That was a cool little movie, Strumelia!  It's inspiring!

I stumbled on this great little video showing little samples of all different kinds of dancing all over the world... so fun and inspiring to watch! 

https://www.facebook.com/joa.inlakesh/videos/10207979904291206/

Yes, Aubrey's amazing. She has mastered every style of clog dancing and can do it while talking, singing, playing the fiddle, or playing the banjo.  If I could dance like that I wouldn't need to go to the gym!

Check out any of Aubrey Atwater's youtube vids.  I've seen her fiddle and clog and sing -- an "all in one" performer.

Miss Strumelia, you are absolutely radient!

Feet as music: I remember well an appearance by Doug Kershaw on the Ed Sullivan show. He sang, played fiddle and kept time nearly in a full clog. I feel that that added so much to his performance.

Terry, I believe you were and are a good dancer too    Have seen the dance groups in their precious and traditional costumes? And for sure you found the "Schuhplattler" in Bavaria quite funny...

I was never been able to play a jaw harp as fast as I could tap my foot, because I was concerned about injuring my teeth and lips if the harp got away on me, probably because I didn't know what I was doing. This little dance video prompted me to go and dig out my old harp and twang for a bit. Good memories.

Lisa, very interesting to see and hear the gent playing the Jew's harp or jaw harp or mouth harp. This is an "old fashioned" instrument that we seldom see anymore. Thank you.

Strumelia - I very much enjoyed these dances - one does not often see such sensitive, elegant and "musical" (musikalisch) dancers.

Aw I just don't get to go dancing anymore! We were taught country dancing at the very old fashioned girls grammar school I attended in the 70s. The music certainly wasn't as funky as that!! I learned a mix of English and Scottish dances and they were useful for going to ceilidhs when I was a bit older. 

I also had a stint of doing circle dance in the 90s: a generic term for a collection of European folk dances that don't require partnering up and are done in circles, lines or chains. The sessions with live musicians were great; Turkish, Breton, Bulgarian, Jewish, all kinds of tunes.

All this brings back memories of spending one day week from 2nd grade through high school square dancing. It was a real blast. Took a gym class in college called Folk and International Dancing. Those were the days! Thanks for sharing all your dancing experience. I always enjoyed watching John Hartford play his banjo and dance at the same time.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Strumelia,  I Googled English Country Dancing, for clubs.  The nearest is in Griffin,  Ga., 3 hours from me.

No problem. I still plan to study much on this subject.

When I was a teen, my dad owned a roller skate rink.  Every Sat. Night he would close it for skating, and host a square dance 

  Loads of fun for sure.

It's easy to learn to contra dance Terry!  I'm no expert for sure.  Every single dance gets taught slowly before the music begins, so you never really have to remember a dance from one evening to the next.  There are various common moves that get used in different combinations.  We all laugh when we make mistakes.  Lots of people of all ages, and physically challenged folks too.  Contra dancing is fairly popular, so there's one within a reasonable drive maybe once or twice a month, at least here in the Northeast.  The live music is so fun to dance to!   I especially love it in Contra dancing when all the dancers stomp a foot or two and you can feel it through the entire room, just like when the video starts out, and also at 1:10.   :)

Wow, Strumelia.   That is so cool.  It was easy to find you,  being the great fluid dancer that you are.  Seriously, you appeared very much in your eliment. 

Loving the good life.

Terry, here's a video of a Contra dance in Massachusetts where you can actually see me dancing..

As the video starts, I'm somewhat in the middle of the screen, but on the right side of the aisle, dancing with the fellow in the orange shirt.  At 0:36, I go to a new partner, the fellow in the plaid shirt.  Then later, after the camera pans to the left and then back to the right again, you can see me on the right side again at around 1:10 in the video, and through to the end.  

Terry, that was just an example of English Country Dance. Nobody filmed the one I went to.

If you do a youtube search of both Contra dance and English Country dancing, you'll see the difference between the two.  Contra is more high energy movement, while ECD is more flowing and stately.  I like them both now!  

Strumelia,  I couldn't pick you out.  Are you filming?

Anyway, that's way way too cool.  I've got to look into this dance.   My wife and I were discussing taking up some kind of dance, recently.

Time to do some googling.

I went to my first English Country Dance last weekend.  I've been a Contra dancer for seven years now (!) so 'some' of the dance moves are similar, but i was surprised at how I had to get into a whole different approach.  I goofed up many many times, but everyone was very supportive and helpful.  The drive is a PITA...  75 minutes each way, with annoying detours due to two different closed bridges along the way...and driving back at 11pm in the dark on back road detours...ugh!  I did enjoy myself though and hope to go again. The music is particularly beautiful to listen to while dancing. 

I'd say English Country Dance uses about 1/3 of the energy of a lively contra-  it's serene and flowing compared to higher energy Contra dancing.  I had to remind myself to drink some water now and then.  In a contra dance, there's no way you would 'forget' to drink some water...lol!

This is an example of English Country dancing:

That looks like so much fun! (I've only watched the first video and will watch the second one some other time-- line speed tonight's not all that great.) It was impressive that so many people knew what they were doing-- and if they didn't they made it look good.

It'd be neat to learn to dance. I was raised in a church where dancing was a no-no. I learned lots of great hymns, though. And I wish I could dance. Maybe someday!

heheh heh ... wanna cheap high??? Click 'play' on the first video ... wait 20 seconds and click 'play' on the second video ..... MUWAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH . ! ! !

I once saw Mr. Doug Kershaw perform "Lousiana Man" on the Ed Sullivan show. His unique style with his 'fiddle', his mellow voice (capable of reaching wonderful AAYYYYYY - EEEEEEEEEEEE's when called upon) and the rhythmic time kept by his feet were memorable. I have looked for that video particulary to revisit the accompanying beat he kept with his feet. I cannot emphasize enough how much it enhanced that performance.

Instruments? Yes in this case, I think so.

Wonderful perspective Lisa.

Here is what I was doing all this past Saturday, at the Dance Flurry in Saratoga NY, 2011.

(I actually was amongst the dancers in both these two videos, but I'm not really visible.)

I had a heck of a good time, but as expected, I was sore for 3 days after arriving there at 10am and leaving after midnight, dancing most of that time. I must have danced for about 10-12 hours Saturday. I took classes in Norwegian, Swedish, and Italian village dances, but mostly did contra dancing in between, like the two contra dances shown here. The second clip shows a really cool two-person band with digiridoo, the first band is more typical.

talk about your major exercise ! My poor feet the next day...

Well I guess dancing falls within percussion instruments in this 'other instruments' forum.