|
The Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH) Dick Oakes
[
Home |
About |
Encyclopedia | CLICK AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
|
BACKGROUND
Information: Richard "Dick" Oakes, teacher and author of international dance.
Dick folk danced a few times in 1955 in his small hometown of Richland, Washington, but it wasn't until several years later, while in the United States Navy stationed in San Diego, California, that he really got hooked. He danced in San Diego with the Cabrillo Folk Dancers and the San Diego Folkdancers, and did his first performing there with Dolina Cigany and Vyts Beliajus' Viltis Dancers. In 1960, he received a Folk Dance Federation of California, South, scholarship to the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference. Later that year, he was asked to teach a Federation Workshop in Long Beach. That was the beginning of his folk dance teaching career.
Dick was well known internationally as a folk dance instructor. He taught in over 100 cities in the United States and Canada and taught Balkan dances to hundreds of Chinese folk dancers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Kowloon China.
Dick's unique teaching style, humorous presentation, ability to accurately convey not only the steps but, more importantly, the style of many varied nationalities, and feeling for the learning process, made him a much sought after teacher for workshops, seminars, and camps.
The sound movies and stereo slides he took in Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia were an entertaining source of folkloric research material–especially those of the Koprivštica Festival during Bulgaria's 1300th anniversary and Romania's Tismana Festival in 1981.
As one of this country's fine folk dance performers, Dick was seen on television in California, Colorado, and Oklahoma – at times directing his own groups for these shows. He appeared as a Greek dancer in the Hollywood film for television "Star Maker." He was a performer with the famed AMAN Folk Ensemble, dancing in Croatian, Bulgarian, and Romanian suites. His list of performing credits included such groups as Betyárok (Hungarian), Boulder Folk Ensemble (Macedonian), Dolina Cygany (Polish, Russian, and Serbian), Gandy Dancers (Hungarian, Ukrainian, and Scandinavian), Gitmek (Turkish), GTV D'Oberlandlers (Bavarian Schuhplattlers), Village Dancers (Persian), and Viltis Dancers (Lithuanian).
His other activities and accomplishments were numerous. Active in a leadership roll, Dick held office in several folk dance groups as well as in the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, and was active on the staffs of the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference, San Diego State University Folk Dance Conference. He held the offices in the Federation of President, Director of Extension, Parliamentarian, and chairperson of several committees, including Costume, Directory, Finance, Nominating, Special Publications, and Standard Operating Procedures. Dick was the first editor of Folk Dance Scene, Southern California's folk dance news magazine. Dick also was a staff artist for the Viltis Folklore Magazine. He wrote the chapter on Yugoslav Folk Dancing in the book from Doubleday, International Folk Dancing U.S.A., compiled by Betty Casey. Dick organized several folk dance functions and was co-director of the successful Holiday Camp folk dance conference with Diki Shields in the mountains of Southern California. In addition, Dick served on judging committees on Greek folk dance for the Western Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church of America. He also was elected to the position of Membership Chairman of the Colorado Folk Arts Council, serving with Vyts Beliajus.
Dick taught at many folk dance centers in both northern and southern California, including Ashkenaz, Café AMAN, Cafe Ămi, Cafe Danssa, Calliope's, Finjan, Gypsy Camp, Horo, The Intersection, The Museum, Plaka, Red Mill House, Scorpio's, Theo's, The Threshing Floor, Veselo Selo, and Zorbas.
Traveling with his wife, Carol (née Meyer), Dick also taught folk dances on one of Rae Tauber's OPA! Folklore Tours through Bulgaria (during it's 1,300th anniversary celebration), Romania, and Yugoslavia, and on one of Mel Mann's Dance on the Water cruises to Alaska.
Dick and Carol moved from Southern California to Colorado's front range in the mid-1990s.
In 2014, Dick received the National Folk Dance Organization U.S.A. "Preserving Our Heritage Award" for a 'lifetime of achievement in folk dance and folk arts', and also the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival "National Dance Award" 'in recognition of contributions to folk dancing in Texas and in the United States'. Also, in 2014, he taught a "Dances for All Ages" class at the Stockton Folk Dance Camp. In 2017, Marshall Cates, outgoing president of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc., presented Dick with a Service Award 'in appreciation of decades of dedication and service'. In 2020, Dick received the "Southern California Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Laguna Folk Dance Festival for his "significant contribution to the International Folk Dance community."
Carol passed away from cancer in 2013, and, in 2021, Dick moved to Maui, Hawaii.
PUBLICATIONS
- Yugoslavian Folk Dances, International Folk Dancing U.S.A., Casey, Betty. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1982 (reprinted as The Inner Joy of Yugoslav Dancing).
- Dick also created hundreds of dance descriptions, transferred from his website to that of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc., and many articles, some of which are on this website.
CRONOLOGY
- 1939 – Born.
- 1949 – First introduction to a "folk" dance (Pop! Goes the Weasel), Physical Education Class, Richland, Washington.
- 1955 – First attempt at international folk dancing, Richland, Washington.
- 1957 – First serious folk dancing, San Diego, California.
- 1958 – Performed with Vyts Beliajus's Viltis Dancers and John Hancock's Dolina Cygany.
- 1960 – First of several folk dance scholarships received to the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference.
- 1960 – First of hundreds of workshops taught in the United States, Canada, and the Orient.
- 1964 – Taught at The Intersection, the first of many folk dance coffeehouses in Southern California.
- 1965 – First editor of Folk Dance Scene, Southern California's folk dance magazine.
- 1967 – Taught first of many folk dance camps at the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference.
- 1969 – Contributor to the UCLA Museum of Ethnic Arts Gallery Showing of "The Balkans, Costume and Folk Art."
- 1971 – Taught "Summer Dance Camp" in Seattle, Washington with friend and camp director Sonny Newman.
- 1972 – Put on the first "Floating Kolo Party" with friend Tink Wilson in Boulder, Colorado.
- 1979 – Founded the Fort Collins Folk Dancers in Colorado (now Empire Grange International Folk Dancing).
- 1972 – Elected to the position of Membership Chairman of the Colorado Folk Arts Council, serving with Vyts Beliajus.
- 1972 – Played the dumbek and tûpan for a Boulder International Folk Dancers performance.
- 1973 – Taught Lighted Lantern Folk Dance Camp, substituting for Vyts Beliajus (and taught each subsequent camp till it closed).
- 1976 – Taught Human Movement Conference, Oahu, Hawa'i'i.
- 1976 – First of two teaching tours of the United States sponsored by InstrucTours.
- 1976 – Taught International Folk Dancers, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- 1977 – Taught Texas Camp with Ruth Browns and Per & Margareta Jennische.
- 1977 – Taught Totem Folkdance Festival, Tacoma, Washington.
- 1977 – Taught Roberson Folk Dancers at Oquaga Lake, New York with Ada Dziewanowska.
- 1977 – Taught KU Folkdance Club, Kansas City, Kansas.
- 1978 – Taught Halloween Weekend, Baton Rouge, Louisianna with Jerry Helt.
- 1979 – Became a part of the management of Veselo Selo with Bora & Marge Gajicki.
- 1979 – Taught Kansas Folk Dance Festival with Tom Bozigian and Vyts Beliajus.
- 1979 – Taught MIT Folk Dance Club's Spring Festival with Andor Czompo.
- 1980 – Taught University of Hawaii Dance Club workshop.
- 1981 – Performed with such ensembles as AMAN Folk Ensemble, Betyárok, Gandy Dancers, and G.T.E.V. D'Isartaler.
- 1981 – Toured Balkan countries of Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia on Rae Tauber's Opa! Folklore Tour to the Balkans.
- 1981 – Taught Ontario Folk Dance Camp, Ontario, Canada with Andor Czompo.
- 1981 – Taught International Folkdance Camp, Santa Catalina, California with Mihai David and Shlomo Bacher.
- 1982 – Contributed article on Yugoslavian Folk Dances to the book International Folk Dancing U.S.A. by Betty Casey.
- 1983 – Founded the International Folk Dance Club (now Empire Grange International Folk Dancing) in Fort Collins, Colorado.
- 1985 – Founded the Simi Valley Folk Dancers in Simi Valley, California.
- 1985 – Taught New Mexico August Folk Dance Damp with George Tomov.
- 1986 – Member of the first advisory committee of the National Fok Organization U.S.A.
- 1987 – Elected President of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
- 1987 – Taught Camp Hess Kramer Institute Weekend, Malibu, California with Beverly Barr and Jim Harris.
- 1987 – Taught New Years Folk Music & Dance Residency Camp, Malibu, California.
- 1988 – Elected to the Advisory Board of the California Traditional Music Society (CTMS).
- 1988 – Taught the Ojai Folk Dance Festival, Ojai, California with Barry Glass.
- 1988 – Taught the Summer Solstice Dulcimer & Traditional Music and Dance Festival, Northridge, California with Yves Moreau.
- 1988 – Taught Mel Mann's Dance on the Water cruise.
- 1990 – Served on several judging committees for the Greek Orthodox Youth Folk Dance Festival.
- 2000 – Designed and built his personal PhantomRanch.net website, featuring folk dance articles, artwork, dance descriptions, resources, and more.
- 2002 – Designed and built a website for the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
- 2004 – Taught Folk & Social Dance Teacher Training Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada with Richard Duree.
- 2010 – Designed and built a website for the Ethnic Express Folkdancing Club of Las Vegas.
- 2014 – Taught "Dances for All Ages" workshop at Stockton Folk Dance Camp.
- 2014 – Received the National Fok Organization U.S.A. "Preserving Our Heritage Award" for a lifetime of achievement in folk dance and folk arts.
- 2014 – Received the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival "National Dance Award" in recognition of 'contributions to folk dancing'.
- 2014 – Taught Richland Annual Folk Dance Festival, Richland, Washington.
- 2015 – Taught North-South Teachers' Seminar in northern California with Cristian Florescu and Sonia Dion.
- 2015 – Taught Autum Leaves XXXII, Nashville, Tennessee.
- 2015 – Taught Columbus Folk Dancers, Columbus, Ohio.
- 2015 – Taught Miami Valley Folk Dancers, Dayton, Ohio.
- 2015 – Taught University Folk Dance Circle, Cleveland, Ohio.
- 2015 – Taught Snowy Range International Folk Dance Group, Laramie, Wyoming.
- 2015 – Taught Evansville International International Folk Dancers, Evansville, Indiana.
- 2016 – Taught the Ethnic Express International Folkdancing Club, Las Vegas, Nevada.
- 2017 – Received a "Service Award" in appreciation of 'decades of dedication and service' to the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
- 2018 – Designed and built a website for the Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH).
- 2019 – Retired from dancing and teaching folk dance.
This page © 2018 by Ron Houston.
Please do not copy any part of this page without including this copyright notice.
Please do not copy small portions out of context.
Please do not copy large portions without permission from Ron Houston.