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 Onthe
initiative of the Schuhplatter Verein Enzian of Calgary, the first gathering
of Schuh- plattler groups from all over Western Canada took place on the
weekend of March 28-30, 2003. The
participating groups were as follows:
The three-day event saw altogether 52 dancers and on
top of that musicians gather to participate in the workshop, dance and
merriment.
The groups met on Friday evening at the Austrian-Canadian
Club for an informal get-together. The workshops were held
on Saturday. Three of the groups were instructing the others, eachin a
one-hour workshops:
- Enzian group: Chiemgauer
- Bavarian Schuhplattlers: Steirer
- AVC Edelweiss Dancers: Haidauer
Everybody enjoyed the workshops tremendously. Although
all the groups have these dances in their own repertoire, the styles,
arrangements, Plattler sequences and combination of movements from
the participating groups were quite different. During the workshops everybody
danced with people from the other groups.
 On
Saturday evening a dance was held at the Austrian-Canadian Club. The evening
started with a flag parade. During the break of the band Premium Akkord,
all the groups performed individually. The highlight of the evening was
a mass performance by all groups dancing the newly learned Steirer dance.
Having a great time at the dance, all the groups spontaneously engaged
in additional performances later that evening to the delight of the sold-out
audience of over 300.
On Sunday the weekend ended with a brunch and an exchange
of experience among the group executives. It was also decided that the
AVC Edelweiss Dancers in Vancouver would host the next workshop in 2004.
The event will then likely be b-annual in even years, and host in 2006
will be the Bavarian Schuhplattlers of Edmonton.
 Every
participant truly enjoyed the weekend. What was labeled as a workshop,
turned into an exchange of experiences between the groups and their members.
It was interesting to see how the other groups perform, organize themselves,
or attract new members. Everybody made new friends or deepened existing
relationships. For members new to the groups who had never experienced
such an event, it was an eye opener that there are other Schuhplattler
groups out there.
The participating groups decided not only to continue
these workshops, but also to keep the lines of communication with each
other open, and to continue to share experiences.
On behalf of the Bavarian Schuhplattlers of Edmonton,
we want to express our thanks to the Schuhplattler Verein Enzian from
Calgary for taking on the initiative and putting together such a wonderful
event, and also to all the groups who participated for their rich contribution
of culture and dance to the event.
Please read how the Edelweiss Dancers from Vancouver
liked the event:
http://www.geocities.com/edelweissdance/workshop.htm
If you have comments, questions or just want to get in
contact with the groups, please contact us under westcan@schuhplattler.edmonton.ab.ca.
  
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