From:  Ira Weisburd (dancewithira@comcast.net)

I am looking forward to resuming our folk dance classes in Margate this Saturday, May 7 from 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Please join us for a welcome back dance.  Come learn some new dances and enjoy lot’s of Open Dancing with your favorite requests!!

I have just returned from a 28 Day Workshop Tour of Asia. I was invited to teach in four Asian countries on a whirlwind tour that took me to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. My original itinerary was supposed to take me to Fukushima, JAPAN; however, 2 weeks before my departure the earthquake hit and we were lucky enough to reroute our last week to Malaysia instead.

Workshops were organized in each country where I taught Line Dances and Israeli, International and Balkan Circle Dances. It is a great honor to be invited to teach in Asia and I am extremely grateful for having had this opportunity not once, but twice. Very few before have had that privilege.

I would like to introduce you to a world many of you may not be familiar with.

Hong Kong has one of the oldest folk dance histories in all of Asia. It was back in 1958, when it first began. That is nearly 53 years ago!! Rickey Holden was the very first instructor to be invited back then. The next instructor invited was Israeli Dance Teacher/Choreographer David Edery followed by Israeli Choreographer Moshiko. That was much later in the year 1981. Then, in 1985, I was invited to teach in Hong Kong and Taiwan. That was more than 25 years ago!! I was amazed to see that they are still doing many of the dances I had taught them. Then in the ‘90’s, a wave of choreographers from Israel were invited ie. Yehuda Emanuel, Moshe Telem, Gabriel Almog, Mishael Barzilai, Gadi Bitton and Dudu Barzilai. Then, a few years later, International Choreographer/Teachers were invited ie. Tom Bozigian, Tineke, Yves Moreau, and others.

Over the years, folk dancing spread to Singapore and Malaysia. Each country has numerous clubs and groups and I was happy to see how well they all appear to work together and support one another. It was also so refreshing to see that most every group dances everything from Israeli, Balkan and International Circle Dances to Line Dancing and Couple Dancing. It is a pleasure teaching in Asia, because they are such amazing dancers!! My workshops were not sponsored by individual classes or groups, but the Folk Dance Alliance which attracted dancers and instructors (they call “tutors”) from all different groups. In both Hong Kong and Singapore, I was told that the workshops I gave drew a record crowd!!

I want everyone to know that the dances I taught in Asia are well documented. I spent the last 2 weeks uploading these amazing videos on my Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/iraweisburd?feature=mhum.

That is the best place to view them all. As a subscriber, you can check the box under subscriptions to receive an automatic e-mail notification any time I upload a new video.

You can also “Friend Me” on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dancewithira .

As a matter of fact, there is a whole blog on facebook, where you can actually follow my 28 Day Asian Workshop Tour through photos with descriptions and of course videos from the workshops. Go back to Easter Sunday. That is where the blog begins. It was quite a spectacular tour!!

Here are just 2 videos that you will see:
Raspukala Sar Planina: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YBWtYAoNk&feature=channel_video_title
                                
Ako Umram Il Zaginam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJcdsXcgj5s

FYI, I will be guest choreographer along with Steve Kotansky at Sasha’s Annual Folk Dance Celebration Weekend at Circle Lodge in New York on June 17-19, 2011. I am looking forward to this wonderful annual event which I’ve been a part of for more than 25 years!! Come join us!! I’ve heard the weekend is filling up fast. So, please make your reservations now!! For more information: contact Sasha at: sashjac@rcn.com .
 
P.S. In August, I am planning a Workshop Tour in Texas!!