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Show I i i 1 ! f ' j A , , M In ; FKKFOKMS IN MUNCH. BYU Co-ed Bertha j Iliskey, far right, represented the Folk Dancers ; at a special presentation during the big festival at Gannat, France. BYU tour director Don Allen makes a presentation to festival director John Roach. Cedar City student with BYU folk group Bertha Hiskey experienced a lot of youthful dreams while growing up in Cedar City. But dancing in a 13th century French ; chateau on national television wasn't one of them. One of 24 dancers selected to represent Brigham Young University on the school's recent tour of Europe, Bertha found herself in a Cinderella-like setting while performing in France. The folk dancers from BYU, along with some of France's top performers, were asked to perform on a live telecast originating from Chateau de Busset, a 13th century castle just outside of Vichy, France. The show was televised nationally. "We had some great experiences ex-periences while performing in festivals in France and Spain," said Bertha, "but this one show was unforgettable. I had a hard time believing this was actually happening to me." "I'll also remember meeting the many dancers and musicians from the different countries who also performed at these international in-ternational festivals." Bertha even encountered another dancer, from Spain, with the same first name. Performing an average of once a day, the BYU dancers spent a month touring five countries; Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Swit-zerland, France and Spain. As in previous tours, the dancers directed by Mary J3ee Jensen were well received, drawing record crowds at performing centers along the way. Largest of the festivals, however, was in Jaca, Spain, where the BYU group joined forty other folk dance teams for four days and nights of dancing and singing which frequently spilled over into all sectors of the small Spanish community at the base of the Pyrenees. "If there is an Olympiad for international folk dance," said tour director Don Allen, "it has to be at Jaca. There were more than 2,000 dancers and musicians from five continents, and we were the only representatives from the United States." Performances in the main hall at Jaca began between 11 p.m. and midnight, and lasted two or three hours each night. To the delight of the festival spectators, the BYU group performed a number of Western dances and ciogs which rivaled the colorful presentations of the folk dancers from such diverse areas as the Congo, Ceylon, Israel, and Crete. And, as at most festivals, the dancers and musicians often mixed in a variety of groups to learn each others songs and dances. "I know it sounds like a cliche, but I'm sure the month we toured Europe really deepened our appreciation of the United States, and our home areas in particular," said Bertha. "We saw parts of Europe in the most interesting way, but we're all glad to be back." "I think most members of our group developed an affinity for the dancers from Israel," added Bertha. "I'm glad the people in our area will have a chance to see some of these groups at our festival at BYU next month." BYU will host its First International In-ternational Folk Dance Festival September 4-6 at the Marriott Center in.Provo. Ten years in the planning, the festival will feature folk dance groups from Israel, Japan, Polynesia, and other areas, along with smaller groups from the United States. All programs' will be different, offering a wide variety of cultural entertainment as part of the University's Centennial celebration. |