancer loves to dance

A Tamagawa Taiko and Dance Troupe member describes what it's like to dance with the troupe at the Sakura Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. (Awaiting a translation...) Watch video here

Saint Mad's Drummer also taps for the band

Audrey Bookspan of Wyndmoor is a longtime local dance teacher and performer. She once performed with the the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has been the percussionist with Jim Harris and Saint Mad since July 2010. They perform every first Friday at Crossroads Coffee House in Roxborough. Here she taps to "Nice and Easy Does It Every Time." Watch video here

 

Young Friends Dine and Street Dance in Chestnut Hill

Young friends from the suburbs came down to Chestnut Hill of an evening to dine at Osaka and afterwards, hang out and practice their dance moves on the Germantown Avenue sidewalk outside Quelque Chose. Cori and Sam of Ambler on the ends, Will of Harleysville and Jenny of Springfield in the middle. Watch video here.

Something for everyone at Chestnut Hill Garden Fest

Arnie Shiffrin, a wine consultant from Bala Cynwyd, entertains garden fest goers and himself, dancing to the sounds of Melissa Martin and the Mighty Rhythm Kings.  Watch video here.

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Pharmacist Carl Dean of Chestnut Hill Pharmacy who overcame some trouble last year says things are looking up and getting better every day for his personal service oriented shop. Watch video here.

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Certified Zentangle art teacher Terry Greenberg demonstrates Zentangle's meditative technique of making intricate patterns. Watch video here.