Sunday, July 20, 2014

Folkmoot 2014 in Hickory

One of the best I’ve seen.  It had a rough start with problems getting the audio system hooked up.  It was almost an hour late beginning and that’s probably why about a quarter of the audience left at the intermission.  Too bad.  They missed a real treat.  

The highlight of the first half was the Hoop Dance by one of the Hawaiian group.   It was mesmerizing.  A glance around the audience showed breathless participation with people holding a hand to their open mouth, others tapping or quietly clapping in rhythm to the drum beat.  And then it got better.  And then it got better yet. 

The second half began with dances by the Romania group.  They were quiet (by comparison) and decorous. But their presentations reminded me of one of the great values served by Folkmoot, and that is the preservation of the costumes, dances, traditions and sometimes even the language of national units as world cultures continue to change.

The next group in the second half was the Turkish contingent.  The dances performed by some of the men dancers were wild, free, and soaring.  There was some “sailing” through the air, spinning around the stage on the knees,  great turning whirls that tightened into oblivion.  Then they treated us to the 
 Dancing Bellies, all this with the women dancers shrieking.  Then the Bellies came down into the audience!  



The show concluded with Hawaii.  Dances presenting the Hula Hands were followed by Tahitian Swaying Hips, and THEN came the flaming Fire Torch display featuring thrown flaming torches, some fire-eating, then wild dancing to throbbing drumbeat music with whirling, twirling batons with fire from each end.  It concluded with the audience learning to sing one of the old, great goodies from the islands.