You are here: Home / News

News

NEWS FLASH -

~   Portarlington "Spring Dance Weekend"  ~ 

NB - this year on : 8th - 10th Nov. 2024

& it is our "30th YEAR" at Portarlington !

We are set to return to Portarlington - for another full weekend of dancing !

Our guest teachers are 'locked in' -  and bookings are now open :-)

Portarlington 2024 full broucher & booking form now available     click here

6 dance workshops  ~  plus a Sat. evening dance to live music -

more dances to keep you on your toes' !

PARKS HALL COMMUNITY CENTER     Portarlington, Victoria.  

(1.5 hrs drive SW of Melbourne, 20 mins past Geelong. Melways 239 F2)

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~


~   Portarlington "Spring Dance Weekend"  ~ 

NB - this year a week later : 17th - 19th Nov. 2023          

We are set to return to Portarlington - for a full weekend of dancing !

with guest teachers - Arthur Kingsland (Newcastle)

& Don Richmond (Sydney),

plus Duncan Smith (Contra) & Joanne Thompson (International)

6 dance workshops  ~  plus a Sat. evening dance to live music -

more dances to keep you on your toes' !

PARKS HALL COMMUNITY CENTER     Portarlington, Victoria.  

(1.5 hrs drive SW of Melbourne, 20 mins past Geelong. Melways 239 F2)

CLICK HERE - for full program brochure & application form

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~   

2023 new DANCE Competition ~ was judged at the National FF. ~

click here for info

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

  ~   Dances for Dancers   ~  

~   Sunday 1st October 2023   ~   1:30 - 4:30 pm   ~

" dances for Spring ! "

@ the Church of Christ Hall, 1 The Avenue, Surrey Hills   ( Melway 46 H11 )

😊  TSDAV members @ $5.-   others @ $7.- 😊

 Inquiries: Norm Ellis   9888 5332  OR  George Ansell   9890 5650

NB relevant Covid safe practices will apply

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

***   in lieu of September's 'Dances for Dancers'

we will be Celebrating "Wattle Day" with the VFMC   *** 

Saturday Sept 2nd

Senior Cit'z Hall Laurence Grv. Ringwood East

Dance Workshop 4:15 - 5:45 pm -   'The Jolly Swagman Collection'

The Wattle Day Dance - with Blackberry Jam   7:30 - 10:30 pm

See Wattle Day flier for details of full workshop program - click here

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Dinki Di Old Time Ball

8 pm Sat. 16th Sept 2023

St Andrews Hall, Myer St Bendigo

click here - for flier & program

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

   ~   Dances for Dancers   ~  

~   Sunday 6th August 2023   ~   1:30 - 4:30 pm   ~

for a feast of Winter themed dances !

~ from 'Snow Day', 'Rain on the Roof' & 'A Midwinter Maggot' to a 'Winter Garden' - 'Snow Joke' !!!

@ the Church of Christ Hall, 1 The Avenue, Surrey Hills   ( Melway 46 H11 )

😊  TSDAV members @ $5.-   others @ $7.- 😊

 Inquiries: Norm Ellis   9888 5332  OR  George Ansell   9890 5650

NB relevant Covid safe practices will apply

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

YES !   it is ON again  !!!    ~   Portarlington "Spring Dance Weekend"  ~ 

NB - this year a week later : 17th - 19th Nov. 2023          

We are set to return to Portarlington - for a full weekend of dancing !

with guest teachers - Arthur Kingsland (Newcastle) & Don Richmond (Sydney),

plus Duncan Smith (Contra) & Joanne Thompson (International)

6 dance workshops  ~  plus a Sat. evening dance to live music -

more dances to keep you on your toes' !

Details will be finalised shortly

PARKS HALL COMMUNITY CENTER     Portarlington, Victoria.  

(1.5 hrs drive SW of Melbourne, 20 mins past Geelong. Melways 239 F2)

CLICK HERE - for full program brochure & application form

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~   

"Dances for Dancers"

will resume on 1st Sunday's of the month, next  

~   Sunday 2nd April 2023   ~   NB: 1:30 – 4:30 pm

NB 'Daylight Saving' will have ended !

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

   ~   Portarlington "Day-of-Dance"  ~  12th Nov. 2022

YES !   You missed it !!!

We are set to return to Portarlington - for a DAY & EVENING of dance !

4 dance workshops  ~  featuring Keith Wood  (Australian, & English),

Kim South (a Scottish selection) & Darren Taylor (Square Dance)

plus an evening dancer to live music 

PARKS HALL COMMUNITY CENTER     Portarlington, Victoria.  

(1.5 hrs drive SW of Melbourne, 20 mins past Geelong. Melways 239 F2)

CLICK HERE - for full program brochure & application form

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~    

WATTLE DAY CELEBRATIONS

SAT. 3rd September 2022

in person OR via ZOOM   -  including afternoon dance workshop @ 3:30  &   evening dance  @ 7:30

check with the VFMC website for latest info & program details

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

NB there was NO "Dances for Dancers" in September,

as Norm was running an afternoon dance workshop "Festive Frolics & Fancies"

as part of the VFMC's Wattle Day celebrations on Sat.3rd Sept.

see - http://www.vfmc.org.au/wattleday2022.php

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

NEXT ~  Dances for Dancers  ~ 

Sunday 5th February 2023  ~  NB: 1:30 – 4:30 pm

featuring:more dances to keep you on your toes' !

NB Covid safe practices will apply

@ the Church of Christ Hall, 1 The Avenue, Surrey Hills   ( Melway 46 H11 )

😊  TSDAV members @ $5.-   others @ $7.- 😊

 Inquiries: Norm Ellis   9888 5332  OR  George Ansell   9890 5650

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

An afternoon of English & Welsh dancing

with live music

Sunday 21st August 2022   1 - 5 pm

- click here for info flier

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Results of 2022 Dance Composers' Competition announced

 click here to link to full report

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~


VALE ~ Dennis Jones

~     oo0oo     ~

*** ~ The latest Dance announcement from the National Folk Festival ~

National Folk Festival   Easter, 14 - 18 April 2022

Planning is well underway for the 2022 NFF !!!

We (TSDAV) have the Dance Composers' Competition

AND an Old Time Tea Dance

Combined Victorian applications have secured both

the Welcome Dance, & the Heritage Ball

Fingers crossed that it will be able to go ahead :-)

 <https://www.folkfestival.org.au/>

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Next VFMC dance is on Sat 5th February, 
& ZOOM dance on 19th February 2022 
For ZOOM login details see www.vfmc.org.au 

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Regrettably, there has been NO 'DANCES FOR DANCERS' sessions during 2021 

However we are planning to resume on 5th December 2021

(in compliance with Covid restrictions then in force)

- Diary Dates -

And next year on: 6th February / 6th March / 3rd April / 1st May / 5th June / 3rd July / 7th August / 3rd September - Wattle Day / 2nd October /

12th November @ Portarlington / 4th December .

We will keep our fingers crossed for a resumption in December AND next year ???

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Please note : We have decided to 'hold over' the judging of the 2020 Dance Comp.

and plan to have it at next year's National Festival instead.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The 2021 National Folk Festival has been cancelled, ie for the second year in a row

" The National Folk Festival Board has today made the very challenging and important decision that the 2021 National Folk Festival will not go ahead. 

In March this year the pandemic changed the festival and events landscape and the National Folk Festival was among the first major events in Australia to cancel in response.

After significant research and planning towards a 2021 Festival, it has become apparent this will also be impossible."

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

Bush Traditions'   ~  Bundanoon Dance Weekend

Queens Birthday Long Weekend,  June 2021

" In the face of current developments with the COVID 19 pandemic

your organisers have agreed that discretion is the better part of valour and hence 

the Bundanoon DanceFest will be abandoned for 2021. 

This is an unfortunate turn of events.

Your organisers look forward to organising the DanceFest in 2022. "


Reserve the date !!!   Queens Birthday Long Weekend,  10-13 June 2022

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

~ Dances for Dancers ~

suspended due to Covid 19 pandemic

we will resume when it is declared safe to do so !

 Inquiries: Norm OR George - via email: info.tsdav@gmail.com

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

This was the information for the last Portarlington weekend we were able to run -

~   YES !   You've missed it !!!   ~

Spring Dance Weekend     8th – 10th November 2019

A whole weekend of dance workshops & evening dances !

PARKS HALL COMMUNITY CENTRE     Portarlington, Victoria. 

(1.5 hrs drive SW of Melbourne, 20 mins past Geelong. Melways 239 F2

# Don Richmond – Australian,   # Keith Wood – Contra,   # Kim South – Scottish,  # Leanne Stute - Ballroom,   # Luba Baksheev – Russian,   # George Ansell – Evolving Reels,   # Norm Ellis - a Surprise Selection,   # and a Dance Music Workshop !

Link to Full program brochure now available - click here

OR Application Form  - click here

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ TSDAV AGM ~ 1 pm Sunday 2nd June 2019 ~

 @ the Church of Christ Hall, 1 The Avenue, Surrey Hills   ( Melway 46 H11 )

~ to be followed by the MELBOURNE LAUNCH of this year's

Dance Comp. dances ~ 1:45 to 4:00 pm.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Dance CompetitionMonday 22nd April, – 9:30-11:00,  on the Piazza.

Announcing the winners of the 2019 Dance Competition

The Beatrice Klippel Memorial Trophy for General Social Dance :

Cecilia Johnson's dance "Floriade"

& the VFMC Perpetual Trophy for a dance for More Experienced Dancers :

Keith Wood's dance "Monkey Mia Dolphins".

~ click here for link to full report.

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

VALE - Daryl John POWELL OAM 

- the following Tribute was posted by the NFF in their latest NEWS release -

VALE DARYL JOHN POWELL OAM   (10 November 2018)

It is with sadness that NFF marks the passing of Daryl Powell, a much loved and highly respected member of the Canberra dance and music community.  A fine musician it was Daryl’s dance knowledge and skills and his ability to be inclusive that set him apart. With Diana, his wife of 32 years they were the dynamic dancing duo. They were also good friends and supporters of the National and for many years ran a Festival Information Booth, welcoming people as they came through the gate.  In the words of Ray Mulligan “Daryl Powell leaves a bountiful legacy that infuses Canberra bush and colonial dance and more broadly the Australian dance and dance music scene.”

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Other News Updates -

 At long last the film: “The Legend of Ben Hall” has bee released !

The TSDAV & Melb. Colonial Dancers, make the credits, for our help with the dance scene !

That aside, it is well worth seeing as a film, faithful as it is to the historical facts, but being an ‘indi’ production, on limited release, it may not be around for long, so make the effort to see its soon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

 

Wattle Day is a day of celebration in Australia on the first day of September each year, which is the official start of the Australian spring.

This is the time when many Acacia species (commonly called wattles in Australia), are in flower.

So, people wear a sprig of the flowers and leaves to celebrate the day.

 

2019 Dance Comp winners

We are pleased to report on the continuing support for DANCE at the National Folk Festival, once again allowing TSDAV's George Ansell to announce the winners of our Dance Composers' Competition during the final concert.

2019 Dance Comp winners - Read More…

VALE - Daryl John POWELL OAM

The following tribute to Daryl was posted by the NFF in their latest News release.

VALE - Daryl John POWELL OAM - Read More…

WATTLE DAY - What's it all about ?

The background to "WATTLE DAY" - and why we should celebrate !

WATTLE DAY - What's it all about ? - Read More…