DANCE AND CULTURAL TOURS TO ROMANIA 2003

The prices includes:

• Transfer from Bucharest to final destination and return.
• Full board in a double or triple bedroom with bath/shower and toilet (supplement for a single room: EUR 70.-/week).
• Dancing-lessons from Romanian dancing-teachers accompanied by live music. . Excursions by touring-car. Participation in a variety of activities such as: meeting and dancing with dance ensembles, visiting museums, participating in village festivities, etc.
• Free entrance to the museums and exhibitions named in the programme.
• Accompaniment by Silviu Ciuciurnis and an English speaking guide/interpreter.

Not included:

• Return-flight Amsterdam-Bucharest. On request Stichting DOINA will arrange your flight for you.
  Price indication: from EUR 231,- onwards.
  With regard to the large interest in these tours and the advantageous tickets on early booking, we advise that you to register as soon as possible.
• Cancellation insurance 5%, airport + security tax (will be included in [mal invoice).
• Travel insurance (you are requested to make personal arrangements).
• Personal spending on drinks, etc.

SUBJECT TO MODIFICATIONS 
 

PROGRAMME OF THE TOUR TO PIATRA NEAMT 26 April - 3 May 2003

Saturday 26th April

• Flight Schiphol, Amsterdam - Otopeni, Bucharest. Transfer by touring-car to Piatra Neamt

Sunday 27th April

• Dancing-lessons* (assisted by dancers of the ensemble Doina Bistritei from Piatra Neamt).
• Rehearsal performance by the ensemble. Dancing together.
• Visit to the workshop of icon-painter (on glass) loan Popei
• Excursion to the village of Garcina**: - Visit to a traditional house and a sheep-fold
  Performance by the local shepherds' group Ciobanasul. Dance, music and party together .

Monday 28th April

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion along the Bicaz-valley: Bicaz-cleft and Lacul rosu (Red lake): boat-tour
• In the village of Bicaz-chei: perfonnance by the group Floare de colt.. Music, dance, old customs, party together. Visit to the mini-open-air museum
• Meeting with the musical group Fratii, Strambu (2 violins and a scroafa (sow)) from Tosorog

Tuesday 29th April

• Dancing-lessons
• Visit to the places of interest in Piatra Neamt, a.o. museum of ethnography, royal court with royal wine
  cellars, bell-tower, Dacian citadel Biitca Doamnei
• Meeting with the one-men's orchestra Dumitru Vranceanu (Mos Tache)
• Excursion to the village of Borlesti: folklore group with old customs, with a.o. Caiutii (little horses)

Wednesday 30th April

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to the city of Targu Neamt: - Visit to the monastery of Varatec - 1808 (with a collection of mediaeval art and objects), monastery of Agapia - 1644 (with frescos from the famous Romanian painter Nicolae Grigorescu (1856-1860), with scenes inspired on village life), and to the memorial house Ion Creanga (story-teller 1837-1889)
• Visit to the citadel of Neamt (1382-1387) consolidated by Stephen the Great (15th century), to the memorial house of Mihail Sadoveanu (1880-1961) - Romanian prose writer, and to the monastery of Neamt - 1479 (with mediaeval art, objects and books)
• In the village of Vanatori-Neamt meeting with the local folklore group with children, adults and elderly. Performance and dance party

Thursday 1st May

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to the village of Timisesti: - Visit to the workshop of mask-maker Ion Albu
• Meeting with the local folklore group with winter customs with a.o. capra mula (mute goat) and dubasi (drummers). Meeting with the mascatii (masked) from the village of Raucesti

Friday 2nd May

• Dancing-lessons and special opportunity for dance notation and video-recording .
• Visit to the workshop of wood-carver Nicolae Gaman
• Final party together with the ensemble Doina Bistritei from Piatra Neamt

Saturday 3rd May

• Transfer by touring-car to Bucharest. Fli ht Oto ni, Bucharest - Schiphol, Amsterdam

PROGRAMME OF THE TOUR TO POIANA STAMPEI 26 July - 7 August 2003

Saturday 26th July

• Flight Schiphol, Amsterdam - Otopeni, Bucharest
• Bus tour along the places of interest in Bucharest (the old city centre and palace of Ceausescu) .
• Transfer by night-train to Bistrita in sleeping compartments, departure 21.25 h

Sunday 27th July

• Arrival in Vatra Dornei (07.30 h). Transfer by touring-car to Poiana Stampei (Y2 hour)
• Dancing-lessons*. Visit to the houses of villagers (a.o. traditional house of ca. 90 years old)

Monday 28th July

• Dancing-lessons
• In Vatra Moldovitei: visit to Drajmici Filotea (egg-painter) and the mini-open-air museum .
• Visit to the world-famous painted monasteries Moldovita and Sucevita (16th century)

Tuesday 29th July

• Excursion to Maramures through the Prislop-pass (1416 m)
• On the way (still in Bucovina) visit to the villages of Ciocanesti and Carlibaba, famous for their characteristic old architecture and traditional wall-decoration
• Visit to the roots art museum in the village of Vulcanesti and to the Tartar mausoleum
• In Bogdan Vodii visit to the famous high wooden churches and the wood-carved gates
• In Dragomiresti** meeting with the women's folklore group (dance, music, old customs)
• In the village of Botiza: - Visit to the workshop and special carpet collection of the Berbecaru family - Visit to the old wooden church and the new painted church

Wednesday 30th July

• Dancing-lessons. Visit to the workshops of hand workers in Tesna: turner, weaver, egg-painter .
• Excursion by coaches to the plateau of Tiitaru: view of the Carpathians - Visit to the local shop and to a traditional house

Thursday 31st July

• Excursion to Transylvania over the Bargau-mountains
• Visit to the Dracula-castle and the wooden monastery in the village of Piatra Fantanele (1201 m)
• Trip to costume maker Bacea Nicolae in the village of Tureac
• Visit to the workshop of potter Nenea Ganau in the village of Mijlocenii Bargaului
• In Prondu Bdrgiiului performance by te youth ensemble Miorita

Friday 1st August

• Dancing-lessons.
• Excursion to Vatra Dornei: - White church, park from spa, historic centre, market - Meeting with the dancers and musicians from Clubul Copiilor (youth club): performance

Saturday 2nd August

• Dancing-lessons.
• Excursion to the village of Cozanesti: - Performance by the ensemble Arcanul
• Visit to the workshop of wood-carver Mihai Vleju

Sunday 3rd August

• Free time in Poiana Stampei

Monday 4th August

• Dancing-lessons. In Vatra Dornei: visit to the museum for ethnography and folklore, meeting with Ion Cruceanu - mythologist, performance by the ensemble Dorul Dornei. Dancing-party together

Tuesday 5th August

• Visit to the old traditional painted village church
• Performance by the folklore ensemble from Poiana Stampei.
• Dancing-lessons and farewell party together

Wednesday 6th August

• Excursion to Suceava: - Visit to the museum for ethnography, the citadel of  Stefan the Great (royal court of the 16th cent.), the Mirauti-church and Latzko-monastery (both 14th cent.) and the market .
• Transfer by night-train to Bucharest in sleeping compartments, departure 22.30 h

Thursday 7th August

• Arrival in Bucharest 05.15 h. Flight Bucharest - Amsterdam
   

* During the spring-tour the dancing-lessons will be given by Nae Rotaru with dances from central Moldavia. During the summer-tour the dancing-lessons will be given by Gheorge Constantinescu and Silviu Ciuciumis with dances from Bucovina and other folklore zones.

The lessons include dances from the villages we visit, so that we can dance with the local people.

** In general the dancing-groups perform, followed by a shared party with music and dance.