Hursley International Folk Dancers

IBM Hursley Club,
Hursley Park,
Winchester,
Hampshire SO21 2JN

Telephone: Winchester (01962) 815933

Welcome to Hursley International Folk Dancers!  We have been meeting regularly in the IBM Hursley Clubhouse for over thirty years.  In this time, very many people have enjoyed the music and dances of various countries and regions of the World.  We hope you too will enjoy dancing with us.  These notes have been written as an introduction to the club, and to provide you with some information and guidance about us and our activities.  HIFD is a sub-section of the IBM Hursley Club.

Meeting times and place

We meet regularly at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings at the IBM Clubhouse in Hursley Park for general social dancing.  The evenings usually finish at 10:00 p.m.

A full schedule of HIFD events in the near future plus other information about the group is available here.

The IBM Clubhouse may be accessed from the A3090 at either end of the village of Hursley. See the map for location.

Dances

Our dances are mostly from eastern Europe, in particular: Bulgaria, Greece, Yugoslavia, Romania, Israel, plus a scattering of others.  During an evening you will find that many dances are not taught, some dances are reviewed quite quickly with not much detail, and some dances are taught slowly and in depth.  Dances will be of all levels of difficulty to strike a balance between the needs of all members.  Look at the notice board during these times to see the difficulty rating of dances.

We maintain a comprehensive database of our dance information and a snapshot of this is available here.

What Kit Do You Need?

All you really need are soft-soled shoes.  Casual clothes are normally worn although some members make more effort to dress-up for party evenings.  Some dances require you to wear a fairly strong belt.  A belt can be borrowed at the club but many members bring their own.

Especially For Beginners...

At the start of the evening the dances are generally easier and are suitable for beginners.  However, easy dances may be done at various times throughout the evening.  Ask one of the regular members which dances might be suitable. 

Generally when learning a dance you should watch the teacher, but if the teacher is facing you, you may find it confusing to follow the steps.  In this case it might be better to watch a competent dancer facing roughly the same direction as you, and 3 or 4 places away.

Most new members worry about joining in when they do not know a dance.  This is a very natural reaction. You may find many of the dances difficult if you have never been before, however easy the regulars think they are!  You can ask any of the more experienced dancers to help you; there should always be someone around willing to explain the steps.  Also, you can request that the dance be taught by asking the organiser for the evening, or by writing the name on the appropriate request list on the notice board.

HIFD Club Notice Board

The name of the current dance is shown on the notice board.  It also shows the country from which the dance came, and has a number ranging from 1 to 5 to suggest the difficulty: 1 is relatively easy and 5 is relatively hard.  As a guide, you can think of the number as the number of teaching sessions needed before a typical member will learn the steps.  Also on the board are request sheets: one for dances to be done during the evening, and the other for dances to be taught.  When you see a dance that you want to request in the future, or you would like to learn, make a note of it's name so you can ask for it.  Don't worry if you think you are the only one who wants a particular dance to be taught, others will join in, and it may well be chosen for the 7:30 slot (see Thursday evening teaching sessions below).

Steps and Style

Many people are comfortable and satisfied with a dance when they know the steps.  Others try to go beyond just knowing the steps to achieve a better understanding of the feeling behind the steps and the music.  The teaching will certainly cover the steps, and will cover as much of the style as the teacher knows.  This will range from very little to a great deal.  Most people will learn something new about a dance every time it is taught, even when they think they know it well.  What might loosely be called ethnic style is important to some people, but achieving it even to a small degree can be very difficult, especially for those who have not been to a particular country, or have not seen demonstrations by good dancers from the region.  However it is often this style alone that differentiates one dance from another.  The importance each person attaches to this is very much a personal choice, but much is to be gained by making some attempt at it.

Thursday Evening Teaching Sessions

Dances that have been requested to be taught are usually covered during a session starting around 9:00.  This will vary from reviewing just one part through to a detailed teaching of an entire dance.  Lobby the Thursday Evening Organiser if you have any requests (and put them on the board).  Other sessions will take place during the evening when dances are taught or reviewed.  These may be as short as 5 minutes, or as long as 15 minutes, depending on the need.  A 5 minute review assumes that most people know the basic dance and just need a quick reminder; otherwise the dance is taught from scratch, assuming that hardly anyone knows it.  During teaching sessions, please show some consideration for the teacher and other dancers by listening carefully.  The hall is sufficiently noisy that it is sometimes hard for the teacher to make his/herself heard.  If you are not taking part, but are simply enjoying the evening with friends, please try to talk quietly.  If you miss the beginning of a teaching session, take care if you want to join in a part you do not already know.  It could be more difficult than you think.

Refreshments

Food and drinks are available at very reasonable prices from the bar in the IBM Clubhouse.  People must not bring their own food and drink to consume on the premises of the IBM Hursley Club, except during an event for which we have been given special permission by the Club's management committee.

Dancers attending an HIFD evening at the IBM Hursley Clubhouse will be requested to fill out a membership registration form by the membership secretary.  Once this has been completed they may buy and consume alcoholic drinks (subject to normal licensing laws).  At other times, people who are not members of the IBM Hursley Club must have their names entered in the Club's Visitors Book by an IBM Hursley Club member.

Smoking

Please do not smoke anywhere within the IBM Clubhouse.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions can be paid per session or annually.  The session charge is £1 (50p for children & students).  New members who are IBM Hursley Club members may attend two evenings free of charge.  The annual subscription is:
IBM Hursley Club members:
£5
Guests:
£15
Payment for the first four attendances can be counted toward the subscription, after which the balance should be paid. Please make cheques payable to 'IBM Hursley Club (HIFD)'.

Members who have paid the full subscription will usually be entitled to a reduction when a charge is made for an event organised by HIFD.

SIFD

HIFD is affiliated to the Society for International Folk Dancing.  This entitles parties of five or more HIFD members entry to SIFD dances at members' prices.  The current SIFD newsletter is usually available on the notice board.