This page contains stories (or links to stories) that are no longer timely but that may be of interest.
On November 5, we performed at the Cultural Crossroads festival at Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue, WA. Our younger members like to perform here, because it is easy for their friends to come and see them, but the stage and seating area are small. The performance went well, and we enjoyed getting to see some other groups perform, as well.
October 22, 2011 was the Eastside German Language School's 40th anniversary celebration and Oktoberfest at the Benson Barn in North Bend. We performed twice during the evening, and had a really good time.
October 15, 2011 found us at the Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, WA. We performed four times, once at each venue. They bought dance floors this year, so performing there was substantially more easier and more fun. Each of the venues had its own character, and it was interesting to note the differences between them.
We again performed—nine times over three days, plus two sessions with the Maibaum at the children's area—at the annual Oktoberfest NW, October 7–9, 2011 at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA. This fun event draws big and appreciative crowds, and there is plenty to do to keep everyone amused.
October 1 was a busy day, with two performances: three sets at the Oktoberfest at Enumclaw in the afternoon, followed by two sets at an Oktoberfest at El Norte Lounge in Seattle. Some of the same people performed at both events, so by the end of the day, we were tired, but we had a great time at both events.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, we danced for two hours at the Mariner's pre-game Oktoberfest in Seattle, WA. Despite it being a windy and cool evening, we had a good audience and the performances went well. Too bad we can't say the same for the Mariners' game afterward...
We danced at the Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth September 23–25, 2011. It was a full weekend, with a performance Friday night, walking in the parade Saturday and then dancing two sets, and performing Sunday. After our set Friday night, we went to King Ludwig's restaurant for dinner and dancing to the Polkatones. So much fun! We enjoyed ourselves in the Mönchner Biergarten Saturday afternoon, and then got together for a party Saturday night. It was a fun and action-packed weekend!
September 17, 2011, found us performing for the Austria Club of Washington Oktoberfest, at the Alki Masonic Hall, West Seattle, WA. It's a great venue, with a wonderful floor, and the Austrians treat us well. Fun times performing, and enjoying the stellar tunes of the Happy Hans Band.
On September 10, 2011, we danced for the Tacoma Hermann's Club at the Lakewood Moose Lodge, in Lakewood, WA. It was a warm night, and a small room, but a fun performance, and the audience seemed appreciative.
German visitors: On August 24, we had two visitors from Obermenzing at dance practice: Christina and Andi. The following week, the Helgert family (Robert, Margot, Katherine, and Leo) from Rottenbuch joined us, and Christina and Andi were there again, accompanied by their aunt. On September 3, Carolyn hosted a party for the Helgert family, and we were excited to have them play music for us and with our musically inclined members. What a treat!
On August 6, 2011, we performed at Lake Wenatchee State Park, near Leavenworth, WA. It's always fun dancing on the outdoor stage for campers, and we had a good time performing, and camping.
We were again in Leavenworth on June 25, 2011 for the Leavenworth International Dance Festival. We enjoyed having a wood floor to dance on, although it was a bit slanted, and it was fun to see other dance groups perform.
We performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival on May 30, 2011, at 6:45 p.m. Despite the lateness of the performance slot, we had a creditable and enthusiastic crowd. Most of us went out with the group afterward to eat, socialize, and mark the end of another Folklife.
On May 21, 2011, we performed at the first annual Dancing Flower Festival, in the village of Allyn (on the Kitsap Peninsula). The weather was uncooperative, and the crowd was small, but they seemed to enjoy our dancing, and lots of them got up to try their hand at Dätscher and D'Hammerschmiedsgesellen. Some of us enjoyed the view of the bay afterward at a local pub.
We enjoyed performing at the Leavenworth Maifest May 14–15, 2011, despite having damp weather and one too few ribbons on the Maypole for the Bandltanz. (We simulated the missing ribbon with a stretch of unattached ribbon—I don't think most of the audience noticed, but it kept our performers smiling). The weather on Sunday was so wet that our performances were canceled. We did an impromptu performance at King Ludwig's, instead.
From June 30–July 3, 2011, 17 of us attended the 23. Gaufest in Orlando, Florida. It was a busy time, with most of the group participating in Einzelplatteln competitions and the Gruppe Preisplatteln competition, plus doing an Ehrentanz and being wholeheartedly involved in the pirate-themed dance party that ended the event. It was great to reconnect with our friends from around the continent and Germany, to dance, and to enjoy celebrating the culture of the alpine regions of Bavaria and Austria. Our own Brittany Dunlap took first place in Jugend Einzelplatteln for 15–16-year-olds. We are so proud of her! All our other competitors did well, too, although they didn't place. In Gruppe, we placed 12th out of 16 groups--not bad for our first time ever doing this competition. We chose to maximize participation, so competed with six couples (rather than four or five), which might have affected our placement, since there were more of us to make mistakes. It was a good experience, though, and we are already planning to compete in the next Gaufest, in 2013.
2010 Performances and Events
Our last performance of the year was at Winterfest at Seattle Center on November 28, 2010. We had a good-sized audience, and the performance went smoothly. Afterward, we went out to a local restaurant for what has become an end-of-season tradition and had a convivial--and tasty--meal together.
Our teaching and perfomance at the German Student Convention on November 20, 2010 was a fun day. We taught two dance classes in the morning to approximately 60 students, then had lunch at the school and performed for them in the afternoon. The performance was in the gymnasium, so that the more than 400 students present could all see, but it was odd having such a huge performance space, since we took up such a small part of the floor. The students were very attentive and seemed to enjoy both the teaching and the performance.
We performed on November 13, 2010 for the Austria Club of Tacoma Weinfest at the Lakewood Elks Club. This was a new venue for this event. Beautiful dance floor! Excellent performance, and a fun evening.
On November 6, 2010, we performed for the annual Cultural Crossroads festival at Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue, WA. The stage there is small, so it is always a little bit scary. Overall, things went well, though.
On October 26, 2010, we did a performance and dance lesson at Everett Community College. The kids were very interested in the performance, and lots of them got up to dance when we taught a couple of easy dances. It was great fun, and the teacher, Elke, is so enthusiastic!
We had a new performance on October 22, 2010 for an Oktoberfest at the Lake Wilderness Lodge in Maple Valley. Since there was a small dance floor, we could only take a few people. The venue was lovely, but the set up made it hard for the audience to see us, since most of the tables were behind a central staircase, and the others were downstairs (with the beer and wine...) Nonetheless, we had a fun evening. The Happy Hans Band was also there, and they were wonderful!
Oktoberfest Northwest 2010 at Puyallup has come and gone. We performed nine times over three days, October 8–10, plus two times of doing the Bandltanz (maypole dance) with the kids. Lots of fun, lots of dancing, and a great time! If you didn't make it this year, join us next year!
The second annual Oktoberfest at Enumclaw was held on October 2, 2010, at the Enumclaw Events Center. We performed three times in the afternoon and then stuck around for a few hours in the evening, enjoying the festival. They really had a good crowd this year, and it was a very festive atmosphere.
For the second year, we performed at the Mariner's baseball team's pre-game Oktoberfest on September 30 at Safeco Field in Seattle. Eleven couples performed to the music of our accordion player, Chris Barnes. Chris had a short break during the two-hour performance when our musician friend from Canada, Tony Ternes, played accordion and Enzian member Michi von Cappeln played baritone. The kids in our group enjoyed watching batting practice and got a few balls from the players. One ball was batted onto the dance floor as we were performing; luckily, it didn't hit us. Many of the group stayed for the game after our performance ended, and it was a fun evening, despite the Mariner's loss to Oakland. As we were leaving the ball park, we saw local luminary and travel writer Rick Steves, and got a picture of some of us with him.
Three couples from the group and our musician, Chris Barnes, performed for an Oktoberfest on September 25 at the El Norte Lounge in Lake City (Seattle). Although the audience was small, the owner was enthusiastic and the group had a really good time.
We had a great time at the Austria Club of Washington's Oktoberfest on September 18! Good food, good music (can't go wrong with Happy Hans!), and good dancing equals a good evening. Our performances went well, and were well received. Great way to kick off the Oktoberfest season!
Our annual performance and camping trip at Lake Wenatchee State Park was great fun, as always. We were there August 6–8. The weather was a bit damp on Saturday, which curtailed some of the water fun, but it did stop in time for us to perform. We had a large and interested audience at the performance that night, and celebrated in style afterward. The weather Sunday was perfect, and many of us stayed until the afternoon to enjoy the outdoors and each other's company.
In July, eight of us traveled to Bavaria together and spent a couple of weeks attending festivals and sight-seeing. We had a fabulous time. In addition, three members competed in the Bayrische Löwe, the highest-level Schuhplattling competition in the world. Congratulations to Carolyn Marquardt, who placed second in the women's Ehrenklasse, and to Roger Mowery, who placed fourth in the men's Ehrenklasse! Great job!
We performed at two weddings in June. The first one, June 12, was held at a resort in Leavenworth. The bride and groom had been much taken with all things Bavarian when they visited that part of the world, and they had a German theme to the wedding. The second wedding, on June 26, was held at the home of the bride's parents. The bride hired us to surprise the groom, who had lived in Germany for a number of years and who had a great interest in German language, clothing, and customs. Both audiences seemed appreciative.
We had a busy day on May 22. In the morning, we taught German dances to the children at the Eastside German Language School in Issaquah. That afternoon, we performed in the Berghaus at Hyak for the Olympia German Club. We had a great time there, despite the close quarters for dancing, and the members of the German Club were friendly and welcoming. It was a fun day!
On May 15, we performed at St. Anthony's Parish in Renton for their "Taste of St. Anthony's" event. The event seemed very successful, and was well attended. The audience seemed enthused about our performance, especially because two of our members are also members of St. Anthony's.
May 8–9, 2010 found us at the Leavenworth Maifest in Leavenworth, WA. We had an early practice at the huge maibaum in the center of town, marched in the parade, and then performed. During our first set, despite mostly sunny skies, a few storm clouds rolled in and it started hailing. We kept dancing, and the audience kept watching, in hopes that the hail would soon quit. After a couple of dances in increasingly heavy hail, we finally sought shelter. The hail quit after another ten minutes or so, and we danced the Bandltanz. This is another Enzian first—dancing in the hail! For the rest of our sets in Leavenworth (one more on Saturday and two on Sunday), we had beautiful weather, a large crowd, and successful dancing. We also had lots of time to eat, drink, shop, and generally have a great time together.
Our first performance of the year was May 1, 2010, at the Tacoma German Language School. Despite some challenges with the sound system, we had a successful performance, including the popular Bandltanz (the ribbon dance, also known as the Maypole dance). Thanks to the Tacoma German Language School for including us in their Maifest.
April 23–25, seven of us were in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the bi-annual Western Canadian (plus Seattle) Schuhplattler Tanzfest and Workshops. Over 40 people from five different dance groups attended the weekend's activities. Attendees came from Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary, plus those of us from Seattle. We had a wonderful weekend with our Candian friends, learning dances from each other, sharing ideas about group organization and dynamics, eating, drinking, dancing, and generally having a wonderful time.
We have had several German movie nights in 2010 (in January and February)—great parties, with German movies, so we can practice our German. So far, we have watched Fluch der Karabik 2 (Pirates of the Caribbean), Indiana Jones und der Tempel des Todes (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), and Chocolat.
We have also had one Enzian Happy Hour in March at a local German pub—Feierabend, in downtown Seattle. We wore German clothes, drank German beer, and ate German food, plus having a great time. We had a second Happy Hour in April at another German pub. Der Bierstube.
2009 Performances and Events
Thirteen of us attended the Gaufest (a three-day German dance festival held every two years at varying locations in the U.S.): Carolyn Marquardt, Roger Mowery, Kathy Bruni, Kurt & Jenny Graupensperger, Trina Murphy, Roland Krebs, Rick Senzig, Cheri Bull, John Lofgren, Toni & Iris Auer, and Chris Barnes. Roger's family lives in the Midwest, and eight of them attended the Gaufest, too, including Roger's little granddaughter, Audrey, who celebrated her first birthday on August 2. Roger had invited them to attend so they could see first-hand what it is we spend so much of our time doing; none of them are involved in Schuhplattler, or anything similar. We bought a dirndl for Audrey to wear, so she fit right in.
We had all arrived by Thursday evening, and had fun at the welcome dance, reconnecting with our friends from other clubs. Friday was the day of the adult Einzelplattling competition (where one couple dances at a time), and there were two judging rooms set up-one for the 16-34 age group, in which 46 couples competed, and one for the other age groups. The competition took place Friday morning, but the results weren't announced until Saturday night. Two of our couples competed in the 35-49 age group, which was comprised of 22 couples: Kurt & Jenny placed 8th, and Trina and Rick placed 18th. Two of our couples competed in the 50-59 age group, in which seven couples competed: Toni and Kathy placed 3rd, and John and Cheri placed 7th. There were five couples in the 60+ age group, and Roger and Carolyn took first place! Couples that place in the top three in their age group qualify to compete in Germany the following year, so Roger, Carolyn, Kathy, and Toni will be able to compete in the 2010 competition (the Bayrische Löwe), which will be held on July 17 in Bavaria.
After the competition, there were workshops of various kinds, including one on how to take measurements for ordering Tracht, one on Goassl (whipping) techniques, one on folk music, and one on Muller masks. In addition to the workshops, there were meetings for the Vorplattler (dance leader), Vorstand (president), and Fahnenträger (flag bearer). During the Heimatabend Friday evening, there were performances of traditional Bavarian music by a variety of groups, followed by Ehrentänze. Our group performed the Lechgauschlag, and it went well. At the same time, in another building, a band played more modern music for dancing, interspersed with Ehrentänze, so it wasn't possible to see all the groups perform, or to be in both places at once.
Saturday started with the Gruppepreisplatteln. Sixteen groups competed. As each group danced and was judged, we spectators made our own observations and tried to decide who we thought the winning group would be. We got fired up about the possibility of Enzian participating in this contest at the next Gaufest (2011, in Orlando, Florida), so we paid special attention to this contest.
In the afternoon, after the conclusion of the dance contest, many of the attendees went to the Bauernmesse—a Catholic mass, in Bavarian dialect—that is a traditional part of a Gaufest. Later that evening, we all were shuttled out to festival grounds owned, in part, by the host group, for the evening banquet, parade of flags, awards ceremony (for Einzelplatteln), and dance. The evening was capped by an impressive fireworks display—an unusual ending for a Gaufest banquet evening.
Sunday's events included a picnic on the same festival grounds, with the Gruppepreisplatteln awards, a second parade of flags, speeches, more Ehrentänze, and open dancing. Sunday night, there was a theme party back at one of the hotels, with a MASH 4077th theme. An excellent band from Germany was playing, and we all had a lot of fun dancing, admiring the variety of costumes, and partying. It was a hilarious ending to a great Gaufest.
On August 2, there was a group excursion to Tillicum Village. Twelve of us boarded the Argosy boat and made the journey to Blake Island. We enjoyed the salmon dinner and the Native American show, and we took a ton of pictures. After we docked, a few of us headed over to Feierabend (a pub with a German flair) for a nightcap.
Carolyn took Toni and Iris sight-seeing, and they enjoyed the Museum of Flight, the Blue Angels, a tour of Boeing, the Experience Music Project, Seattle Center, and the waterfront. Roger and I joined them for a trip to Mt. St. Helens. I hadn't been to there recently, and it was interesting to progress through three different visitor's centers and relive the events surrounding the big eruption.
At our practice on August 5, we worked hard on perfecting our newest dance, the Lechgauschlag, at which Toni is an expert, and we spent a lot of time on Einzelplattling practice. Since I am dancing with Toni in the competition, it seemed like a good idea to practice together. After the dancing, though, we celebrated the August birthdays of Carolyn Marquardt, Chris Barnes, and Mary Pearse with plenty of good food and beverages and more of our members got a chance to mingle with our German guests.
When Toni and Iris stayed with us, they requested to try golf and bowling, and to attend a baseball game. Roger and I hadn't been bowling in years, but it was fun to take them and we all had a good time. They found the driving range interesting when Roger took them there, but they all agreed that they would never be golf pros. Birgit Ages took Toni and Iris on a ferryboat trip when Roger and I had a meeting we had to attend. They really enjoyed seeing the Sound and spending time with Birgit.
About 10 Enzian folks went to the Mariner's game on August 7. They had a wonderful time, and it was Ken Griffey, Jr. bobblehead night, so our guests got an unusual souvenir to take home with them. Toni was fascinated by baseball, and had spent several hours talking with Roger about it beforehand, as well as having Michi (our resident Bavarian) explain the rules more completely in German.
Since Carolyn is celebrating a milestone birthday this year, she had a big party on August 8. Most of her family traveled up from California for the occasion, and Folk Voice Band played. Good food and drink, merriment, and dancing were the rule for the evening. Prior to Carolyn's party, we had a dance and Goassl workshop to take advantage of Toni's expertise and perfect the Lechgauschlag.
The annual Oktoberfest Northwest, October 9–11, 2009 at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington, was better than ever, with non-stop fun, a great band from Germany (Münchner Marktmusikanten), the Greg Meier Band, and wiener-dog races—plus our performances, of course. We performed three times each afternoon, as well as teaching dances in the children's area once a day.
Simultaneously, part of our group performed at a new Oktoberfest in Enumclaw on October 9–10, 2009 at the Enumclaw Events Center. We taught some dances at noon on Friday, then performed at 8 p.m. on Friday and 12, 2, and 4 p.m. on Saturday. We performed the popular Miner's Dance (Knappentanz) at both venues simultaneously--a first for our group, since we only recently acquired a second set of the tuned chisels, lanterns, and aprons needed as props for this dance. It sounds like the Enumclaw Oktoberfest will also become an annual event.
On October 4, 2009, we danced for a new Oktoberfest, at the Lopez Island Community Center, Lopez Island, WA. They treated us very well, and we had a good time helping them celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Community Center. Thanks to all the folks there who made it so much fun.
October 3, 2009, saw us dancing for an Oktoberfest on Whidbey Island, in the village of Langley, WA. The weather was sunny but cold, and we danced outdoors, so we got a bit chilly, but we had a fun audience that participated in the dances we asked them to join in on.
We hit the "big time" on October 1 (Thursday evening) when we danced during the Mariner's pre-game show at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA. We stayed for the game, and the Mariners won! We recorded the game on DVR at home and it was fun seeing ourselves on TV.
September 29, 2009 saw us at the Lynnwood Senior Center in Lynnwood, WA. We had a very appreciative audience—and a delightful lunch—there.
Our bi-annual performance at the Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival September 27–29 was one of our best ever, despite the dance surface (concrete, surrounded by broken bricks). The weather was perfect—sunny, but not too hot—and we had good audiences. We performed Friday night at 6 p.m., walked in the parade at noon on Saturday, did performances Saturday at 1:30 & 4:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
On September 19, we performed at the St. Thomas More Fallfest in Lynnwood, WA. It had rained earlier, so the outdoor stage was damp, despite the tarps protecting it. It was a challenging stage to dance on--small, carpeted, damp, and with sound equipment in the back--but we gave a creditable performance and the audience appreciated it. We got done just in time, too; groups after us got rained on.
Our Lake Wenatchee performance on July 25 was a hit, despite the rain that fell just before our performance and continued lightly for a while as we started. We had a capacity crowd—partly due to one of our junior members, Britta Schwendtke, and her visiting cousin. The teenaged girls hand wrote and personally delivered advertising flyers to encourage attendance at our show. I don't know if it was the personal touch, or the attractiveness of the delivery crew, but a lot of folks showed up!
Our performance at Northwest Folklife on May 24 went really well. We had 18 people performing to a capacity crowd. Kudos to Vorplattler Roger Mowery for putting together such a varied program. We had three of our junior members performing with us, and they did a great job of dancing and remembering to smile.
On May 16, we did our annual performance for the Eastside German Language School Maifest in Issaquah, WA. The Bandltanz is always a hit at Maifests, and we gave the school kids a chance to wind ribbons around the pole after our performance. They had a good time!
There were also two performances on May 2, led by Zweite Vorplattler and Vortänzerin Kurt and Jenny Graupensperger. The first performance was in the morning at the Tacoma German Language School, and the second was later that afternoon at the Austria Club Maifest in North Bend, WA. The group did a great job and had a great time at these annual events.
On May 1, Enzian performed for a multi-cultural night at Central Primary Center in Snohomish, WA. Former Vorplattler Alan Lincoln took charge of the group for this performance, which was well received by the school kids.
We had two performances at the same time on April 23. One was at the multi-cultural night at Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus in Issaquah, WA, led by Vorplattler Roger Mowery, and the other was at a multi-cultural night at Evergreen School in Shoreline, WA, led by Alan Lincoln. We have a big enough group now that we were able to send a contingent to each school and put on a good show, and both performances went over well.
2008 News
The report from our 2008 trip to Bavaria and the competition at the Bayerische Löwe is now online; check it out!
Some of our members performed in the Sudtirol in 2004, and were filmed for Austrian TV. That film clip has made its way to YouTube. Check it out!
September 26, 2008 was a very sad day for our dance group, as two of our members had family members pass away on that day. Ed Barnes, the father of musician Chris Barnes, died from heart failure. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma in July and also suffered from dementia. Patricia Lott, the long-time partner of Enzian member Alan Lincoln, was killed in a tragic auto accident that day. Our hearts go out to both Chris and Alan, and the families of the deceased.
We are sad to report that one of our younger members will be moving back to Germany with her family in September 2008. We will miss Sidney Peterson, and hope she enjoys living in Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. We wish her the best of luck!
Four of our members went to Bavaria in July 2008 to attend Gaufests, visit friends and relatives, and have a great time. It sounds like the weather wasn't very cooperative, but they had a good time, despite a lot of rain and some bad colds.
No dance practice July 2, 9, 16, or 23 (2008)! The German Haus ballroom floor was being refinished.
Our musician, Chris Barnes, had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists in July. He is on the mend, and started playing for us again in August. It's great to have him back!
We had another Enzian wedding! Enzian member Linda Dambacher married John Villesvik on June 14, 2008. Linda has five children (two of whom dance with us), and John has two, so their combined family will be a big one.
2008 Performances and Events
Our 2008 performances finished up with Winterfest on November 29.
With three performances on November 6 and 8, we had a busy week. First, we performed in the afternoon on November 6 at Everett Community College. Elke Dinter is the German teacher who arranges this event, and this year, she invited German students from the local high schools, as well, so there was quite a crowd. We had a great time, and the students especially appreciated the performances by two of our junior members who came, Anna-Lena Ball and Tessa Zink. Both girls are 9 years old. On November 8, we had two performances. The first one was at Crossroads Mall for the annual Cultural Crossroads festival. We had a number of kids performing there, as well as adults. It is always fun to be there, because we attract people who have never even heard of our group, as well as our regular fans. That evening, we performed at the Steilacoom Community Center for the Austria Club of Tacoma Weinfest. Our favorite band, Happy Hans, played there, and two of our members are members of that organization. We enjoyed the wonderful food, music, and Gemütlichkeit of that event.
We performed at a new Oktoberfest at Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island on October 11. What a cozy, fun event! There were activities for the kids, plus food, entertainment, and dancing for the adults.
The Enzian performances at the Seattle Yacht Club on September 26 and at the Austria Club on September 27 went well, and the audiences were very appreciative. Enzian had its biggest performance of the year at Oktoberfest NW in Puyallup, Washington, October 3–5, with three performances each day. The event was bigger and better than ever, and we had a lot of fun, as well as entertaining the audiences.
Our annual performance at Lake Wenatchee State Park on August 9 went very well. We had lots of our junior members in attendance to make it memorable, and we brought out many of our crowd-pleasing specialty dances, as well, so the audience was entertained. Luckily for us, the weather cooperated during our performance. We camped for the weekend, and Friday was a bit of an adventure, with heavy rain and 3/8-inch hail, plus steady winds the whole weekend. No swimming this year; it was too cold. Despite the weather, there was a steady stream of fishermen in pursuit of salmon in the lake, since this was the first year since 2002 that they were allowed to fish for salmon there. And, despite the cool temperatures and persistent wind, we had a great time!
We performed again at the Northwest Folklife Festival this year. Our May 25 performance on the International Stage at Seattle Center was surprisingly well attended. Since it conflicted with the international folk dance, I wasn't sure how many of our friends would show up, but they were there in force and the hall was full. It is always great to be able to perform where one's friends are in attendance, as well as new viewers.
May 17 was a busy day, with two performances: in the morning at the Eastside German Language School Maifest in Issaquah, WA, and in the evening at the Seattle Wine Society Austria Evening in Bellevue. We had lots of our children with us at the morning performance, including our two newest junior members, Sidney Peterson and Tessa Zink, and all the performers did a great job. Afterward, we did the Bandltanz with children from the Eastside German Language School, and they seemed to enjoy it. The evening event was an adults-only affair, with wine tasting and a fabulous Austrian dinner, including paprika chicken, roasted pork loan with gravy, noodles, braised carrots , and Linzertorte for dessert. It was great fun!
Our performance on May 10-11, 2008 at the Maifest in Leavenworth, WA, went well. After walking in the Grand March at noon on Saturday, we did the Bandltanz (the maypole dance), followed by another half hour of various dances. The large crowd was appreciative; they even stayed during the sprinkles that came through near the end of our performance. We performed again Sunday, repeating the crowd-pleasing Bandltanz (and clutching our ribbons as the wind tried to tear them from our grasp) and then exhibiting a new half-hour of other dances. It was a fun weekend for all.
The group performed at the Tacoma German Language School on May 3, 2008 for their Maifest in Tacoma, WA. Kurt & Jenny Graupensperger took charge of the performance, and it went very well. It was the debut performance of our two newest junior members, and they did a great job.
The calendars for 2008 are available on our CafePress Web site, as are the Christmas ornaments, with new pictures taken in 2007. Check them out!
2007 Performances and Events
Our last performance of the year was for Winterfest at Seattle Center on November 24 for an appreciative crowd—some of whom tried to dance with us from their seats in the audience. We let them get up and try one number with us—Dätscher, a clapping dance—and they had a great time. Afterward, we ate dinner at Michelangelo's (in the Center House), then went dancing later (still in costume) at the Swedish Cultural Center. We were there for a dance hosted by Pat McMonagle, and were having a wonderful time dancing to the melodies of Folk Voice Band, when folks from the Buddhist wedding reception downstairs asked if we would do a short performance to surprise the bride and groom; we agreed. It was interesting to be doing German dances amid the strong scent of incense, in a room bedecked with flowers, for a bride in a sari, but the audience seemed appreciative.
On November 10, we performed for the Austria Club Weinfest at the Steilacoom Community Center. In addition to our performances, the Hans Rainer Band played wonderful music for dancing (as always), and the food was wonderful. It was a great evening!
Our annual performance at Cultural Crossroads (a festival at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue featuring ethnic performers, food, and booths) on November 3 went well, with a large crowd in attendance. This is a great event and we always get lots of interested onlookers.
We had a very busy weekend at the end of October, with performances at five events in four days! On October 25, we performed at an Oktoberfest at Everett Community College around noon, and then around 2 p.m. at Clare Bridge of Silver Lake (a care facility for people with Alzheimer's). October 26 found us at the Seattle Yacht Club for their annual Oktoberfest event. We performed on October 27 at the International School in Bellevue, for a fundraiser for their German program. On October 28, we performed at the Tacoma Yacht Club. All the events were fun for us, and garnered a lot of attention from the audiences.
On October 20, we performed at Larry's Market in Redmond. This was our first experience of performing in a supermarket, so we were all curious about how it would go. We performed near the entrance to the store, sort of between the produce section and the deli. Our performance space was marked off with a few chairs around the outside. It worked fairly well. We didn't have a huge audience—this being a grocery store, after all, and not a performance venue—but there were at least a few people who came to the store with the express intention of watching us dance, so that was nice. We did have a bit of a crowd standing around during each performance. They especially enjoyed the Bergknappentanz (miners' dance); we were asked to repeat it in the second set. The deli was serving a special German buffet that day, and the food was very good. Thanks to Larry's Market for an interesting and fun day!
October 12-13, we performed at the Hohe Wuste (high desert) Oktoberfest in Hermiston, OR. The organizer of that event outdid himself this year, with non-stop entertainment from two dance groups and three bands, as well as a great area for kids (games, a hay maze, etc.), food booths, and crafts. The beer and wine was top-notch, too, and the event was a lot of fun.
Oktoberfest NW at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, October 5-7, was a great success. We were there performing all three days and can attest to the many happy patrons and the great atmosphere. Plan to be there next year!
Enzian was on TV on the "Northwest Afternoon" show on KOMO 4 (Seattle) on Monday, October 1, 2007. We were shown to help publicize Oktoberfest Northwest, which happens October 5–7 at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup.
We had a lovely day on September 29 for the Autumn Leaf Festival parade and our performances in Leavenworth. The weather was perfect, and the crowd was appreciative. Unfortunately, the constant downpour on Sunday made it necessary to cancel our performances in front of the gazebo—the first time we remember that happening in over 30 years of performing for Autumn Leaf Festival.
Our performances at the 100th anniversary celebration for the Plattdeutscher Verein on September 8 went very well. The weather was beautiful, the bands were great, and we all had a great time socializing and dancing, as well as performing, in the beautiful Swiss Sportsmen's Club in Bonney Lake.
On August 11, we gave our annual performance for the campers at Lake Wenatchee State Park. Despite a somewhat smaller crowd than has been in attendance at past events, we had a good audience, and they were–as always–eager to ask questions about our costumes, dances, and musical accompaniments, including the spoons, whips, and alphorn. Our group had a wonderful time camping, as well.
The 21. Gaufest (June 21-24, 2007) in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is now history, but for the six of us that went, it created a lot of fond memories. Our Ehrentanz, the Dreisteirer, went well and brought us much acclaim on Thursday night. Roland, Kathy, and Trina formed one set; Roger, Carolyn, and Emily (a friend from the Tirolean Dancers of Oregon) formed a second set. On Friday morning, Roger Mowery and Kathy Bruni competed in Einzelplattling. We found out Saturday night, when the awards were given out, that they placed third in their age group—which means that they will be allowed to compete in the Einzelplattling in Bavaria in 2008. Congratulations! The weekend was full of fun and camaraderie, as friends from all over North America and Germany reunited for these four days of workshops, dancing, shopping, visiting, meetings, and general merriment. Kathy was asked to dance with our visitors from Germany in their Ehrentanz Saturday night—a great honor—and stacked up well against the other dancers on stage. The Sunday night farewell party always has a fun theme; this year, it was a "70's" party. There were lots of funny and fabulous costumes, and it was a great way to end the weekend.
Roger and Kathy hold their Einzelplattling pins; photo with Sepp Pichler
On June 12, 2007, 7 p.m., we were guest performers at the Heritage Dancers end-of-year performance at Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, WA. The Heritage Dancers, directed by Thea Huijgen, are all from Hilltop Elementary School. They put on a wonderful show of dances from around the world. We performed for them for about twenty minutes; our set included Goasslschnoizen (whip cracking) and the Kreuz Köig (the flying dance), as well as Schuhplattlers and figure dances.
On May 25, 2007, we performed at the NW Folklife Festival, replacing a group that was unable to perform in their allotted time slot. We found out on Wednesday that we could perform on Friday, if we wanted to, and we managed to get six couples to commit to performing Friday night. We emailed and phoned all our our friends and told them about the performance, so that we would have someone to watch us, since we weren't on the printed schedule. Despite the last-minute nature of the performance, our dances went smoothly and we had a good-sized audience. We performed the Bandltanz (the maypole dance), as well as other favorites, like the Kreuz K’nig (the "flying dance") and the Goasslschnoizen (whip-cracking to music). It was a lot of fun.
May 19, 2007 found us at the Eastside German Language School (EGLS) Maifest in Issaquah, WA. We have performed at this annual event for many years now and really enjoy performing there and participating with the kids from the school. A number of the children in Enzian Schuhplattler are students or former students from EGLS, so it is fun for them to be able to perform for their peers there.
The annual Austria Club of Washington Maifest at the Benson Barn took place on May 12, 2007. The rustic barn in North Bend, WA, provides a great atmosphere for this annual event, and the Happy Hans Band got everyone up dancing and having a good time. Dancing the Bandltanz in the confines of the barn (between pillars) is a bit of a challenge, but the enthusiasm of the audience is compensation for that.
On May 5, 2007, 11 a.m., we performed at the Tacoma German Language School (TGLS) Maifest in Tacoma, WA. This was our first time performing for the TGLS. They were very welcoming and seemed to enjoy our performance. Our Zweite Vorplattler, Kurt Graupensperger, led the performance and did a wonderful job.
On April 7, Enzian performed at the 2007 Multicultural Family Fair in Lynnwood, WA. We performed in the same room in which the display booths were set up, and drew quite a crowd—maybe because the stage was excellent for amplifying the stamps during the Plattlers, so we made a lot of noise, and people came to see what that was all about! This was our first year performing for this event, and it went very well.
We held our third annual Enzian workshop on March 17 and took group photos, as well as working on dance basics and a couple of dances we are incorporating into our repertoire. We followed the event with a potluck dinner so we could all socialize and relax after the five-hour workshop.
We performed at the Lawton Elementary School on March 1 for their Cultural Night. Tracy McDonagh and her kindergarten class were studying and representing Austria. Other classes at the school chose other countries to represent, so it was a multi-cultural event. Each classroom was decorated with pictures and other items from the chosen country, and volunteer parents served food from the country, as well. We were the first performers in the multi-purpose room, but several other groups followed us, and the room was filled with an audience of students and parents. We had several of our junior members dancing with us, and it was the first performance for one of them, Elizabeth Dambacher. After our performance, we got the audience up to participate in the "Chicken Dance", and that was a crowd pleaser. It was a fun event!
2006 Performances and Events November 26, 2006 - Our last performance of the year was at Seattle Center for the annual Worldfest at Winterfest. Snow was falling as we drove to the Center House, and we were a bit worried that we might not have an audience, but no problem there! The seats were full and our performance went well. Afterward, many of the group went out together for dinner, and had a wonderful time.
November 11, 2006 - Enzian performed at the Steilacoom Community Center for the Tacoma Austria Club. The food there is always delicious, and the audience is an appreciative one, so it is lots of fun!
November 4, 2006 - The group performed at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue for the annual Cultural Crossroads festival. The stage there is small, but the audience is always appreciative.
A new event this year was the Oktoberfest at the Tulalip Amphitheater on October 21–22 in Tulalip, WA. This being the first year, the crowds were small, but the weather really cooperated!
October 20, 2006 - Seattle Yacht Club Oktoberfest, Seattle, WA. We performed twice during the evening.
On October 19, 2006, we taught a few dances and performed for the Everett Community College German Club in Everett, WA. They were an enthusiastic audience, and we had a great time.
We entertained the students at Whatcom Community College in Bellinham on October 18, 2006 for their Oktoberfest. The local deli brought in tasty German food, and we entertained the assemblage for a couple of hours. It was an appreciative crowd.
The second annual Oktoberfest NW at the Puyallup Fairgrounds October 6-8, 2006 in Puyallup, WA, was a rousing success. Lots of folks showed up and had a great time. We performed a lot and had a great time.
October 1, 2006 found us dancing at the Tumwater Falls Harvest Festival in Tumwater, WA. The stage was much better than last year, thanks to the efforts of organizer Carla Wulfsberg, and we drew quite a crowd for our performances.
On September 30, 2006, we performed for the Plattdeutscher Verein Harvest Fest at the German Haus in Seattle. It was a fun evening, with plenty of dancing on our favorite floor.
With Oktoberfest performances in full swing, we are busy! September 22–24, 2006, half the group performed at the Edelweiss Deli Oktoberfest in Oaks Park (Portland, OR); the other half stayed in Seattle to do a performance for the Oktoberfest put on by the Austria Club of Washington. On September 30, 2006, we performed for the Plattdeutscher Verein Oktoberfest at the German Haus in Seattle. October 1, 2006 found us at the Tumwater Heritage Festival in Tumwater, WA. We will be busy October 6–8, 2006 at the second annual Oktoberfest NW in Puyallup.
Our performance at the NW Folklife Festival on May 29, 2006 garnered lots of compliments. Despite the relatively late time we had been allotted (5 p.m. on the last day of the festival), we had a large crowd, and the half-hour performance went smoothly. The varied program started with the playing of the Alphorn and included Rehberger Landler, in which we sing in Bavarian dialect as well as dance; Sterntanz, a dance where we make star patterns with greenery-bedecked Spitzen; and the ever-popular Kreuz König, also known as the flying dance. Of course, we also included a couple of Schuhplattlers—Reit im Winkl and Allgäuer, as well as a men-only dance (Ambosspolka) and a women-only dance (Dirndlradl). A folk dance, Steiregger, completed the program.
Three of our group attended the Westcan Maifest in Edmonton, Canada, May 19–21, 2006. This three-day event is held bi-annually and hosted by a different Schuhplattler group. Representatives from six Schuhplattler clubs from Canada, plus our group, had a wonderful time at dinner Friday night, workshops all day Saturday, a dinner/dance with Ehrentänze Saturday night, and a relaxing brunch at a Bavarian farm out in the country. We also squeezed in time to go to the West Edmonton Mall and Fort Edmonton. It was a great trip that helped cement the ties between our Trachten Kamaraden. Schuhplattler clubs from Victoria, Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Windsor danced, visited, ate, and drank together. We only wish more of our group had been able to make the journey!
We spent the weekend of May 12–14, 2006 in Leavenworth, WA, for their Maifest. The group marched in the parade on Sunday, then performed twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. Each set contained different dances than the others, except that we did the Bandltanz (the Maypole dance) and the Holzhacker (the woodchoppers' dance) once each day. There is something magical about dancing in front of the gazebo in Leavenworth, with the sun shining and the breeze blowing and a crowd of people watching. Unfortunately, it also one of the worst surfaces we dance on—the concrete is completely unforgiving. Still, we had a wonderful weekend of dancing in the sunshine, camaraderie, and fun.
May 6, 2006 was a busy day for Enzian, with two performances at different venues. In the morning, we performed for the Eastside German Language School Maifest. Several of our newest members were performing for the first time, and they did a great job. We performed the Bandltanz (the Maypole dance), as well as a suite of other dances. In the afternoon, the group performed for the Austria Club of Washington at their Maifest. We always have a great time with them, and this year was no exception. The Happy Hans Band played for social dancing, and everyone danced to their heart's content.
On April 28, 2006 Enzian Vortänzerin and Webmeisterin Kathy Bruni was honored by the Ethnic Heritage Council with the Aspasia Phoutrides Pulakis Memorial Award. This award is given annually to an individual who has contributed significantly to a Northwest ethnic community.
[April 2006] Chris Barnes, our buttonbox player, purchased a new Strasser buttonbox accordion earlier this year, and recently got internal mikes ("pick-ups") added to it. Not only is it a beautiful instrument, but also it sounds a lot richer and fuller with the internal mikes. We are looking forward to his accompaniment to our dance performances from now on!
We held our second annual dance workshop for Enzian on March 18, 2006. In addition to working on existing dances and skills, we taught Der Nagelschmied, the Folkastoana plattler, and the Grassauer plattler. Our Trachtenmutter, Carolyn Marquardt, presented information on Tracht. We had a lot of fun working on dances, socializing, and finishing the day with a scrumptious potluck supper. It was a wonderful day that included most of our members and several guests.
Eight of us performed on February 16, 2006 at the East Hill Elementary Multi-cultural night. The school xylophone group played several numbers, including a couple composed by students, and the were wonderful. There were poetry readings in several languages, and performances by the band and orchestra. Our performance was last, and at the end of that, we got the crowd on its feet to join us in "Das Grosse Gerennen," a relatively easy dance. Everyone who joined in ended up smiling, so it must have been fun!
2005 Performances
This was a hectic weekend, with three performances—one Friday night in Lacey at a private Oktoberfest, one Saturday night in Seattle for the Austria Club of Washington, and one Sunday afternoon at the Tumwater Heritage Festival. Our performances went well, our audiences were enthusiastic, and we got to do some social dancing (to the fabulous Hans Rainer Band—at each event), as well, so it was a fun weekend. My feet sure got tired, though!
This year's Autumn Leaf Festival on September 24 & 25 was a wonderful event for our group. We had twenty performers there, including two musicians and six children. While it seemed like a lighter crowd than usual—perhaps due to the outrageous gas prices since Hurricane Katrina affected oil production in the Gulf Coast—our Bavarian tunes, loud stamping, and enthusiastic Juchzeln got lots of attention. Our sets went smoothly, despite the difficulty of dancing on broken bricks and uneven pavement; our audiences were very appreciative, and we got lots of kudos afterward; and sales of our DVDs, hat pins, and shot glasses were good. As usual, we had a group party on Saturday night, which was graced by several more musician friends, and it was a blast! Thanks to all the Enzian members, friends, and families, who made this such a great event!
The camping trip is an annual event, and one of our favorite group activities.
Enzian 40. Jubiläumsfest—June 10-12, 2005
Enzian's celebratory weekend for our 40th anniversary was a big success, and a really fun time for all. Our guests from Calgary and Vancouver, B.C. in Canada, San Francisco, and Portland, as well as Enzian members, former members, and Austria Club members seemed to all enjoy the weekend activities. We had about 40 people at our Friday night Heimatabend, where we ate, drank, talked, and danced until midnight. At the Saturday workshops, six dances were taught; three figure dances and three Plattlers, so the dancers got a workout! We had a few hours to rest before the formal event Saturday night.
It was great to see so many former members at the Saturday night Fest, and to welcome Austria Club members, as well as our out-of-town guests. All adult attendees received a complimentary shot glass (empty, unfortunately!) designed in time for this occasion. The cook at the Burien Elks prepared a tasty and filling dinner-chicken cordon bleu, jaegerschnitzel (pork cutlet with brown mushroom sauce), bratkartoffeln (roasted potatoes), green beans, salad bar, and rolls. Cake was served later in the evening.
The Hans Rainer Band played for dancing all evening long; their music mix included waltz, swing, tango, schottische, foxtrot, and even a hambo. "Happy Hans"-Hans Rainer, Senior-and his band played for Enzian Schuhplattler at many events from Enzian's first performances and at events throughout the years; his son, Hans Rainer, Junior, played with his father for many years and is the current bandleader. The band's mix of great musicianship, lively playing, and witty commentary added to the evening's gaiety. Hans invited the three Vorplattlers-Roger Mowery, our current Vorplattler; Eric Kuboth, the former director of the group; and Rudi Schaffner, the founder of Enzian Schuhplattler-up on stage to participate in a yodeling contest, adding a few hilarious minutes to the entertainment.
The official program began at 8 p.m. with a flag parade. The U.S. flag led the way, followed by the Canadian flag in honor of our Canadian guests, and the Austrian and German flags, as well as the Enzian Schuhplattler, Seattle, club banner and the club sign from the Schuhplattler Verein Enzian from Calgary. Hans Rainer played the Canadian and U.S. anthems on his trumpet, as some of the audience sang along. Our president, Carolyn Marquardt, then greeted the assembled guests and gave a short speech. She presented gifts to the visiting clubs who had members present: B.G.T.E.V. Almenrausch Schuhplattler from San Francisco; A.V.C. Edelweiss Dancers from Vancouver, B.C.; Schuhplattler Verein Enzian from Calgary; the Tyrolian Dancers of Oregon; and the Edelweiss Tanzgruppe from Leavenworth. Carolyn also recognized the planning committee for this anniversary event, and gave each of them gifts. She presented Rudi Shaffner, Enzian's founder, with an Enzian beer stein. Eric Kuboth received an Enzian Quersteg (the crosspiece between the suspenders worn with Lederhosen). Roger Mowery received a decorative plate picturing Trachtlers (people dressed in traditional costumes). In recognition of his support of Enzian, and his many performances with our group, Carolyn presented Lyle Weden with an Enzian club pin and certificate. Kathy Bruni, Vortänzerin (lead female dancer) and Pressewart (publicity chair), surprised Carolyn by presenting her with a gift, as well, and presented Vorplattler Roger Mowery with a decorative-and functional-cow's horn, painted with alpine flowers and fitted with a mouthpiece. Roger demonstrated its use to the crowd as he blew a few notes on it to get their attention. After Carolyn's presentations, Eric Kuboth gave a short speech.
Dance performances, referred to as Ehrentänze (honor dances) followed. Enzian Schuhplattler performed the Alztaler and the Steirer, then four couples from the children's group performed alone (for the first time!), dancing the Wendlstoana. Our Canadian guests combined to perform the Haidauer, and then all those assembled were invited to participate in dancing the Haushamer. It was great to see many former members dancing with us again for this dance! Once the floor had cleared, Enzian members again took the floor for the Goasslschnalzen (whip cracking), impressing the crowd as they snapped their whips in time to the music.
Throughout the evening, tickets were sold for chances to win prizes in our fundraiser. We had 56 great prizes, including a brand new dirndl (valued at $300) from the Bavarian Clothing Company in Leavenworth; a folding stool painted in Bauernmalerai; a Hummel collector's plate; a serving tray painted in Bauernmalerai, and another painted with alpine flowers; German beer glasses and beer; a German grill set (apron, mitt, and potholder); and baskets containing many different kinds of German goodies-cookies, candies, wine, and other foodstuffs. The tickets sold out early, and many happy prizewinners carried their winnings home.
Dancing, reconnecting with old friends, and looking through photo montages and albums rounded off the evening and left us all happy and ready for more.
We finished the weekend with another party Sunday morning-a delicious breakfast and more time to talk, play music, and relax before we bid our guests adieu. What a wonderful weekend!
2004 Performances and Events
Our last performance for 2004 was on November 27, 4:45 p.m., at Winterfest at the Seattle Center, Seattle, WA. We had eleven couples dancing on the stage, so it got a bit crowded, at times! It was a fun event, and we followed it by getting together for dinner at T.S. McHughes for dinner. This after-the-last-performance dinner has become an annual event, and we all had a great time.
November 6 was a busy day for us, with two performances on the same day. Many of our children were included in the group that performed at 2:25 p.m. at the Crossroads Mall in Bellevue. They--and the adults--gave a great performance on the small dance stage there. That evening, most of the rest of the group was at the Steilacoom Community Center to perform for the Austrian Heritage Society's Winefest there. We performed twice during that event, and were very popular with the audience.
We had three performances in a row on October 21, 22, and 23, so that was a busy weekend for the group. Thursday's performance was for the Festival Folkdancers Oktoberfest at Seattle Center. Friday night, we performed at the Seattle Yacht Club, and Saturday night, we performed at the Tacoma Yacht Club. We had lots of fun performing, dancing, and eating at each event.
We had a great time on October 16 at the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, WA. This local event draws many German-speaking folks who appreciate good music, provided by Alpenfolk, and good dancing.
On October 9, six couples were in Hermiston, OR, performing for the second annual Hohe Wüste Oktoberfest. The second annual event was a great success; the organizers did a wonderful job, with two bands, two dance groups, three food booths, and a beer especially brewed for this event, not to mention children's activities (including a hay bale maze, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, and inflatable "games". Despite the very slick floor, we danced and danced, and had a great time.
October 1-2 found us in Leavenworth, performing at the Leavenworth Oktoberfest for the first time in several years. We had nine couples performing. For one women and one girl, this was their first performance, and they did a great job. The audiences seemed very receptive, and we enjoyed being at the Oktoberfest again.
We had a great time at the Edelweiss Deli Oktoberfest at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon, September 24-26. We had ten performances there, so it was a very busy weekend, but we were treated to deluxe accommodations and heard many excited comments, as well as requests for us to return next year.
We performed on September 20 at the World Airlines Entertainment Association reception at the Sheraton Hotel. It was certainly an interesting experience. The folks who booked us were very appreciative, but the audience was not at all attentive—too wrapped up in networking and other things, I suppose.
Our performance on August 14 at Lake Wenatchee State Park went well. The campers are always interested in our performance, get up to dance during audience participation times, and they ask a lot of questions, which makes it more fun for us. The weather was stiflingly hot, but at least the lake was warm enough to swim in, so we spent most our weekend in the water, when we weren't performing.
We had an enjoyable performance at the Shoreline Community Arts Festival on June 26 in Shoreline. We had a good crowd for our performance, and also enjoyed watching the dance groups that were on before and after us. There was a lot to see and do at this festival!
On June 12, we performed at the Benson Barn for a birthday party. The honored guest was a 90-year-old German woman, she was thrilled to have us dance for her party. We also had a good time, dancing, eating fabulous German desserts from the dessert buffet, and meeting and greeting the guests. Such fun!
We had a great performance at the Northwest Folklife Festival on May 31. Ten couples performed in the Center House to a large crowd, then we got the audience up for some teaching. Roger and Kathy taught D'Hammerschmiedsgesellen and Oberap, then "mixed it up" with a Boarischer mixer. We got lots of positive comments afterward, and everyone looked like they were having a good time, so it appeared to be a success!
May 23 saw us performing at St. Louise Catholic Church for the annual Ethnic Fest. We were last on the program, but still had a large and appreciative audience. We started by blowing them away with the Alphorn performance at the beginning of our set, and wowed them with the Kreuz König (the "flying" dance) later, with a variety of other dances in between.
On May 22, we danced at Concordia Lutheran School in Seattle for their Maifest celebration. It was a fun evening, with good German food, our performance, a performance by the children's dance group at the school, and a play (in German) by the older kids. It was an enjoyable event.
May 15-16 saw us dancing in Leavenworth for the annual Maifest. We marched in the parade at noon on Saturday, then did two performances Saturday and two more on Sunday, including doing the Bandltanz (maypole dance) both days. For the first time in a public performance, we did not only traditional weaving, but also basket weaving, for the Bandltanz. Both days, the dance went perfectly, so we were very happy about that! Our other sets went extremely well, too; now that all our members have at least a year's worth of dancing under their belts, we present a very professional appearance.
We had two performances on May 1: the Maifest at the Eastside German Language School (EGLS) from 10 a.m.-12 noon, and the Austria Club of Washington Maifest at the Benson Barn from 1-5 p.m. Eight couples performed at the EGLS Maifest, and we had nine couples at the Austria Club event. We performed the Bandltanz (the Maypole dance) at both events, as well as doing other dances.
March 26-28, we attended a mini-Gaufest with dance clubs from western Canada. The Austrian dance club from Vancouver, B.C., hosted the event, which was held at the Austria Club Vancouver. Dance clubs from Victoria, Edmonton, and Calgary attended, as did 16 of our dancers. We enjoyed a weekend of camaraderie, dance workshops, and good food, and came away with new friends and great appreciation for our neighbors to the north. Check out the photos page for a few snapshots from that event!
Our performance at the Annie Wright School on March 18 was interesting and educational. One of our members is a teacher at that school, and we participated in the annual International Talent Show. The audience loved our performance, and we also enjoyed seeing the various acts put on by the students. The beautiful brick schoolhouse was built in the late 1800's and is an elegant tribute to that time period.
Our performance at Seattle University's International Dinner on January 31 was also part of a fun night. We were one of eight groups performing that night, and the only one with its roots in a European culture. The audience of mostly college-age students whooped and hollered as we danced and seemed most enthusiastic. Hans Rainer graciously played for us, since our own musician, Chris Barnes, had another engagement that night. Hans did a great job of learning our dance tunes on very short notice (2 practices!), and we are very grateful for his help.
We had a lot of fun performing at East Hill Elementary on January 29 for their Multi-cultural Night. Of the three groups that performed, we the only dance group, and the audience was very appreciative of our two sets. The last dance we did was the Dätscher, and we got the audience involved-almost all of them got up to do the dance with us, and they were having a great time! The school gave us a big box of goodies in appreciation for our performance.
On March 5, five of us got together at Margaret's house to watch the German-language movie, "Asterix and Obelix." We had a good time trying to understand the (very fast) dialog, especially since it was dubbed in German—the original movie was in French! It was good practice, though, and Margaret filled us in on what was happening when we missed the story line.
On March 6, ten of us met again at Margaret's house for wheat-weaving and hairstyle design. The workshops were fun, the food was good, and the comraderie was excellent! We all agreed that we will have to do this again sometime!
Richard Smethurst and Mary Pearse got married, in Tracht, in Leavenworth on October 2, 2004, just prior to our performances there. The ceremony took place on the third-floor balcony of Pension Anna, with a view of the surrounding mountains. The haunting tones of the alphorn, played by Roger Mowery, acted as the prelude to the lovely service, and Chris Barnes played Edelweiss after the service. Carolyn Marquardt caught the bridal bouquet. The setting was lovely, as was the service; our congratulations to the newlyweds!
August 25 was an exciting dance practice for us, even though we actually didn't actually do any dancing. We spent the evening partying and looking at video, photos, and memorabilia from our trip to Bavaria in July.
As if that weren't enough fun, we got to meet the newly adopted daughter of club members Kurt and Jenny Graupensperger. Little Ellen Graupensperger was eleven months old that day, and had only recently emigrated to America from China. Despite being passed from person to person, as we admired her good lucks and sunny disposition, she remained in good spirits. Welcome, Ellen!
To make the evening even more exciting, we got to witness a marriage proposal! Richard Smethurst proposed to his long-time partner, Mary Pearse, after the two of them danced the Zillertaler Ländler for us. Congratulations to you both!
At our monthly business meeting, we designated our president, Carolyn Marquardt, as an honored member and presented her with a commemorative certificate and a coin for her mieder chain in honor of her twenty years of service to Enzian Schuhplattler. Among her many contributions, Carolyn has been instrumental in researching and acquiring the Tracht that Enzian wears, has arranged our group trips to Germany, and has served the organization as president and Trachtenmutter since 1992. She simultaneously served as Vortänzerin for eight years. Thank you, Carolyn, and congratulations!
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The club bylaws are now available on the site!
Read About Our 2004 Trip to Bavaria!
At long last, articles about our trip to Bavaria are on the Web site! Check them out, and see some photos! I have consolidated all our trip-related reports on one page for easier access, so you can also read about the trips from previous years.
Eight members of Enzian Schuhplattler went to Germany in July of 2004, where we performed at two Gaufeste and spent lots of time with our host clubs there, as well as sight-seeing in Austria for several days, and doing lots of shopping. We also made a short trip into northern Italy—the German-speaking South Tirolian region. You can read more about it on the page dedicated to our trip.
2003 Performances
Nine couples took to the stage for our last performance of 2003, at the Worldfest at Winterfest festival held at Seattle Center. We had a lot of our junior members performing, as well as a number of adults, and the audience seemed to really enjoy our presentation. We all went out to dinner afterward and had a great time together!
Six of our junior members performed at the Cultural Crossroads festival, as well as ten adult members. The stage was in a slightly different location this year, and I thought there wasn't as much space for audience members to easily view the stage, but we had a good-sized crowd watching our performance. The performance went well, and our kids drew a lot of attention. You may be able to see glimpses of us on television over Thanksgiving weekend. A cameraman from Channel 11 was on hand and took a lot of video of the performances, as well as doing interviews. The edited footage will be shown Thanksgiving night and the following two evenings (I think) to promote Winterfest at Seattle Center November 28-30. It will be fun to see what, if any, footage of our group appears.
The evening of November 8, we had 18 adult members performing for the Austria Club Winefest in Tacoma. The event was sold out, with a record crowd of over 200 attendees. Many in the audience hadn't seen us perform before (although we have danced at that event for many years), and they were excited about our performances.
October 25, we performed at the Tacoma Yacht Club for its Oktoberfest celebration. We really enjoyed the evening, and the audience was great. They were very attentive for all three of our dance sets. The food there was wonderful, too! They served some of the best Rouladen I have ever eaten, in addition to other wonderful dishes.
Five couples performed at the Seattle Yacht Club on October 24 for its annual Oktoberfest. The audience was very appreciative, and gave us a standing ovation, which was fun!
We had a lot of fun at the first annual Bellwether Hotel Oktoberfest in Bellingham--and so did the attendees! We performed twice in the afternoon and twice in the evening. In addition to our performances, there were children's activities (including a barrel-rolling contest), a bratwurst eating contest, and other fun events. We included an audience participation dance in our second afternoon performance, and a lot of the kids (and some adults) joined in for that. It was a fun time, and the Bellwether Hotel property is beautiful, with a view of the bay. We are planning to be there again next year; come and join us!
Although it took us a long time to get there, the (first annual) Hermiston Oktoberfest on October 11 was worth it! The event committee did a bang up job decorating, planning, advertising, and putting on the Oktoberfest. They had a great logo designed and screened onto beer mugs, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. They had four or five food vendors; many craft vendors; a hay maze, petting zoo, and those air-filled bouncing rooms for the kids; a special beer brewed just for this event by the Rogue River Brewery; two bands; and two dance groups. They did a fabulous job, and the event was so successful that they have already committed to holding it for the next five years, at least. We had lots of fun, of course--that's why we dance ;)
We had a great time at the German Heritage Society Oktoberfest on October 4. The Hans Rainer Band played, and they were wonderful, as always. We performed and enjoyed the knowledgeable appreciation of the German Heritage Society members, as well as the great dance floor. All in all, a great evening!
We had nearly the entire troupe with us for Autumn Leaf Festival September 27-28; there were 27 performers! We marched in the parade at noon Saturday, carrying our portable Maypole (and, as usual, folks kept hollering at us to dance, which is difficult unless we completely stop the parade!), as well as our Tafel (a portable wooden sign with our club name and information painted on it). We performed two sets Saturday and two sets Sunday to large crowds under an unseasonably hot sun. This was the first performance for one of our members, and he did very well. We performed the Bankltanz with four benches and eight men (twice as many of both as usual), and the Holzhacker with two logs--guys with axes worked on one, and guys with saws cut up the other. If there was a contest, the saws won!
September 13: We performed three sets at the Septoberfest @ St. Martin's College. This new event in Lacey, WA, was a lot of fun. We had eight couples present; two of our new members performed for the first time and did very well. We had six of our junior members in the performance; the crowd loved them, of course! We performed the very popular Holzhacker (woodchoppers' dance) at this event, and it was a big hit.
"One World, One Valley": September 6: Five couples and our button-box accordion player performed for an hour in the heat at this outdoor festival in Yakima, WA. The local group of German-speaking Americans hired us, and they were very enthusiastic about our performance. They fed us lavishly and provided lots of water and soft drinks afterward, which was wonderful. We had a very enjoyable day with them and at the festival.
Four of us attended the Almenrausch Schuhplattler Trachtenfest in Newark, CA, on August 16. We performed two Ehrentänze, ate great German food, and danced the night away. We enjoyed seeing the performances of the other Schuhplattler clubs in attendance and visiting with friends there.
We had a wonderful time camping at Lake Wenatchee State Park August 8-10, and we performed in the park amphitheater at 7 p.m. August 9 to an interested crowd of campers. They were intrigued by the men's split socks and their Gamsbärte, fascinated by the Goasslschnoizen (whips), and enthused about the dances we performed. Smoky Bear even danced with us for the Chicken Dance; his program followed ours that evening, so it was a natural lead in!
Fourteen of us participated in a new festival called Celebrate BC in Vancouver, British Columbia the first weekend in August. Held on the grounds of Expo 86, this event attracted many different kinds of entertainers and vendors, as well as a huge audience. We were there at the invitation of the German Canadian Congress, and they were enthusiastic about our performances and about us being there. Our first performance (Saturday) drew a big and appreciative crowd; the second one (Sunday morning) was not as well attended. That may have been because nothing else at the festival opened until 11 a.m., and our performance was scheduled at 10 a.m.! Hopefully, the scheduling will be better organized next year! We had a lot of fun, anyway, and the weather was beautiful.
Ten of our members participated in the folklore weekend at Walla Walla, Washington, July 18-20, put on by the North-American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups. We had a wonderful time learning to weave wheat into various designs, learning many new dances from the Schwarzwald, meeting other dancers from around the country and around the world, and performing an Ehrentanz (Ammerseer) at that event. The dancing was fun, the food was good, and the comraderie was wonderful. Several of us spent a little more time in the area and visited a few wineries, as well as the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival. We all had a great time. The instructor from this event, Klaus Fink, will be attending our dance practice on Wednesday, July 23, and we are really looking forward to his visit!
Nine of us, including one of the kids from our children's group, performed at the German Retirement Center Annual Picnic on July 12. We danced two sets during the four-hour event in front of a crowd of senior citizens and their families. It was a fun afternoon, with good food, other entertainment, lots of sunshine, and Gemütlichkeit.
We had a good time performing at the Village Green Retirement Center in Federal Way on June 7. Mary Finn, the mother of Enzian member Mary Pearse, was celebrating her 84th birthday there. She told us afterward that it was the best birthday celebration she can remember--high praise, indeed! We enjoyed visiting with the residents and partaking in the wonderful buffet lunch that was provided.
We had two performances on May 17, so it was a full day. First, we were at the Austria Club Maifest at the Benson Barn in North Bend in the afternoon, where we performed twice. We had five of our junior members in the performance, as well as ten adult members, and it went very well. The kids were a big hit, as always, and they are doing a great job! Our second set included the Bandltanz, the dance around the Maibaum, which included children from the audience. They seemed to have a great time.
Right after we left the Benson Barn on May 17, we drove down to Tacoma to perform for the Hermann's Sons Lodge (the German club in Tacoma). Fourteen adults in Fest Tracht performed there, and our two sets went well. We enjoyed the dinner, and the great dance music by the Happy Hans Band. It was a fun night!
May 18, we performed at St. Louise Catholic Church for their Ethnic Festival. Three of our junior members and four of our adults performed on a tiny stage. The performance went well, and the crowd seemed to enjoy us, so it was a good afternoon.
We performed three times on May 3--for the Eastside German Language School in the morning, and for a wedding and the BCC International Dinner in the evening. Our performance at the EGLS went very well, and we had four new members performing for the first time (three junior members and one adult). They all did an excellent job!
Since we had two performances in the evening of May 3, we sent two couples to perform at the wedding and four couples to perform at the Bellevue Community College International Dinner. The performance at the wedding was a surprise for the groom's parents (and the groom), and from all accounts, they were ecstatic about the short performance. Our performance at BCC drew whoops and whistles from the audience; they seemed to really appreciate our dancing! It was a fun night.
We got together for our annual Christmas party on Dec. 6, at the home of our president, Carolyn Marquardt. We had a great time together, eating great food, enjoying Gluhwein, singing Christmas carols (in German, of course!), and talking. It was the best Christmas party yet! What a great close to our 2003 season!
Alphorn (December 2002)
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Gregory W. Heinen of Lynnwood, WA, Enzian Schuhplattler is the proud owner of our own Alphorn!! Gregory designed and created the beautiful Alphorn and was looking for a home for the instrument that had cultural ties to its origins. Vielen Danke, Gregory!
Roger can already play the Alphorn some because he played trombone in high school, and the playing techniques are similar. Take a look!
If you are interested in reading about the origins and history of the Alphorn, try Everything That You Wanted To Know About The Alphorn by Christian Schneider.
New Nickname (October, 2001)
We have a new (very unofficial) moniker: Blood, Sweat, and Juchzen! There is a story behind the blood (see the next paragraph). The sweat is normal, since the guys are exerting themselves so much during the dances. Juchzen are the yodeling-type yells that we do during our dancing.
The blood is another matter...At the Chehalis Oktoberfest, one of our dancers fell on the very slippery dance floor (long before our performance) and cut her elbow. We put a band-aid on it and thought everything was fine. About an hour later, we went on stage to perform our first set of dances. As we were marching off, we noticed spots of blood on the floor, and then noticed that there was blood on her apron and running down her arm! None of the audience noticed—not even her daughter, who was watching her the whole time. We got her cleaned up and patched up well enough to last the evening. As it turned out, however, she had to get stitches in her elbow!
Musician (September 2000) We continue to enjoy having our own button box player, Chris Barnes. After several years dancing to taped music, it is a real thrill to have Chris provide live music for most of our performances! Thanks, Chris!
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