Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 14, 2005 Shall we dance? By Cindy Blankenship For the Daily Tidings Brooke Friendly calls a Scottish dance in perfect time with the fast-paced guitar, flute and fiddle music at the Dance Space: “Partner lead in, opposite out, opposite in, right and left and right to the side … and whoosh! … And straight and turn … ” Skipstepping up to one dancer, she emphasizes this last directive, continues calling, and then when he gets it right, adds a “Yes!” all the while never missing a beat. Her light-footedness, spirit and grace are a joy to watch. Folk dances with their changing formations and fancy footwork can seem pretty complex to a beginner, but Friendly is known for her clarity and command, as well as living up to her surname. “The point is to have a good time, although I do have high standards,” Friendly says later in an interview. Friendly began co-teaching the weekly English and Scottish Country Dance with Chris Sackett, now her husband, in 1982. She’s coordinating her 25th annual Spring Ball this month, for the Ashland branch of The Heather and The Rose Country Dancers www.opendoor.com/heatherandrose, a statewide English and Scottish Country Dance organization she co-founded. Among many other pursuits, Friendly teaches dance through the Southern Oregon University community education program, where she manages the arts and adult community education programs, and at local K-12 schools; serves on the Country Dance and Song Society Board of Directors; and choreographed the Irish dance for the Southern Oregon University Department of Theatre Arts Production of “Dancing at Lughnasa.” Friendly first fell in love with dance in a high school international folk dance class. In 1978 she moved to Ashland and joined the Ashland Folk Dance Club, discovering she really liked Celtic. This led to a workshop on Renaissance Dance led by Judy Kennedy, then director of the OSF Green Show. There she was encouraged to attend an English and Scottish dance weekend workshop led by Carl Whitman. One of the few in English and Scottish folk dance to use global terminology, Friendly calls with terms like “neighbor” or “opposite” rather than gender terms. And, no partner is required. “Here, if you want to dance you stand up and come out the dance floor and someone will come and stand next to you,” says Friendly. “The idea is no wallflowers. People don’t have to feel shy or worry about having to ask or be asked.” Those interested in English-Scottish folk dance classes can drop by the Dance Space at 7:30 p.m., Mondays. Classes are $3-$4. For information, call 482-9586 or visit www.opendoor.com/heatherandrose. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams