BYU folk dancers grace stage at Henderson Pavilion

Marilyn LaRocque

Friday, March 21, 2003 | 8:28 a.m.

What: International Folk Dance Ensemble from Brigham Young University.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Henderson Pavilion at Liberty Pointe.

Tickets: $1 lawn; $2-$7 seated.

Information: 384-8427.

Folk dancers from more than a dozen ethnic cultures drawn from Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America will fill the stage when the International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE) from Brigham Young University performs at Henderson Pavilion on Saturday.

The BYU Mountain Strings folk music ensemble of nine musicians will accompany the 16 dancers. The performers are students at BYU. Edwin G. Austin is artistic director of the dance troupe, and Mark Geslison directs the musicians.

Titled "Reflections 2003," the program showcases a potpourri of dance styles and national cultures. The collection of Americana embraces the waltzes and gallops of a 19th-century ball, Appalachian clogging and "Rendezvous," which is the clog that Kenny Ortega (Gene Kelly's protege) choreographed for the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Clogging's cousin, the hard-shoe "Riverdance" style, resonates in "Cry of the Celts," choreographed by Johanna Lambert and Tina Shelley.

A Sword Dance -- created by the London Folk Society of England, "Sones Jarochos," featuring the music and dance of Veracruz -- including the well-known "La Bamba," and "Attaches tes Bottrines," a call-and-answer dance typical of Quebec, also appear before intermission.

Dances of Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, India and South Africa are the post-intermission choices. Gary Larsen choreographed "Gumboots," the distinctive dance communication born amid oppressive conditions of the South African gold mines.

Slapping and clapping accent the Hungarian "Ferfi Mulatesag" from the Romanian-speaking village of Mehkerck. A graceful "scarf" dance from Bulgaria and a flowing "river' expressing South Indian classical dance styles provide a change of pace.

The evening will end with the "Poltavskyi Hopak," the national dance of Ukraine and hallmark of the Cossack dance tradition.

It is one of several numbers for which artistic director Austin provided choreography.

"Choreography has to be looked at through different glasses when you're working with international folk dance," Austin said. "Folk dancing was initially done socially and surrounded by other activities and celebrations of various kinds. It was not for formal audiences. However, one simple line dance for three hours among friends and family or the same step repeated for eight minutes will not hold an audience."

Austin elaborated on the interest in folk dance and folk music at BYU.

"First of all," he remarked, "the program is quite prominent. It's one of four elite performance groups which travels worldwide. Members of IFDE are chosen by competitive auditions. They're center stage, and we receive strong university support. We vary where we dance to broaden our audience."

Folk dancing is more than fun -- it's an elective course for credit.

"We have over 200 students at various skill levels," Austin said. "They come from all different major subjects -- engineering, English, history, the sciences. On a campus of 30,000 students, it's one way to become friends with other students with like interests."

Music director of the "Mountain Strings," Mark Geslison attributes increased popular interest in folk music and dance to two things: the "Riverdance phenomenon" and the recent movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou."

"The growing popularity intrigues us because we've been doing it for a long time at BYU, since 1956," he commented. "We forget we are an anomaly, not the norm. 'Riverdance' awakened people to Celtic (British Isles) music in particular. In 'Brother,' which transports Homer's 'Odyssey' to 1930s rural southern America, you get old-time string band and country music, music with melody."

Geslison observed, "In the 1990s people began noticing there were two things missing from a lot of music -- melody and rhythm, the two primary elements that make up music. It had no groove. They were thirsty for some substance. Then along came a few cutting edge musicians -- old country, bluegrass -- that got their music on the top of charts, and it created a new awareness.

"I've been on the bandwagon for a long time, and I'm watching people jump up on there with me now.""