>>>> the festival stagesSeminar information pages:
These Seminars of Choreography are held in Timişoara and scheduled to coincide with the International Folk Festival of the Hearts (Festivalul Inimilor). The festival and seminar are co-ordinated by Toma Frentescu, maestro choreographer of the ensemble 'Timişul' based at the Casa de Cultura in Timişoara.
Note: There is also a different "folk dance" course held in Timişoara at the same time which is unrelated to these seminars.
This festival first took place in 1990 as a memorial to the young people who lost their lives in the December 1989 revolution. It is organised by the Casa de Cultura in Timişoara in conjunction with the City Council. Around 8 foreign groups are generally invited to the festival, joined by around 20 groups from Romania. These include many groups from Banat (including the Serbian and German groups) and groups from other parts of Romania. The festival performances take place for 5 evenings on an open air stage in the 'Rose Park' (Parcul Rozelor) next to the river in central Timişoara. Typically the first evening performance is the entire ensemble 'Timişul' including around 50 dancers, with more than 10 famous vocalists and instrumental soloists. The second evening opens with a parade of all the groups through the centre of Timişoara followed by an evening of performances by both local and foreign groups. The Friday evening performance consists of Romanian groups both local and from other parts of Romania, while on Saturday the foreign groups were joined by a different selection of Romanian groups. On Sunday performances take place in the village museum, on the outskirts of Timişoara, followed by the closing performance of the ensemble in Parcul Rozelor.
>>>> the festival stages
The festival programme starts at 19:30 and generally continues until the late evening, however one can return to the hotel whenever one wishes. The venue has seating for several thousand people, and can be full most evenings.
>>>> some of the groups from 2005
The dance lessons are held in the "Casa de Cultura" which is a short walk from the town centre. This is the home of the large amateur ensemble "Timisul" (their performance at the festival had some 25 couples on stage which was not all the group!), and the offices of Toma Frentescu (maestro choreographer and organiser of the festival, dance groups and the seminar) and Doina Anghel who makes all the arrangements.
The lessons are taken by Nicolae Stănescu (choreographer of ensemble "Timişul")with music provided by the musicians of the ensemble, with additional special lessons taken by visiting choreographers from many regions of Romania, assisted by members of their ensembles.
In 2005 this was Silvia Macrae, choreographer of the professional ensemble Junii Sibiului, and Leontina Dorca, choreographer of the Cununiţa ensemble from Satu Mare, who perform folklore from the Codru region.
In 2006 the were joined by Ioan Silaghi (choreographer of the professional ensemble "Bihorul" in Oradea), Ionel Garoafa (choreographer of the professional ensemble "Maria Tanase" in Criaova), Ciprian Cipu (director of the Cultural Centre of the Timiş county), Deian Claniţa - choreographer "Bănăţeana" CFR ensemble, Timişoara.
This gives a rare opportunity to learn from a variety of excellent choreographers, with assistance of members from their dances groups, and live music from their musicians.
>>>> Seminar people
The Romanian dances from Banat are noticeably different from the other regions. There are three main sub-regions, the Banat mountains, the low hills, and the plain area. The dances are the men's "Brâul", slow "Ardeleana" couple dances, and fast couple dances called "De doi", plus the complex "Soroc" men's dances from the plain region.
The dance style from Banat is special, possibly taking some influences from the neighbouring Serbian and Croatian regions. To our surprise it was nothing like the way we had learnt Banat from either the "international folk dance" movement or from non-Banat Romanian ensembles!
Timisoara is a pleasant and well kept city in the Banat region of Romania. It has good restaurants, shops and hotels, and all the venues for the seminar can be easily reached by walking through the centre. The multi-cultural background of the area can be seen in the mix of Romanian and Serbian menus, the Hungarian cathedral and many German houses in the region from the Swabian population. There are several good hotels in the centre, which all match up well to western European standards. The seminar organisers will make all the arrangements needed for your stay.
>>>> some views of the city of Timisoara
The easiest route is via Budapest, then either train, maxi taxi or flight to Timisoara. The airport is a small but modern local airport. If you arrive by air then the organisers will arrange your transport to the city centre.
Money - Euros are widely accepted, sterling and dollar less so and must be in near mint condition. There are many cash machines that accept Maestro card.
Food - as is common in East Europe the main meal is in the early afternoon, the festival provides very good lunches for all participants in early afternoon in a school canteen near the centre of the city. The evening is based around the many grilled food stalls in and around the park. Romania is in general heavily meat based, but there are plenty of other restaurants including pizza and vegetarian in Timisoara.
Take plenty of video tapes, and be prepared for long period of videoing if you want to record all the performances.
Seminar Costs - covers accommodation, food, transport to/from Timisoara
airport, dance classes, attendance at the festival, and excursions.
There currently there are two price options: hotel (***) or hostel.
For further information contact Doina Anghel (who speaks English & French): adoini
yahoo.com or
ccmthome.ro
Note that the Ensemble Timisul is away touring on many occasions during the
year, so e-mails may be responded to when they have returned.
Alternatively you are welcome to also email us if you need any further information.