2019 Dance Comp winners ~ full report

          TSDAV Dance Composers' Competition 2019

The TSDAV Dance Composers' Competition was held at the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter. The event ran for 1½ hours on the Piazza from 9:30 on the Monday morning.

Our judges this year were Heather Clarke, Sheree Greenhill, and Judith Bailie, and the presenters Paul Wayper and Don Richmond.

The judges pronounced the Beatrice Klippel Memorial Trophy for General Social Dance should go to Cecilia Johnson of Melbourne for Floriade, a circle of 4 or 5 couples, and the VFMC Perpetual Trophy for dances for more Experienced Dancers go to Keith Wood of Baulkham Hills for Monkey Mia Dolphins, a 5 couple set involving Dolphin-Reels.  Cecilia Johnson’s dance Murchison River was commended in the Experienced Dancers section. All these dances had reference to this year’s featured state of the National.               

The dances this year were as varied and challenging as in previous events. They had keen dancers ready to tackle them, and they were judged anonymously. Comments from the dancers and judges were collected, and winners pronounced, and names of the devisors only announced after the judges had made and given their decisions.

Paul presented: Swanee by Norm Ellis, Oban Ferries by John Carroll, and Murchison River by Cecilia Johnson. The first and last were written with this year’s National Folk Festival 'Featured States' in mind.

Don presented: Monkey Mia Dolphins by Keith Wood, Floriade by Cecilia Johnson, Sweetheart Waltz by Kathy Potter, and Along The Road To Canberra by Margaret Crichton. All these were written with this year’s National Folk Festival 'Featured States' in mind, the last using a well-known Aussie tune.

George Ansell announced the winners of the competition in the Farewell Concert in the Budawang on the Monday evening, presenting a trophy to Keith Wood and the trophy to Cecilia Johnson will be presented later.

MC for the event - George Ansell