Steam and Stomp 2017
Saturday Morning
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Afternoon Teaching
| Dance | Country/Style | Teacher | Note or link to video |
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| Dobra, Nevesto | Bulgaria | Susan H | Video |  syllabus |
| Kyustendilska Ruchenitsa | Bulgaria | Bill | Video | syllabus | Sally found out more information: Ivan Simeyonov, vocal; K. Kolev Ansamble; Michael Herman Folk Dance Series; Title of song (from Sofia area) is Snoshti Si Rada Pristana, Translation From MIT Song book page 7 |
| Kor Csardas | Hugary | Russ | Video | syllabus |
| Ciganskoto Horo (Djipaj) | Bulgaria | Sally | Video | Syllabus |
| Gead Man of Ballangigh | English | Mitchell | Video | History and sheet music | A little more |
| Corlu Aroman | Romania, Dobrogea | Susan H | Video | Syllabus |
Extras after teaching
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Taught on Sunday
| Dance | Country/Style | Teacher | Note or link to video |
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| Repasseado | Basque | Sally | Video Not our group but this is the music and the dance Syllabus |
| Blue Bonnets | Scottish | Susan H. | Video |
| Silent Kolo | Croatia | Susan S. | Shh... |
Other Dances just for fun
| Dance | Country/Style | Leader | note or link to video |
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| Ba Pardess | Israel | Sally | Video | Syllabus and more videos from Andrew Carnie |
| Issios Pronounced: EES-yohs |
Greek | Susan H. | Video | syllabus |
| Jurelu | Romania | Susan H. | Video | syllabus |
| Skudrinka | Macedonia | Video | syllabus |
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| Strumička Petorka | Macedonia | Video | syllabus |
Susan teaching Dobra, Nevesto
Thanks to Cecelia for sending these pictures.
Russ teaching Kor Csardas
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Party
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The Band Set
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Lance, Hallie, Susan H, Bill, Michael S.
The Band!
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Back to recorded music
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Saturday Evening Requests
Saturday Evening Requests continued
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Sunday
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Extras from Cecelia - Here are about half of the dances we did after lunch
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From left to right, Sara, Derik, Cecelia, Patty, Ann, Sally, Bill, Don, Denice, Allan, Lance, Missy, Russ, Ruth
Dancers
Thanks to Cecelia for providing the following list of dancers. If anyone is left out, please let us know.
Helena
Bozeman
Oregon |
Washingtom
Phillipsburg
Deer Lodge
Anaconda
Boulder MT |
Missoula
Kalispell
Don't know the city |
A few were there Friday night.
Ann reviewed Shopsko Oro Friday night. This is the side where the Steam and Stomp started 30 years ago!
And speaking about Steam and Stomp 30 years ago, here are two pictures from Bill B. from that time period.
Early Days Helena Folk Dancers
I am looking for photos of folkdancing at the early days of folkdancing at Boulder Hot Springs but not coming up with any. So. if anyone has any photos of those days (the 1980s), I'd love to see them. I am putting together a little description of the early days of Steam and Stomp and photos would be a nice addition.
However, I did find these two photos that are worth sharing.
Above, is the Helena Folkdancers performing outside maybe a little later in the decade.
From the left: Bill, Clare, Nancy Nemitz, Rebekkha Dodge, Sam and Theresa Martinez.
Backs to camera from left: ?, ?, Betty Loos, Joan Deegan (Franke), Clare Bridge, Steve Harper(?).
Facing camera from left: ?, ?, Clara Wagner, Mike and Susan Sweet, Nancy Nemitz, Seja Borich, Kathleen Smith(?).
Bill Bucher
SOB Barn
The woman in the green vest next to Mike Sweet is Clara Wagner. She was a loyal Bozeman dancer. She used to come to S&S also, with her husband Tom, in the old days when it was more like camping. She would bring lots of supplies, like extension cords, a coffee pot and make coffee for us all, and usually brought homemade pastries as well. At least once I remember that Tom helped us out on Sunday and jump-started a couple of our cars when it was subzero.
Written by Bill and Kathleen, April 2017
International Folk dancers from Montana have been gathering at Boulder Hot Springs just outside Boulder, Montana, since 1983 to enjoy the dances, waters and camaraderie. However, the events in the early days (1983 to 1989) were rather different than the more recent events because the Hot Springs facility was very different back then and everything happened differently – except the dances themselves. In the 1980’s the Hot Springs and hotel were owned by Stuart Lewin, originally from the East Coast, who ran a rather loose ship compared to the present ownership. The hotel was dilapidated but the hot pools were open and greatly appreciated by the locals. A few rooms could be rented but there was no restaurant or food service. In the severe winter of 1989, the pipes that heated the hotel with the hot spring water froze and broke. The water damage was extensive and beyond Stuart’s ability to repair. I’m pretty sure we had to cancel the Steam and Stomp that year because we would have held the dance at the end of January, right in the middle of the brutal -40 degree cold spell.
Anne Wilson Schaef, known for her work and many books about personal growth and healing, bought the hotel and hot springs in 1990 to serve as a retreat center particularly for working with people with addictions. At first the hotel and hot springs were used just in her business, but eventually they opened to the public and we were able to resume holding the Steam and Stomp. Because the hot springs continue to be a retreat center, no drugs or alcohol are allowed on the premises; however, food is served to groups, and it is most delicious. The rooms have been renovated over the years and are quite charming, and the pools are maintained and clean and meet health standards with minimal chemical addition.
Boulder Hot Springs Hotel in January
Photo from a postcard of Boulder Hot Springs in winter; photographer not noted.
In the early days, things were different, but, first, let me tell you how Steam and Stomp started. My good friend, Kathleen Smith, moved to Helena in 1979 and in 1980 found our little group of international folk dancers, who met every Friday night at Jefferson School. On a trip back to visit her native Philly she folk danced on a Monday night with upwards of 80 folks and returned to Helena full of energy. She had the idea in 1983 to organize folk dancers across Montana for a possible annual folk dance weekend and to do it in the manner of the Helena Learners Exchange. The Exchange brought teachers and students together in community with fees charged only for space rental and supplies. Her knowledge of the facilities and personalities at Boulder Hot Springs led her to the idea that it would be a good spot to try out our first gathering. The end of January was chosen for the event to mitigate the effects of cabin fever with some good soaking.
Kathleen and I -- along with our very committed and enthusiastic Helena dancers -- worked together to bring the idea to fruition, she doing the general organizing, I taking care of the instructors and the music. Instruction has been shared by the attendees since the inception of the event. Because there was no restaurant at that time, Debbie from the No Sweat Cafe, her little son Eli in tow, cooked all of our meals our first year. In following years, Pat Syring, a woman of many talents including restauranteering, was a very active member of the Helena Folkdancers with her two kids, Anne and Tom. She hauled her kitchen supplies down to the hot springs and somehow, with just a little help, managed to feed 30 or more people three square meals. Clara Wagner from Bozeman also supplied morning coffee and pastries. Because the rooms in the hotel were not generally usable, we slept in the bunkhouse, which is located just south of the west wing of the hotel. The bunkhouse was just as glamorous as it sounds; we all piled in there with our sleeping bags after our Saturday night dance and late night soak.
The folks at Boulder were so fond of our group that they offered to host us, "the folk dancers," every year for as long as we wanted. Kathleen moved back to Philly after our third gathering secure in the knowledge that her original enthusiasm and her general organization were no longer necessary and that I would keep things going. She now lives in Albuquerque and returned for our 30th anniversary at Boulder Hot Springs in 2013. She says that one of the great joys of her life was getting to see familiar and new faces and witnessing the continuation of the community spirit that was such an important factor in the creation of the event.
The old dining room, where the dances take place presently, was unusable and we danced and ate in the bar in the west wing. The west wing was partitioned in a way that created an L-shaped dance floor with a large bar. The recent renovation of this area removed the partition, the bar was repositioned, and the area is much more spacious and now beautifully decorated as well. The main thing everyone remembers about the old room was the hole in the floor. We would place a chair over the hole before dancing and hope for the best. It was also odd to be dancing on a floor where you couldn’t see all the dancers because of the kink in the floor plan.
The pools were basically the same as they are today, at least in location, but the men had the two pools that are now in the women’s area, and the women had the single pool. Not that it mattered too much, because, at least when we had the place to ourselves at night, we would all get together in one indoor pool and clothing was optional, as it was in the outdoor pool. The general public at the hot springs made generous use of alcohol although I don’t remember the folk dancers consuming much as it could too easily disrupt those complex Balkan rhythms. Also memorable were the years when the temperatures went well below zero. Frozen hair in the outdoor pool seemed more common in the past as well as the challenges of getting vehicles started on Sunday. That degree of cold hasn’t happened as much in recent years.
Stuart was a great environmentalist and one year he just happened to host an Earth First meeting the same weekend at Steam and Stomp. I don’t know if he realized that would put a strain on the facilities or he didn’t even think about it, but it all worked out fine. In the evening we invited the Earth Firsters in to dance with us and everyone had a great time.
Another contrast with the early days is illustrated by an occurrence at our first Sunday breakfast under the new management. Because the facility was now organized for treating people with addictions, there was no caffeinated coffee at breakfast. This caused a number of bleary-eyed dancers to make a dash into Boulder for some real coffee so they could start their day. Since then the Hot Springs has compromised with the public on the caffeine issue.
So there are lots of good memories of the early days of Steam and Stomp, but, with the re-civilization of the Hot Springs, there are many advantages including cozy rooms, wonderful food and fewer hazards. The main thing is that we still dance our hearts out even if we don’t make it past midnight anymore.
Thanks, for doing that, it's fun to know about the origins of Steam and Stomp.
Archive photos of BHS
Take care
Until next time
Roger