A Transnational Legacy: André van de Plas and International Folk Dancing in Australia

ABSTRACT

Each week in Australia, hundreds of people attend classes in international folk dancing (IFD), eagerly learning and practising dances from around the globe. The existence of FDA and the popularity of IFD must be accorded to André van de Plas from The Netherlands, who visited Australia every year for over three decades. This article examines the practice of IFD in Australia, analysing recreational dance as a leisure pursuit, tracing its historical narrative and describing the foundation of the transnational relationship between van de Plas and Australian IFD practitioners. It focuses on the unique pedagogical methodologies employed, including the intimate relationship between choreography and musical accompaniment as reinforced by van de Plas. Description of the Teacher Training Course and the concomitant effect on IFD and the peak body, Folk Dance Australia. Finally, IFD practitioners comment following the passing of van de Plas in 2019 and interpersonal connectivity and an inherited enthusiasm for learning and teaching dance are revealed. Overall, the persistent influence of van de Plas on FDA and all IFD aficionados in Australia is recognized and celebrated as a tribute to his life and work.

KEYWORDS:

• International folk dancing
• pedagogy
• transnational
• legacy

Acknowledgments

I wish to acknowledge the kind permission and assistance of André van de Plas’ sister, Marijke Hol (NZ), Kaye Laurendet (FDA), Margreet Huizer (The Netherlands), and James and Christine Battisson (FDA). I also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions for developing the article into its current form.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Initially, van de Plas’ sister and her husband translated dance notes from Dutch to English. Marijke Hol, personal correspondence, 15 February 2021.

2. Dance On, November 1982, 4. Papers of Margaret Walker 1938–1991, MS 8495,

5/89-4-8, National Library of Australia.

3. A biography of Holden is found at https://www.sfdh.us/encyclopedia/holden_r.html.

4. ‘Glimpses of Australia’s Heritage of Dance.’ The Margaret Walker Dance Centre Newsletter May 1978, 1. Papers of Margaret Walker 1938–1991, MS 8495, 5/89-4-7/3.

5. Dance On, July/August 1985, 1.

6. Sedenka List of Performers, Beth Dean and Victor Carell Subject Files, MLMSS 7804 Box 29 Folder 6, State Library of New South Wales.

7. The correct spelling is Apeldoorn.

8. Glimpses of Australia’s Heritage of Dance, 1; 3.

9. Folkloric Dance Activities and the work of the Margaret Walker Dance Centre, 22 June 1978, Papers of Margaret Walker 1938–1991, MS 8495, 5/89-4-7/3.

10. Australian Association for Dance Education, MLMSS 5806, Box 32. State Library of New South Wales.

11. Recommendations of the ‘Focus on Folk Dance’ Conference. Papers of Margaret Walker 1938–1991, MS 8495, 12/89-9-7.

12. Due to rising costs of travel and accommodation and in an effort to increase accessibility, the course has been adapted to distance learning, although the fundamental structure persists.

13. Developed in 1956 for recording folk dances from Eastern Europe (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2020).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeanette Mollenhauer

Jeanette Mollenhauer is an Independent Scholar whose principal research interests are dance in diaspora and cultural identity. She has engaged in recreational folk dance for 30 years, has taught in community groups and schools for 20 years and is the current Vice President of Folk Dance Australia.