Ball State University - Orient Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

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ff pT she tanewolks — Six weeks in Europe gave the Banevolks the Chance to dance NE by one they pulled on their clogs. They slipped into pink gingham dresses and burnt- orange western shirts. They rosined- up their bows and plucked their fid- dles. In Luxembourg the Banevolks pounded the stage of the Interna- tional Folk Dancing Festival as they sallied their way into the first of six European folk dancing festivals. Banevolks, the Ball State Folk Dancing Troupe, began a six-week, whirlwind vacation on July 14. The 25 dancers and musicians toured the European continent and were the featured dancers at many of the festivals. ‘“‘It was a great feeling when the audiences wanted more and more, and eventually we had to get off the stage to let other groups perform,” said physical education instructor Gregory Lund, director of Banevolks. But before the Banevolks could perform, there had been a problem to solve. ‘‘The sound system in Lux embourg wasn’t very good and the dancers couldn’t hear the beat. Somehow we ended up at the same time, though,’’ said Lund. The beat the dancers couldn’t hear came from the four-member Hoosier String Band, which formed more than six months before the trip began. Since many of the European festivals required live music, the band was a necessity. ‘‘It didn’t mat- ter that we were put togethe: for six festivals, the experience of perform- ing for 13,000 people was worth it,” said Beth Yoder, Hoosier String Band violinist. There were other problems con- nected with the performances -- in- cluding one perhaps best labeled as overexposure. ‘Most of the groups had about two costume changes; we had about ten,’’ said John Sakel, Newburgh senior. ‘‘They let us change in these booths right behind the stage, and even though we had tasteful undergarments on, these people would stand around and stare. It was embarrassing.” The Banevolks spent their 41-day excursion getting lost in the Lourve and touring the towers of Notre Dame. They lived in schools and slept on thin, stiff dormatory beds with purple comforters. Every festival was different; but the festival in Sidmoth, England didn’t start until the Banevolks met ‘‘the Gaffer.”’ Dressed in a brown, sloppy hat, red shirt, and a huge, velvet bow-tie, the Gaffer greeted the group with jokes and a friendly caution. “This festival doesn’t start until you’ve met the Gaffer,”’ he said. ‘And it doesn’t end until you give me a hug good-bye. I know a lady named ‘Viv,’ ’’ he added. ‘‘She’s the only person I know that spells her name backwards.”’ “The Gaffer brought a light- heartedness to the festival,’’ said Sonya Oberleas, Bremen senior. ‘‘He was a doctor in the town and on the CONTINUED PARADES through the streets of Sidmouth, England are a daily sight during folk dancing festivals. Troupes who participated in the festivals marched along the beach and into the village of Sidmouth. While the Banevolks marched to the amphitheatre they gave out pens and flags to parade-watchers. Photo by Mike Yoder Banevolks 11

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— | THE FESTIVAL wasn't always on stage for the Banevolks. The Ball State Folk Dancing Troupe and members of other international dance groups form a cir- cle dance in their time off. The Banevolks spent six weeks touring European folk dancing festivals. Photo by Mike Yoder TIME TO REST was often hard to find, yet Jennifer and Tyson Whitcomb, Muncie seniors, were able to relax on the bus. The couple and the Banevolks troupe spent most of their time performing, traveling and sightseeing on buses and trains. Photo by Mike Yoder TOURS were a major part of the Banevolks six-week stay in Europe in addition to performing sometimes twice a day. While in Brigge, Belgium, the troupe stops in the town square as a guide explains the city’s history. Photo by Mike Yoder Banevolks 935 rea :“e A meV

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es | Chance to dance board of directors of the festival. He was always there -- even if you had to cry. As far as we were concerned his name was Gaffer. We didn’t need to know another name.”’ In London’s Picadilly Circus, members of the group saw people outfitted in another way and called by another name. ‘‘There were punkers all over the place,’’ said Sakel. ‘‘American punkers are conservative. Those people shave their heads. They dye their scalps and pierce their ears all the way around. I saw one lady that dyed her eyelashes red and had blond hair. They wouldn’t even talk to us, though.”’ Because of an incident that had oc- curred on a tour a few years before, the Banevolks almost had a problem with getting anyone in England to talk to them. ‘‘They were afraid of having an American troupe because one six years ago had caused a lot of trouble. But after a few days they loved us,”’ said Oberleas. ‘‘England was like home to us. They spoke English there, so when we said good- bye, we said good-bye not only to the Gaffer, but to a second home, too.”’ Throughout the festivals the troupe entertained and enthralled their audiences with ‘‘Running Sets,’’ ‘“Swing Numbers,”’ ‘‘The Charleston”’ and ‘‘Appalachian Clogs.’’ Offstage they autographed notepads and programs and were lauded with scarves and flowers for their performances. ‘‘I can’t remember a time when the au- diences didn’t love us,’’ said Julie Patrick, Seymour senior. ‘‘If they EXTRA TIME in the Brussles, Belgium train station gives Leslie Pinkerton, Hobart senior, and Mike Coffin, Richmond senior, the chance to work on a few dance steps. The Banevolks spent six weeks in Belgium and five European countries including Luxembourg and Germany. Photo by Mike Yoder Banevolks couldn’t talk to you and tell you what they thought, a smile would do.”’ Communications sometimes led to a problem for the group, but there was one moment of cultural exchange that needed no words. “All of a sudden this guy taps me on the shoulder and opens up his arms, motioning me to dance,”’ said Patrick. ‘‘So, we started to square dance. Then he started to do Russian preshikas, that’s when I quit, but Greg (Lund) knew how to do them so he started doing Russian pre- shikas with the guy. For the next week the Russian, named Vladimir, his troupe, Lund and the Banevolks performed back- to-back, toured England, talked through interpreters and traded folk dances. The week culminated when Vladimir stepped out on stage to join the Americans in their final dance of the week. ‘The audience just gasped, then they went wild,’’ said Yoder.‘‘Here it was, two super-countries trying as people, not as governments, to work together.” When the Banevolks ended their tour and returned to the United States on August 23, their dresses, clogs, fiddles and violins were stuff- ed into oversized trunks or snuggly packed into carrying cases. Despite the cramped vacation of seeing six countries in six weeks, the tour didn’t seem long enough as a more pressing matter awaited the student dancers. ‘‘We were only back for two weeks and then it was time to crack the books,”’ said Sakel. =by Gregory C. Jones AUDIENCES cheered the Banevolks with shouts and standing ovations at many of their performances. The group was popular enough to be called upon to do a special afternoon children’s performance in Sidmouth, England. The Banevolks wave good-bye to their au- dience of more than 13,000 as they exit. Photo by Mike Yoder