December is Almost Here

 Last week we updated our COVID-19 Screening Form. Please note the changes and stay home if you feel unwell.

• New or worsening cough; fever; difficulty breathing; or
• Combination of any two of chest pain; loss of consciousness; loss of taste/smell and appetite; generalized body aches; fatigue; sore throat; runny nose; headache; diarrhea; vomiting.

Please complete the NWT Online COVID-19 Self-Assessment each Tuesday before attending class. Let's all do our part to keep the NWT COVID-free.

Remember to wear a mask or face shield while in the Church. Hand sanitizer will be available. And please use the provided cleaning wipes to wipe down any surfaces or fixtures you touch during class.

Folk Dance Research

 If you are interested in finding out more about folk dancing, check out this website: Folkdance Footnotes. 

See you on Tuesday!

Thank you

 Thank you to everyone for following the new COVID-19 precautions at our dance classes. As this article points out, doing things like wearing masks and face shields, limiting our class size, and keeping distance from each other while indoors are key to keeping all of us healthy. 

See you on Tuesday.

September 2020 Class # 2

 Class number 2 for the 2020/21 season is coming up on Tuesday the 22nd. See you at 7:00 pm at the Anglican Church basement. Please check the previous post for the COVID-19 requirements.

We will be looking for volunteers to help with before and after class cleaning. Please come early if you can to help wipe down everything.

Classes starting

 Our first class of the year will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at the Anglican Church. Please come a little before 7:00 for a COVID-19 briefing.

• Please self-screen before coming to class. Do not come to class if you have symptoms of COVID-19, or if anyone in your household has a confirmed or presumptive case of COVID-19.
• Masks will be required at all times within the Church. A face shield may be worn if you cannot wear a mask for some reason.
• Bring your own filled water bottle to class. The kitchen and stage are off limits, so water refills will not be available.
  
• To avoid using shared spaces, such as the restrooms, please come dressed for dancing.
• Only one person at a time at the coat racks.
• Dancers will be asked to stand on a marked spot on the floor and stay at that spot throughout the class. This is to ensure a 2 metre separation between dancers.
• You will be asked to sign in. Attendance is being kept for contact tracing and statistical purposes. Please use hand sanitizer or wash your hands before and after signing in.
  
• If you use the restrooms, please wipe down the toilet and faucets with sanitizing wipes after use. 
• At all times maintain a 2 metre distance between you and other dancers.
• Please remember some of our members are in a demographic which is vulnerable to COVID-19. It is up to all of us to keep each other healthy.

More detail is available in our Exposure Control Plan.

This would have been our first class of the 2020/21 season

Today would have been the first day of our 2020/21 season. Unfortunately, the current COVID-19 situation has prevented us from starting on time. 

The YKEFDC Board is working on a plan to get us back in the dance studio safely.

 In the meantime, here are some dances to practice at home.

Warm Up

But first, let's start with a warm-up video.

Next up - Alunalul

If you get tired of doing it on the spot, try making a 1/4 or 1/2 turn at the end of each repeat to face a new wall.

 

 Club favourite - La Bastringue

Now for a club favourite - La Bastringue. This may take a bit of creativity to perform without partners. It's not a COVID-19 friendly dance! But hey, if you are dancing at home, who will know your partner is curling broom? And you can at least practice the sequence of steps.

 

And for those of us dreaming of a Caribbean Vacation - Bele Kawe 

This video shows slightly different arm movements than we practiced in class.

That's it for now. Keep dancing.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting will be held at 7:00 pm on July 23, 2020. Please contact us for the location information.

The agenda is available here.

Another set of dances to try at home

Here is another set of dances to practice at home.

Warm Up

But first, let's start with the warm-up video.

Line Dance Roundup

Pata Pata

Here are the instructions.

And here is the full version of the song, if you want to keep going.

 Cotton Eyed Joe

Dances from the Fall Workshop

Chikulata Chikita

Sarna from Zywiec

Instructions for this one are here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5372e7efe4b0cb63d6f65424/t/557914d4e4b06792b6bf1ccb/1433998548298/S--Sarna+from+Zywiec+%28%26+lyrics%29+%282008SFDC%29.pdf

 Mom Bar

Grab some tea lights (electric ones for safety) and try this one as a cool-down.



Keep dancing! And don't forget to stretch when you are done.

Dance at Home

We might not be able to get together to dance, but there is nothing stopping us from practicing in the comfort of our own homes. Here are a few dances from our repertoire to try at home.

Warm Up

Let's start with a warm-up video.

Bele Kawe

The first part of the video has instructions for the dance. Fast forward to the 5:55 mark of the video to get to the music.

Esmer

This version uses a different version of the music and the step sequence is in a slightly different order, but the steps are the same as the ones we do.

Hora Nirkoda

Hutsulka

This one also uses a different tune than we use, but the steps are the same.

I hope you had fun and that everyone is doing well. Stay healthy, and remember to stretch when you finish dancing.

Class Cancelled until further notice

We regret to say that we have to cancel dance classes in order to promote social distancing and public health. The Holy Trinity Church is closing to all gatherings. As some of you know, the Calvary Church basement is also unavailable at this time due to renovations.

We will advise our members when classes are able to resume.

Dance class tonight and other news

We are holding class on Monday this week - today - to avoid conflicts with Shrove Tuesday tomorrow. It will be a review class.

In other news, the CBC has an interesting article on staying fit as you age. It recommends "quickstep dances" among other activities to improve hip power and agility. Folk dancing sounds like it would fit the bill. To see the the article in full, follow this link: https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/how-to-change-your-fitness-routine-to-stay-strong-and-mobile-as-you-age-1.5471940.

Rest of January

We are going to spend the rest of January beating the cold with a trip to Mexico -- well, not really, but we will learn a dance from Mexico: the Santa Rita. See you on Tuesday!

Dance class tonight

This is coming a little late, but here is a reminder that we have class tonight at the Calvary Church. It will be a review class. The new dance we were planning to learn tonight will be started next week.