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Show New Folk Dances to Give Excitement 1 To BYU'S Christinas Around the World rl A series of new folk JiJ dances from South Ame- l rica, Romania, and the Orient and dozens of lz colorful new costumes f will give added exdte-ment to this year's production of "Christmas Around the World" Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec 1 2, at Brigham Young University. Nearly 250 BYU International Folk Dancers will present this annual Chris tma3 program to the community both nights at 8 p.m. in the Marriott Center. Tickets are available at the Marriott Center Ticket Office, 378-5666. Featured performers at the concerts will be the 48-member Performing Arts Company of International Folk Dancers, most of whom performed throughout the Orient last summer, and special guests will be the world champion BYU Ballroom Dance Company. Mary Bee Jensen, founder and artistic director of the BYU International Folk Dancers, ahs been assisted on campus this past semester by two professionals in developing the new choreography. Romanian dancer Alexandria David worked with the BYU dancers on the Calusarii, mkaing them "the only folk dance group in America to perform this highly difficult dance," Mrs. Jensen said. David also arranged for authentic Romanian costumes which are currently being flown in from Bucharest for the concert. Gonzalo D. Luis, a native of Peru who attended BYU and was a member of the International Folk Dancers, ' brought to campus his recent dance experience with Mexico's Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Gardiela Tapia and the Utah Ballet Folklorico. In addition to helping with new choreography on Latin and Central American dances, Luis, an expert on Latin costumes, donated a large collection of intricate and beautifully designed costumes to the folk dancers. "Our Mexican Suite is now absolutely the most colorful dance we've ever done," says Mrs. Jensen. A new set for the production will illustrate the Main Streets of the world in a progression that moves from sturdy Bavarian architecture to the simple and delicate structures of the Orient, all grouped around a fountain of dandng waters. The concerts will open with a series of dances performed and acquired during the International Folk Dancers' highly successful tours of China, Japan, and the Orient this year. First will be the Chinese Dragon Dance which is traditionally done to ward off evil spirits and usher in the festive season. The gentle Dance of Spring and the popular Chinese Ribbon Dance will follow, along with the Tinikling, a Philippine dance depicting the antics of a long-legged native bird. The section will close with two beautiful and stately Japanese dances, the Kasa Odori and the Hanagasa Odori. Dance styles from three major areas of Spain will be represented in the Spanish medley, including the Flamenco, which was among the most popular dances with the Oriental audiences last summer. The Mexican Suite, "Wedding in Tehuante-pec," depicts the p re-nuptial and marriage ceremonies as well as the "Fiesta Mexicana" of the natives of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. A kaleidoscopic parade of nations will then introduce the International Folk Dance Festival, featuring traditional dances from Israel, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Ukraine, as well as the new dances from South America and Romania. "The festival is the only place in the concert where you'll see numbers that our dancers have previously performed," says Mrs. Jensen. The Peruvian Camaval de Canas shows the young Peruvians of the ancient city of Cuzco in their Christmas merrymaking, and the Argentine Malambo is a masculine display of "Gaucho" skill and pride. The Romanian Suite contains some of the most difficult and intricate dances the Folk Dancers have ever attempted, according to Mrs. Jensen. The Mun-teanian Line Dance is a dance of high virtuosity with intricate footwork alternated with ambitious working sequences, all to an Interesting binary syncopation. The Ca La Breaza Couple Dance features special dynamics which produce its syncopated rhythm, and the Women's Dance moves in circles and lines with lively cross steps and a rhythmical arm balance. The International Festival section will close with the dynamic and ancient Calussari, a men's dance performed with sticks, stamping and clicks of unusual virtuosity. The Ballroom Dance Company, winners of the 1981 British Formation Dance Championships, will open its section with their Modern Medley, a four-minute routine of waltz, tango, quickstep and foxtrot. Lee and Linda Wakefield, directors of the Ballroom Dance Company, will then perform their cabaret dance number, "They're Playing Our Song," which won third place at the 1980 Professional Ballroom Championship in Perth, Australia. The ballroom dancers will close their section with another award-winning routine, a Latin American Medley of samba, paso doble, rumba, cha-cha, and Jive. No performance of BYU's International Folk Dancers would be complete without their lively interpretations of the Kentucky, Tennessee, and Appalachian Clogs, all newly arranged and performed to a live 15-piece western band. The entire cast of "Christmas Around the World" will then join together for a finale of "Peace on earth, good will toward all men." Utah Wool Growers will hold their annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 1 2, at the Little America in Salt Lake City, according to Hatch Howard, president. This year, there will be an outstanding group of speakers to enlighten Utah sheepmen on markets, animal damage, public lands, and the cost of owning a public land permit. In addition, Congressman James Hansen will help you with goings on in Washington and Governor Matheson will update everyone on the state. Howard said that in addition to the speakers, there will be special awards, outstanding entertainment, and the Make It Yourself with Wool contest. Those interested are invited to join the wool growers at their convention. |