TANZGRUPPEN
BERICHTEN
DEZEMBER 2009
AMERICAN
AID SOCIETY TANZGRUPPEN
Forwarded From Chicago
American Aid Society Donauschwaben
Jugendgruppe
Forwarded
by Ron Farland, Jugendgruppe Representative
This summer was rather quiet in comparison to summers
past, however, that did not mean that the Jugendgruppe was not
keeping busy. In addition to practicing on Friday nights and
relearning older dances we were busy collecting and organizing
items for the rummage sale, which took place on the last
weekend in June. The sale was a successful fundraiser, but it
was certainly a lot of work to organize especially for
Matthias Wissmann who was the director of the rummage sale.
On the 4th of July we had a great group of Kindergruppe
members move up to the Jugendgruppe. We are very excited that
Kristin Gunther, Nancy Henz, Matthew Katzenmayer. Bridget
Kennedy, and Samantha Leicht will be dancing with us in the
future. We also honored those who graduated this year. Jill
Farland graduated from Northeastern University with a
bachelor's degree with honors in English literature. Jim Lange
graduated from University of Illinois at Champagne Urbana with
a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Erika Neumayer
graduated with a bachelor's degree with distinction in
apparel design from Dominican University.
On the weekend of July 17th, many members packed their
bags and headed to Michigan for the "Seventh Annual Hans
Wissmann Pottowattamie Camping Trip". Although it was a
bit chilly, we all had a great time including performing for
the local campers. Over a dozen of the Jugend' parents
accompanied us to join in the fun and we want to thank them
for all their help in cooking our meals and supporting us. We
also want to send out a special thank you to Hans & Hedi
Wissmann for making this camping trip possible.
The following weekend some of our members traveled to
Milwaukee for their Annual Germanfest on the lakefront. Some
of our members including, Alex Anetsberger, Nick Balcerak, and
Steve Farland, performed with the Rheinischer Verein Fanfaren
Chor and we were there to cheer them on. In August the
Jugendgruppe performed at the Schwaben Picnic also at the
Heimatfest in Lake Villa.
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The
Jugendgruppe poses for a picture
with
the owner of the campgrounds,
Rosie Keller,
before
performing for the other campers. |
Even
though the weather was a little chilly, it didn't stop
the
Jugend from having fun taking the rowboats out
for
a
ride on the lake during the camping trip.
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The summer was full of Jugend birthdays! In June, Nicki
Anetsberger, as well as Katrina Mueller celebrated their
birthdays. Elizabeth Tilli celebrated her sweet 16 birthday in
July and Katie Klein, Kelsey McMahan, Mark Bappert, Bryan
Bappert and Laurie Davis, also had birthdays in July. In
August, Stephen Mueller, Jim Lang, Alex Anetsberger, Amanda
Bappert, Matthias Wissmann and Steve Farland celebrated their
birthdays.
Congratulations goes out to Ingrid Lisauskas who sang
the national anthem beautifully at the Fire game on August
29th! Many other Jugend members went to the game to support
her with many of the Kickers members.
Unlike the summer months, the autumn was extremely busy
for the Jugendgruppe. All of the Jugend members enjoyed their
time over the Labor Day weekend in Detroit. The Labor Day
weekend is always a weekend in which we all get to spend time
with our friends from other clubs and celebrate our heritage.
We performed a dance with the Donauschwaben Jungendgruppe for
the second year in a row. Performing with our fellow
Chicagoans is a great way to show our camaraderie.
The following weekend the Jugend helped out the
Schwaben Verein in the kitchen and the bar at the German Day
celebration at Lincoln Square. We were happy to help during
the busiest parts of the evening when our speed and agility
were needed. We also marched in the 44th annual Steuben Parade
carrying the giant German Flag.
For the next three weekends the Jugendgruppe members
were very busy working at the A.A.S. Oktoberfests. Thanks to
the efforts by our members and the other volunteers, all three
weekends were a great success and we can't wait to do it again
next year.
On October 21st, we were asked to dance at the Sox Game
for their Oktoberfest theme. Four girls and four boys were
asked to dance for this event and we were happy to do so. At
the front entrance we danced from 5:00-7:00pm to the band
Paloma, who played. We had a great time dancing for the
bystanders and even teaching some lucky people to dance. Once
the game started, we all got some food and some beers and
enjoyed the first half of the game. At the 5th inning, we were
taken from our seats to another area to wait to dance on the
dugout. We were instructed to only wear flat, rubber-soled
shoes so we would not poke a hole in the top of the dugout. We
were also told not to do any spinning or twirling so we did
not fall off onto the visitor players. After the 7th inning,
we danced for 26,541 people who were at attendance. We were
honored and excited to have danced there and we all bought
pins to commemorate the event. Maybe they will ask us back
next year!
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Ingrid
Lisauskas sings the national anthem magnificently
at the Chicago Fire Game. |
Eight
Jugend members dance in front
of
over 26,500 people
at
US Celluar Field
during
the Sox game. |
Ingrid
Lisauskas, Jill Farland, Steve Farland,
Erika
Neumayer,
Nicki Anetsberger,
Peter
Lisauskas and Erik
Lisauskas
pose
for
a picture with the sign saying
that
the
American Aid Society
of
German Descendants Youth
group
was
performing at US Cellular field. |
On Friday, October 9th, some of the members performed
in Huntley for an Oktoberfest. Even though it was a far drive,
we enjoyed seeing all the happy faces as we danced. Onno
Huckemann, the new Councilor of the Federal Republc of Germany
was in attendance.
Another very enjoyable evening was the Kirchweih. The
Jugendgruppe looks most forward to this event and we were
happy to have so many out of town guests in attendance. Karin
Schulz flew in from Los Angeles, Hans Greyer flew from
Cleveland, Bianca Bering, Tony Bering, Kimmy Schwager, Eric
Schwalbe, and Kurt Seiberling all drove down from Detroit and
Michael Hutz came from Milwaukee. Many other members came home
from college for the event as well. Matthias Wissmann and
Julie Davis won the Strauß this year and everyone had a great
time celebrating with them.
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The
Jugendgruppe poses from a group picture
after
the
Kirchweih march. |
Matthias
Wissmann and Julie Davis laugh
during
the group picture
after
winning the Kirchweihstrauß |
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The
snake portion
of
the Jugendgruppe Kirchweih march |
Monika
Neumayer, Alex Anetsberger,
Laurie
Davis, Nick Balcerak, Jamie Mazur
and
Mark Bappert smile for a picture at Kirchweih. |
This year we have a special treat planned for the Champagne
Brunch, which will be held on December 6th. On December 5th,
many of the Jugend will be making our own sausage (under the
supervision of Mr. Stein, of course) as a fundraiser that can
be pre-ordered and picked up at the champagne brunch.
Christian Ehrat, Alex Anetsberger and Steve Farland have all
helped make the Wurst for functions, such as 4th of July and
Heimatfest, and can't wait to do it again with other members.
The brunch is from 10:30am - 2:00pm and is only a $12.00
donation for an all you can eat buffet.
Congratulations are in order for our member, Jackie
Baumann Cortez and Dave Cortez who are expecting a baby girl
in early March. Congrats Jackie and Dave!
We would like to thank all of those who have helped us
and supported us. We especially thank the anonymous donor
whose donation to the Jugendgruppe will help us continue to
cherish our heritage and have fun as well.
By Erika Neumayer
Kindergruppe
Report
Forwarded
By
Christine Slabinger
Heimatfest
With the end of summer, Heimatfest arrives. The weather
cooperated and the day turned out beautiful. Those who arrived
early were able to attend Mass in our hall. The kids had fun
on the playground as usual, but the new benches that have been
added by the Kindergruppe were a big hit with parents and
grandparents alike. When it came time to perform, the kids
marched around and then performed for all the members and
guests to see.
Labor
Day Weekend in Detroit
After weeks of planning, our weekend to Utica,
Michigan, for the annual Treffen finally arrived. Most of us
had a busy week packing, ironing our favorite dirndls, making
appetizers and getting ready for the road trip either by bus
or car. Many of our Kindergruppe families left on Friday and
after the long car ride, the kids anxiously awaited some swim
time in the pool with their friends while the parents got a
chance to sit down, relax with the appetizers, snacks and
drinks and do some socializing while keeping an eye on the
kids.
Saturday the sun was shining bright as we made our way
over to the Carpathia Club in Sterling Heights, MI. The kids
attended a workshop for their group dance, made crafts, played
games, and jumped in a moonwalk. All the kids enjoyed that.
The Carpathia Club had an outdoor line for express brats, hot
dogs, pizza, peanut butter and jelly, and of course ice cream
for the kids to enjoy. Parents and members alike enjoyed
meeting up with family or rediscovering old acquaintances from
their Jugend days as well as meeting and making new friends
from the different clubs.
The weather was great the entire weekend and everyone
had a great time. The schedule of the dancing, either in the
hall or outside in the tent was well planned so that we could
go and watch the Jugend when they performed and the Jugend
could come and watch us dance. The Kindergruppe did a great
job with the dances and many of the people from other Clubs
really appreciate and love the fact that so many Kinder are
continuing the traditions of their youth.
After
a fun-filled, activity packed weekend, everyone was sad to
leave and have to spend all that time driving home.
German
Day
A beautiful weekend made the annual German Day parade and fest
a success. Our Kindergruppe sat on the American Aid Society
float waving the German flags and having a great time with all
the people along the parade route. It was nice to see so many
people coming out to support the Parade and wave back to our
kids. It makes it a lot more fun for everyone if there are
people for the kids to wave to on the float. Then on Sunday,
the Kindergruppe found themselves back in Lincoln square to
perform outside to the delight of many parents, grandparents
and fest goers alike.
Oktoberfest
A heartfelt thank you to all the Kindergruppe parents
who came out on one or more of the Oktoberfest weekends to
lend their hands to help make the events run smoothly and be a
success. This year we worked side by side when many of the
Chicago Kickers parents and we got to make some new friends
along the way. It was also nice to see so many Kindergruppe
parents and families that came out to support the Oktoberfest
and the Club. Danke.
Congrats to the winners of this year's Strauss - Eileen
Kennedy and Eric Iwaniec. A huge thank you goes out to the
Fritz's, Megan's grandparents, John & Barbara Gabler, and
Megan's aunt, Mary Mihalovits for donating the Rosemary.
Without their generous donations, Kirchweih would not be held.
Pumpkin
Carving
The kids all came out for our annual pumpkin carving.
Every year the kids get more and more creative with their
pumpkins, even the younger ones. Some of the pumpkins were
scary looking, some cute and some even gross looking. It was a
nice variety and shows that we have many very creative kids in
our Kindergruppe. This year, the Kindergruppe carved their
pumpkins on a night when a general meeting was held. The kids
turned off all the lights in the middle of the meeting, lit
their jack-o-lanterns and paraded them around for all the members
to see.
Schlachtfest
A big thank you goes out from the Kindergruppe to Frau
Ringwald who generously donated $50 to the Kindergruppe for
the birthday wishes and to Martin Koenig for his $25 donation.
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CARPATHIA CLUB TANZGRUPPEN
Forwarded From Carpathia
Club Donauschwaben
Kindergruppe
Updates
The Landestreffen weekend was a big success! Our
weekend started by hosting a workshop for all the
Kindergruppen. What a great turnout. The kids all enjoyed
dancing together and hopefully they met some new friends
from the other cities. The Kinderplatz kept all the
volunteers very busy all weekend long. The games were always
busy. The duck pond was a huge success. Thank you to Mike
Cole for building such a beautiful pond for our ducks. In
addition to the games, there were craft tables set up where
the kids made friendship bracelets, hacky sacks, and
bookmarks. Kids of all ages also learned about the different
symbols of the Donauschwaben Wappen as they colored at the
coloring table. I think everyone learned a little something
that weekend. Thank you to Kathi Cole for organizing this
project. As usual the kids did a fabulous job dancing, as
did all the other groups. We are already excited about going
to Philadelphia next year!
Schuhplattler has become a favorite for our
Middlegroup boys. Even after practice is finished and we
have moved on to our other dances, the boys are still
practicing their 5-Step. I have heard some do it all the
time… in the house, waiting to go rock climbing, even in
church! All their practice has paid off. It was a crowd
favorite at every Oktoberfest we danced at this fall. At the
Oktoberfest, the Middlegroup boys played a joke on some of
the patrons as they went into the audience looking for
volunteers to learn the Schuhplattler 5-Step. What these
volunteers didn’t know was that there was a “ringer”
in the group, Kurt Lingerfelt. After a few steps, Kurt was
dancing away while the other volunteers wondered how he
learned it so quickly. Thank you Kurt for playing along with
our lessons and being such a quick learner!
Christine
Pesta
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Christine
Pesta
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Jugendgruppe
The end of the summer is a special time for the
Jugendgruppe – Labor Day weekend to be exact, is what most
of our dancers look forward to. This weekend is a time to
see their friends from all over the US and Canada. Our
Jugendgruppe was especially happy to play host at this
year’s Landestreffen der Donauschwaben. They welcomed the
other groups and each group was eager to show a new dance or
two. Sunday night was, of course, one of the biggest
Donauschwaben Jugend ‘dance party’ of the year. The
Jugendgruppe also sold t-shirts which were designed by Hansi
Geyer specifically for this year’s Treffen, and other
designs as well. Almost everyone made ‘Time for a
Schnapps’ or at least bought the t-shirt! The following
weekend we opened the Carpathia dance season with the
Hawaiian Abend. This event is always special as the new
royalty is announced. This year’s court is Paula Dietz,
Lauren Seiberling, and Brian Butka. Congratulations to
Lauren, Paula and Brian. This fall the Jugendgruppe danced
at the Rochester Mills Brewery for their Okotberfest,
Waterford Lady of the Lakes Oktoberfest, and at the GACC
German Unification Day. The Jugend also performed at
Carpathia’s Weinlesefest and Kirchweih.
Karin
& Robert Schwalbe, Debbie Kapraun und die Carpathia
Jugendgruppe
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Rob
Schwalbe_Debbie Kapraun_Karin Schwalbe
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SCHUHPLATTLER
& KULTURGRUPPE
The Carpathia Kulturgruppe had a busy summer and
these past couple months have been busy as well starting
with the Landestreffen in September and concluding with
Weinlesefest in October. The Carpathia Kulturgruppe not only
performed once each day at the Landestreffen but was very
active behind the scenes. Our members were involved in
nearly all aspects of the treffen; set up to clean up, beer
to brats, Kinderplatz to parking and many areas in between.
Special thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and
helped out at Donauschwaben Treffen, 2009. The Carpathia
Kulturgrupe had the opportunity to host another dance at
Carpathia, Weinlesefest. We
would like to thank the other dance groups for performing
and joining in with us on the dance floor and to all those
in attendance for coming!
The Carpathia Kulturgruppe meets on Sunday @ 5pm. We
are always looking for new members and you do not have to
dance to join us. If you would like more information please
email the group at kulturgruppe@gmail.com
. The Carpathia Schuhplattler Group is in search of...
1)
A
bench maker – a carpenter willing to make at least two
benches, hopefully four, so we can once again perform the
Bankltanz. We
will purchase the wood, etc. We only ask you donate your
knowledge, skill, and time.
2)
A
Veteran - a former dancer that can help us other former
members remember how to perform Arschower, Auerhahn, and
others.
The Carpathia Schuhplattler group performed at the
Rochester Mills Oktoberfest and Weinlesefest recently and
had the honor to dance, each time, with the next generation
of Schuhplattler dancers. What fun it is to dance and look
around and all see the young dancers having as much fun as I
did when I was their age.
Thanks again to all those making that possible.
The Carpathia Schuhplattler Group practices every
Sunday @ 4pm in the practice room at Carpathia. New dancers
are welcomed and encouraged. 14 and older please, with
exceptions, of course. For more information please contract
Carsten Grotloh - 586.255.6527 or Adam Schwager -
586.420.4371.
Cartsten
Groloh
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CHICAGO DONAUSCHWABEN
TANZGRUPPEN
Forwarded From Chicago
Donauschwaben
Kindergruppe
Updates
Since our Spaghetti Dinner in October, the
Kindergruppe has been, and will be, keeping busy during the
Holiday months. On Friday, October 23, we danced and sang
for a festive crowd at Immanuel Lutheran Church's
Oktoberfest right here in Des Plaines. Our newest members,
with the help of our veterans, did an outstanding job
showing off their newly acquired dance moves, and the
children’s singing was particularly lovely, especially
considering that they sang their songs from memory.
Aside from our normal practices in November the kids
stayed busy with the annual Christmas Wreath Sale
fund-raiser. They got to have a little fun one Saturday
afternoon with one of the ever-popular ceramic-making
events. This
gave each child the opportunity to make his or her own
ornament. Children could also choose from other keepsake
pieces to decorate and give as gifts. Thanks to Jen K. for
taking charge of the Wreath Sale and to Maria Toth for
organizing the ceramics event.
Looking forward to December' the kids also have lots
going on. On
Sunday, December 6th at 4pm we'll be performing at Edelweiss
Restaurant in Noridge, Illinois.
This is something that's sure to be a treat for
anyone dining that evening. On
December 1st after our normal rehearsal we'll have our joint
Christmas Party with the Jugendgruppe, complete with pizza,
presents, and other goodies. That evening, the children will
also drop off gifts and food for Operation Des Plaines
Christmas, to benefit the Des Plaines Food Pantry and those
it serves. Finally, the kids will Perform for you all at the
Klub's Weihnachtsfeier on Sunday, December 20th.
Thank
you for all of your support in 2009!
Viktoria
Johnson
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ST. LOUIS TANZGRUPPEN
Forwarded From German
Cultural Society St. Louis
Kindertanzgruppe
Update
Wow! It’s been an amazing year and the year isn’t
even over. The
Kindertanzgruppe has been dancing their way into the hearts of
young and old alike. With great enthusiasm, last January we
began by wearing a creative hat. Much like a composer, the
Kinder each adding their own steps, collectively choreographed
a routine. As Olivia said, “Frau Birgit, we’re going to
wow them!” And wow them we did performance after
performance. From late August to mid October on most weekends
the Kindertanzgruppe was on someone’s agenda. Functions like
Kirchweihfest, Strassenfest and Oktoberfests galore gave us
opportunities to boast of our well rehearsed moves. In
September, we took the ‘show on the road’; 650 miles to be
exact, to Detroit Michigan. It was there that the country
received a glimpse of the awesome St. Louis Kindertanzgruppe
as we presented a 15 minute recital on two consecutive days.
With only one more scheduled event left for the season
on Saturday, December 5, at the DKV evening, we hope to
‘knock your socks off.’
To the parents, grandparents, relatives and friends who
devote countless hours to shuttling children to practices,
performances and who give of your time in so many ways: You
are to be applauded! It is all of you that help contribute to
the success of the Kinder and the German Cultural Society
organization. Our little performers are lucky to have such
caring, loving support.
Monika
Lorenz
Vice-President
Mittlere
Tanzgruppe Updates
What a fall season we have had! We started dancing at
the Kirchweihfest on August 23 and have performed every
weekend since. We had our final performance October 18. The
highlight for our dance group had to be the Labor Day weekend
trip to Detroit. After they made their first performance, you
might say “the crowd went crazy”. The announcer gave us
such a wonderful compliment. You could hear comments being
made everywhere about how “good” the St. Louis Middle
Dance Group is. They certainly set the bar for other groups to
follow. And, they deserved all the applause. These kids have
worked so hard this year to get these very difficult steps
perfected. They will certainly be ready for the youth group in
a year or so. This coming year we will concentrate on the
waltz and polka steps.
We will start up practices again in January. We are
always looking for new dancers age 9 to 13. For more
information, please call (618) 538-9975 or email ruthvp1@gmail.com
For
the Middle Dance Group,
Ruth
Vanderpluym
ruthvp1@gmail.com
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