Patricia Stenton was recently honoured in Midland for her contributions to the cultural landscape over her 32 years of teaching ballet in the area. She received a Culture Midland Award. These articles provide more information about Patricia’s career and achievements. Congratulations Patricia! Article 1 Article 2
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Al Gladstone was highlighted in the Toronto Star on June 14, 2013 in an article titled “Flea market philosopher sells his collection and imparts wisdom in a mall basement” and also in a video. Al talks about his life and travels as a folklorist, and folk dance teacher.
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Toronto folk dancer Ruth Belick was recently highlighted on the “Hats for Israeli Soldiers” Blogspot. Ruth combines her volunteer efforts by knitting hats for the soldiers while simultaneously volunteering at the outpatient desk at Mount Sinai. She manages to spread the word about the hat knitting effort as people frequently ask what she is knitting.
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Toronto folk dancer Fred Slater proudly reported the success of son Justin, who won the 2010 Crokinole World Championship and the $1000.00 first prize, edging out the 3 time champion. Crokinole is an action board game similar in various ways to pitchnut, carrom, marbles, and shove ha’penny, with elements of shuffleboard and curling reduced to table-top size. The World Crokinole Championship (WCC) tournament has been held annually since 1999 on the first Saturday of June in Tavistock, Ontario. Tavistock was chosen as the host city because it was the home of Eckhardt Wettlaufer, the maker of the earliest known board. The reigning world crokinole champion is Justin Slater of Toronto. He won the 2010 Adult Singles Division and became the youngest champion ever at age 17 after defeating the three-time defending champion, Brian Cook of Toronto, in a tie-breaker.
Here is the address to a video as Justin Slater (17 year old son of Fred Slater and Anna Todorovich)
won the WCC championship in June 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USPTKLRUJvo
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Honouring Teme Kernerman, Founder of OFDA July 2007….
Copy of 2007 Toroto IsReal Festival Announcement
In 2007 The Toronto IsReal Dance Festival, honoured Teme Kernerman. Teme, the “mother” of Israeli folk dancing in Toronto, has a glorious record associated with Israeli and International folk dancing. She was a demonstrator for the legendary Fred Berk, organized a great youth movement festival for years, and started the Ontario Folk Dancing Association. Teme started teaching in the fifties (and is still teaching), started a performance group called Nirkoda, and a seniors’ one called Chai, prepared many dance teachers and encouraged them to lead groups, and played a major role in Blue Star camps. She has introduced thousands of children to Israeli folk dancing through participation in Rikudiyah – a children’s dance festival, which Teme started and which she is organizing now for the 37th year. Teme has taught and is teaching Israeli dance to dancers ranging in age from children of five to seniors of over 90. Her activity spans six decades. She started teaching using a record player and is now using a laptop. Your head spins when you consider her scope of activity. The above is only a partial list of her accomplishments.
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Kevin Budd, longtime OFDA member, steering committee member and newsletter editor, will soon release his new CD, Deep Breath. This disc features 12 of Kevin’s original, beautiful, catchy, hummable musical works plus one bonus track of “Sting’s Field of Gold.” Enjoy pan flute, transverse flute, alto flute, guitar, and hints of trumpet, caval, recorder and bouzouki. For additional information, to hear sound clips or to order, contact Kevin .
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June, 2006….
OFDA member, ethnomusicologist Judith Cohen, and her daughter Tamar, have a new CD, called Sefarad en Diáspora / Sepharad in Diaspora. This disc focuses on the Sephardic diaspora, and the links that songs both create and reveal among different cultures and times, and how these songs both maintain their identity and change as they travel, along with their singers, from place to place.
For information and sound clips, visit Judith’s website: http://www.yorku.ca/judithc/MainEng.htm or contact Judith judithc@yorku.ca .