Richard Powers Vintage Waltz Weekend and Ball at Split Tree Farm Ballroom

Update, Tuesday, Sept 5: This weekend is now filled and closed as of today; wait lists are long.

Richard Powers' next Split Tree waltz weekend will be the "Zen of Waltz" April 6.7.8, Easter Weekend; registration opens Nov. 5. For his other waltz weekends in the U.S., see Powers' Stanford link: http://dance.stanford.edu.

Refunds: All refunds, credits will be handled the week of Nov 6. Registration for Zen of Waltz in April opens Nov. 5. For those on the wait lists as of Oct 24th, if you have paid in advance already and do not make the Nov wknd (which is unlikely at this point), then you are invited to sign up now by simple email to Sid and be automatically be moved to the registration for Richard's Zen of Waltz weekend April 6.7.8. Your payment (same price) will be credited to that weekend. Please email me at zenwaltz07 [at] splittree.org. We appreciate the patience of those wait listed but this was the quickest signup we've experienced; by Sept 1st the weekend was sold out.. Yet we cannot add more dancers than our 2,200 sq. ft. space allows and we are required to gender balance for this type of dancing. --Sid Hetzler, Oct 24, 2006

Reviewing Two Centuries of the Evolution of Waltzing with
a Multi-century Period Ball
and Waltz Workshops

at the Split Tree Farm Ballroom

in the northwest Georgia mountains two hours north of Atlanta near Chattanooga

Dance your way through the evolution of the waltz. Two centuries of waltz varieties will include Regency era French and German waltzing; the 1840 Rhenish Waltz; mid-century waltz, deux temps and redowa; 1880s New Waltz and Newport; 1900 English sequences, ragtime Hesitation Waltz, 1920s valse musette and the Swing Era Boston. Richard will premiere several newly-reconstructed waltz forms never taught by anyone in the past 150 years. These variations are not dead -- most are still useful on the dance floor today.

About Richard Powers: Split Tree’s visiting artistic director since 1997 and Stanford dance historian/professor, Richard Powers is one of the world's foremost experts in American social dance. He is noted for his choreographies for dozens of stage productions and films, and his workshops across the country and in Paris, Prague, London, Rome, Geneva, Russia and Japan. He has been researching and reconstructing historic social dances for twenty-five years and is currently a full-time instructor at Stanford's Dance Division. He was selected by the Centennial Issue of Stanford Magazine as one of Stanford University's most notable graduates of its first century. He received the faculty award for distinctive and exceptional contributions to education at Stanford University in 1999. He teaches social dance forms of North America and directs the 70-member Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble. He joined the Dance Faculty in 1992. This Split Tree vintage waltz weekend is drawn from his popular waltz seminar at Stanford.

Photo: Richard Powers at mini-history class break, STF studio, Waltz Weekend 98--click to enlarge

Note: Powers' class topics and times will be posted if available from him in advance. Two centuries of waltz varieties will include Regency era French and German waltzing; the 1840 Rhenish Waltz; mid-century waltz, deux temps and redowa; 1880s New Waltz and Newport; 1900 English sequences, ragtime Hesitation Waltz, 1920s valse musette and the Swing Era Boston.

FRIDAY
6:00 (1:00) - Registration and soup kitchen buffet [and basic intro lesson with Sid if needed]
7:00 (0:45) - Warm-up couples dancing to recordings from Sid Hetzler's Split Tree collection
8:00 (1:20) - Waltzing for Waltzers, Reverse Waltz
9:20 (0:10) - Break
9:30 (1:00) - English sequences: The Veleta, St. George's Waltz, Boston Two Step, Eva Three-Step
10:30 -- Early bedtime or informal dancing to recorded music

SATURDAY
8:00 (1:00) - Breakfast
9:00 (1:20) - warm-ups, Regency era French and German Waltzing, Valse a
Deux Temps
10:20 (0:10) - Break
10:30 (0:55) - Basque Step, Polish Pas de Basque, Bohemian Redowa, Redowa
11:25 (0:10) - Break
11:35 (0:55) -Mazurka Waltzes, Polka Redowa, Polka Mazurka, La Koska
12:30 (1:00) - Lunch
1:30 (0:50) - Late Victorian Waltz, Dodworth bow, the Newport
2:20 (0:15) - Break
2:35 (1:00) - Polka variations, Two-Step, Hungroise, hyperspeed polka
3:35 (0:10) - Break
3:45 (0:30) - Hungroise in Waltz time, the Five-Step Waltz
4:15 (0:45) - Waltz teaching techniques or rest time
Serious porching, rest and dress for the ball.
7:30 (1:00) - Dinner by Chef Paul Schultz
9 pm until ??? Vintage Waltz Ball

SUNDAY
8:00 (1:00) - Breakfast
9:00 (1:15) -- Ragtime Hesitation Waltz, Half and Half
10:15 (0:15) - Break
10:30 (0:55) - Parisian Blues evolving into the French Boston
11:25 (0:10) - Break
11:45 (0:55) - Swing Era Boston Waltz, 1950s Bandstand-style waltz
12:35 -- Lunch followed by informal dancing music to recording
5 pm -- Dutch treat dinner at Cloudland Canyon Restaurant, Lookout Mountain

Afternoon: Serious porching and recorded music for practice waltzing and dance jamming. Rest before driving home.

All still at the farm are invited to a Dutch treat Sunday dinner 5 p.m. at the excellent Canyon Grill up on Lookout Mountain. Let us know in advance if you're staying over at the farm/house Sunday night; $10 donation requested. Volunteers needed for clean-up chores.

For info/registration/housing, email Margaret or Sid at registrationwaltz06@splittree.org;
Tel: 706/539-2485 Production, food and publicity volunteers are needed.
Email Richard Powers at vintage@stanford.edu for program info.

For more Southeastern waltzing, join the Atlanta Waltz Society
for its weekly Sunday afternoon waltzing at the Knights of Columbus ballroom on Buford Highway

LOCATION: Split Tree Farm is located 20 miles south of Chattanooga, TN and 100 miles NW of Atlanta in the NW Georgia mountains. Click on map page.

Pre-requirement: Know a basic turning waltz or dance (any kind). Email waltz lessons (at) splittree.org for info about where you can learn this. We will offer a basic class for beginners Friday, Nov 4, 6-7 pm and waltzing warm-up 7-8 pm at Split Tree; beginners also can practice at the Atlanta Waltz Society's weekly Sunday Waltzing in Atlanta, GA--see www.splittree.org/atlantawaltzsociety.htm.

TUITION COST: SOLD OUT. An increase is needed to cover higher house repairs, instruction, and food costs. See form below. $100 before Sept. 1; $125 after; tuition credit refunds toward future STF-produced weekends only after Oct. 27; no food refunds after same date. Single dance/workshops if space is available at $15/hour plus food cost with advance registration by phone or email.

FOOD (optional): $50 (no single meals except by advance registration and if full weekend spaces are not taken by Oct. 27). For Friday night, bring your picnic or contribute a $5 donation to the Chef Paul Schultz's fresh bread and hot soup fund. For $50, five tasty vegetarian and also this time, non-vegetarian, meals will be served in the Split Tree cafe by volunteers. Participants will be emailed to make a choice of diet preferences. One cabin kitchen is available for special diet preparations but the Chef cannot accommodate special dietary needs.
Deadline for meal tickets is Friday, Oct. 27. Single meal tickets price if space available.

LODGING: See housing page for info on motel/BnBs and other nearby housing (Hidden Hollow Lodge at 4 miles and Key West Motel at 10 miles are suggested). There is no charge for tent or RV camping on Split Tree's 200 acres of woods and pasture in the NW Georgia mountains. There are 20 beds and fold-out couch beds and floor space is available in the house or studio by earliest registration date. Also for rent are five new queen size air mattresses for $10/person/night--or bring your own; air pump provided. The "behind the barn" cabin is rented and not available. There is also sheltered camping space in a large hay barn (*NO SMOKING*)--you need only your warm sleeping bag, air mattress, and pillow. Bring usual camping supplies: pillow, sleeping bag or bedding, air mattress, towel and soap, hot tub attire, etc.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: Gender balanced by paired registration. Paired registration is recommended. Come with or without a partner but we must pair you at registration to keep this type of dance fun for all. Singles will be gender balanced or wait-listed until balanced. Must wear clean non-street, non-marking, soft-sole shoes for dancing. No child care facilities. No pets or alcohol allowed. Avoid strong perfumes. Smoking is discouraged and is not allowed near any building. See general admissions policy link.

WEEKEND REGISTRATION LIMITS: Maximum, 80 dancers; minimum required by Oct 14, 40 (exceeded by July 15th). We do not anticipate any problem in meeting our minimum so that this weekend will happen; it is expected to sell out as do most of the Powers weekends. But please assist by registering as early as possible to ensure the continuation and financial viability of these popular dance workshops and dances with Richard Powers--and others. Please copy the PDF flyers ( PDF Print Version) and distribute to dance tables and to your friends; Split Tree prefers to pay teachers and musicians rather than the post office and depends on dancers to spread the word.

Update, Tuesday, Sept 5: This weekend is now filled and closed as of today. Interested dancers may email the registrar to be wait listed; please do not send funds.

REGISTRATION PAGE/LINK:
Click here for convenient, secure PayPal electronic credit card payment link STF Web Store .

Electronic or fax registration is allowed but the form below must be mailed with a check within seven days after registering to hold a space. Or pay by credit card. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 100 persons. Send check payable to: Split Tree Farm/WW2006, 597 W Cove Road, Chickamauga, GA 30707. Fax: 770.216.1596.

Date:_______________________Name________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________________

Email address____________________________ Method of Payment: ______________________________

Paired with ________________________________ (Must be paired to be confirmed; singles may register but must be balanced by gender or lead/follow to be confirmed; email registrationwaltz06@splittree.org for status)

#___dancers at $100 ($125 after 9/1) each = ____$_________ #____meal tickets at $50 each=$______

SOLD OUT # __ House double @ $25 per night per person = $ ______ # __ House dorm-style single beds @ $15 per night per person = $ ______ (these twin beds are in dorm rooms with access to any of 3 house baths/showers or 2 outside showers)

(New) Food preference: vegetarian ____________ non-vegetarian ________________ Choice required by Oct. 15.

Grand total: $___________. No refunds after Oct. 27. Method of payment _____________________

Deadline for meal tickets is Friday, Oct. 27. Single meal tickets price: TBA.

Shelter plans: House/studio floor space ____________ Barn space__________ Pasture tenting________ Double Bed/$25 each__xxxx Single bed/$15 each__xxxxxx Motel/BnB_____________ Other?______________

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FLIGHT INFO: Nearest public airport is Chattanooga (45 minutes); Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Knoxville airports are about 2-3 hours and usually some rides can be found with the help of dancers in nearby cities.

Split Tree Farm is located on a high ridge in the center of 200 acres in historic, rural McLemore Cove and has a panoramic view of Lookout and Pigeon mountains. It has a floating hardwood floor in a 60x36-foot glass-enclosed and heated dance studio pavilion with north and south decks and picnic tables. It is attached to a large house with fireplace, hot tub, kitchens and three private baths with a European continuous hot water system. The land has been in Sid Hetzler's family for several generations. The facility was designed for the participatory arts, especially movement and other performing arts. A few photos are available from the main web page index at the photo page link.