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

SOLD OUT...and a very, very good time was had by all. More later. Thanks to all who came and who made it happen. Sid

All should have received a welcome and update email today with useful information. It is posted here for reference. Nov. 1 update link.
Note that the correct street address for the Tivoli Theater is 709 Broad Street.

SOLD OUT: As of 10 pm, Thursday, Nov. 1, this weekend is sold out but you may email sid@splittree.org to be placed on a wait list for singles and couples in the event someone cancels. Updated schedule is below; I accidentally deleted one without updates this morning but the one below is correct now.

WALTZ PARTY: You all are invited to join in the warm-up waltzing to Richard's music from 6-8 pm, sample the complimentary wine and cheese, meet old friends, register, select from Chef Paul's $5 buffet in the lobby, and use the dressing rooms facilities so there is no need to return to your motel or home. And, with perfect weather, you might enjoy a stroll around town before class begins at 8 pm. Or afterwards down to the riverfront attractions. Remember to use the stage entrance door at 7th and Chestnut streets; lobby doors are closed. Safe trip, Sid.

NOTICE: Advance registration/reservations are required and the usual Split Tree admissions policies apply to this event at the Tivoli Theater; see link. No walk-ins will be allowed at any time. The Tivoli Theater lobby doors to Broad St. will be closed to the public and to those participating.

Nov 1: Chef Paul says food signup is closed but it's possible individuals can negotiate with him if single meals are needed.

Parking: Fri/Sat night parking from 6pm to midnight is available at the Blue Cross garge on 7th between Broad and Chestnut streets, across from the theater. Daytime parking is either on the streets or in the Chestnut and 7th open lot. The only dancer entrance is the backstage door at corner of 7th and Chestnut; parking details to follow but plenty of lot and street parking.

Quick registration: Go to registration section at bottom of page; select and copy into your email program; complete info and email to sid@splittree.org; we will confirm; Oct is food plan deadline. Pay at door or via Paypal with credit card to sid@splittree.org. You and your friends can register in advance, preferably as paired couples, but since we have gender balance pairing is not required at this time, up to 7 pm Friday, Nov. 7. Info: Sid at 706-539-2485.
Refund deadline was Friday, Oct. 26. Several whose plans changed have donated their refunds to the Tivoli fee and this is much appreciated. --Sid
3 pm Oct. 29: To my surprise we have 3 more men than women at the moment (well, a lady from Philly just registered)--two more men now. Since we will not sell out, all of you have until Friday at 7 pm to register; we don't do walk-ins since you need to know a turning waltz of some kind, per Prof. Powers. And per agreement with the Tivoli we don't have observers unless briefly as guests who are curious about vintage dance and waltz; seating is on stage with the orchestra lift seats remaining.

Atlanta area waltzers: Mary Jo xxx of Decatur would like a ride up on Friday and back after lunch on Saturday; email me if you can help her. Thanks, Sid

Celebrating the romance and passion of 200 years of waltzing --
"La Valse," Paris sculpture circa 1890 by Camille Claudel, close associate/colleague of Rodin

The move from Split Tree to the Tivoli has been complicated and I appreciate your support and patience. All feels in balance now. Special thanks to Judi and the Chattanooga Traditional Dance Society for loaning their sound system and to Chris Cantwell as sound manager and to Tivoli manager, Sandy Coulter. -- Sid House Fire basic info page

Oct. 24: Popular Atlanta Chef and owner of International Catering, Paul Schulz, returns for the the third time to serve you his most elegant vintage meals in the ambience of the Tivoli lobby. Don't miss his chocolate/fruit tower Saturday for the ball mid-break. Link to menu. You have until this Monday, Oct. 29th, to email us if you want the full meal plan, meat or veggie, for a very reasonable $50 for 5 meals Sat/Sunday. Send to sid@splittree.org. Friday night Chef Paul will serve his own bistro choices for $5 in the hat along with Sid's on-stage farewell wine and cheese waltzing party from 6-8 pm. But don't call the weekend Sid's Last Waltz; it's only the last in the Richard Powers series now that the Split Tree studio is gone and to make room for others to present the superb teaching of Richard and Angela in the Southeast.

Oct 22: Lodging Availability note from Bob Chapman: "If you're planning to attend the final Richard Powers Split Tree Farm dance week on November 2-4 and haven't yet found a place to stay, Mary and I will be at Knights Inn Chattanooga, 3655 Cummings Highway, about a 10-minute drive from the Tivoli Theater in downtown Chattanooga. Their phone number is 423-821-2233. Our rate for a king-sized bed was $54 per night." This is a scenic drive around the end of Lookout Mtn and is on the same road (with name changes as the Tivoli; Broad street changes to the old Cummings Highway when goes around the mountain overlooking the TN river). Or it can be reached via the I-24 interstate at exit #174 and turn east toward Lookout Mtn, turn in at Hampton Inn and Knight's Inn is behind the Hampton.
Oct. 24 UPDATE: If you stay at the Knights Inn, ask the owner for the Tivoli Theater Dancer rate of $49+tax for a kingsize and $54 for double queens.
Knights Inn, Cummings Highway, link.

Bob will be singing two opera arias for waltzing Sat. evening, accompanied by Alan Dynin. See Bob's photos of vintage dress at Bob Chapman's photos of previous vintage balls and examples of period clothing. Elegant dress can be from any of the past two hundred years, including 2007, for the Saturday night ball and we encourage all to join in the show.

Oct 22: Sid Hetzler invites you to the first Split Tree complimentary wine and cheese social hour from 6-8 pm to mix and mingle with Richard and Angela and your dancing friends as well as to help warm up the stage floor with waltzing to Richard's extraordinary range of waltz music. This will be backstage next to the dance floor. Bring a favorite wine if you wish and share. Margaret will be at the registration table to answer all questions and give you name tags.

Treat yourself in this link to pre-waltz workshop music and history from New York City dance band leader Bob January -- (For example)...The Austrian music scholar, Max Graf, has written, “If there exists a form of music that is a direct expression of sensuality, it is the Viennese Waltz. It was the dance of the new Romantic Period after the Napoleonic Wars, and the contemporaries of the first waltzes were highly shocked at the eroticism of this dance in which a lady clung to her partner, closed her eyes as in a happy dream, and glided off as if the world had disappeared. The new waltz melodies overflowed with longing, desire and tenderness.” Some say now there was no clinging, no contact then; what they say then matters more. --Sid

Vintage Waltz Weekend & Ball
Says Goethe about waltzing, speaking as the passionate, tragic hero in the German romance novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther": "Never have I moved so lightly. I was no longer a human being. To hold the most adorable

creature in one's arms and fly around with her like the wind, so that everything fades away...."
Or as a early 20th century dance historian put it: "Character, expression, spirit, passion--everything the new era [starting with the French revolution in 1789] demanded from the dance, it found in the waltz....For the first time in centuries a dance conquers the world without the sanction of the powers that be, of courts, of dancing masters, of France....At the end of 1791 an anonymous author in Berlin writes that 'the waltz and the waltz only is now so fashionable that one sees nothing else at dances; if you just know how to waltz, everything goes fine....'"

Quote from Richard about mazurka:
The 19th century German dance master Friedrich Albert Zorn wrote: "The Mazurka is, beyond question, the most beautiful social dance of our time, and I know, from more than fifty years of experience, that everyone who has learned the dance prefers it to all others. The Mazurka is a combination of exaltation, boldness, knightly gallantry and the most graceful devotedness. There is in this dance a certain inspiration not to be found in any other. Nearly every Mazurka dancer feels an incredible sensation entering his very soul and driving away all fatigue, the moment the strains of Mazurka music fall upon his ear."

Schedule is below Link to menu
Clean up and leave no trace of dancing in the theater; volunteers needed

A form of vintage waltz--

"Vien Walz"--circa 1820s Hungarian print of salon waltzing photographed with owner's permission near the office door of the 300-year old Piaristenkellar Restaurant near Hotel Pension Zipser in old-town Vienna. Excellent example of small space waltzing to fiddle melody and piano rhythm.

Oct 3: Registration is now open for paired couples for all weekend dancing at the Tivoli Theater main stage. Details to follow in email to all registered and please let your dance friends know of this welcome change so that more can learn from Richard Powers and Angela Amarillas Roth, both advanced and beginner classes (with the help of seasoned dance teachers). See bottom of web page for Aug 3 house fire information. Thanks for being patient as we sorted things out and found this new location. Sid

Update Oct. 1 -- Quick update on new vintage waltz weekend location: (Disregard the earlier plan for Hidden Hollow as it was too small for this type of historical dancing). We have rented the 1920s elegant and restored Tivoli Theater stage for its main stage and workshop spaces and for the Sat night formal vintage waltz ball. Meals plan will remain unchanged. Many of our dancers already have booked rooms in downtown Chattanooga, such as the nearby Day's Inn; email sid [at] splittree.org for how to contact Wendy on lodging assistance. RVers and campers are welcome at no charge at Split Tree Farm (two hookups for elec/water) and campers there can use the barn cabin facilities; however, drive time from the farm to downtown Chattanooga is about 30 minutes. Richard and Angela will be in their usual cabin at the farm. Details to follow soon to all registered.

If you have friends who'd like to participate, please invite them to join us and also mention that their tuition fee will very much assist with the theater rental. Also, beginner waltz classes will be scheduled for all day Saturday. The registration page will be revised in a few days (the Paypal link is broken right now but snail mail for checks works for the same address on the registration page below--no change). Your interest in Richard and Angela's teaching and our program is much appreciated but we understand if you prefer to cancel and will make prompt refunds. However to my surprise just about everyone plans on participating. Richard and Angela and I look forward to seeing everyone in November and appreciate the many messages of sympathy for our loss and encouragement for the future. Whether we rebuild remains a decision for much discussion. As a friend says, 'When the going gets tough, the tough go dancing'. Social dance as we do it with Richard's ideas is a powerful connector and energizer for all of us and hundreds feel this tie to Split Tree I've learned. -- Sid

Return to Home Page PDF Print Version Menu link (let us know if you prefer veggie or non-veggie food)

Split Tree admissions policies apply to this event at the Tivoli Theater; see link.

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

Dance your way through the evolution of the waltz. Two centuries of waltz varieties will include turning and traveling waltz, mazurka, valse a deux temps, redowa, cross-step variations, French Boston waltz, waltz-habanera and more. 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, drawn from his popular waltz seminar at Stanford, is the 15th in the popular waltz series he started at Sid Hetzler's request in the new Split Tree studio in 1997.
Phone (office): (650) 725-0739 Email: vintage@stanford.edu Powers' Stanford link: http://dance.stanford.edu

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

FRIDAY                      Link to menu
6:00-8:00   - Warm-up couples dancing to recordings from Richard Powers' collection
6:00- 8:00 - Wine and cheese meet and greet time with Richard and Angela and old friends
6:00-8:00   - Registration and Chef's $5 buffet in Tivoli lobby

8:00 (1:00) - Waltzing for Waltzers, the original Waltz
9:00 (0:10) - Break
9:10 (0:50) - Waltzing for Waltzers, the Reverse Waltz
10:00 -- Early bedtime or informal dancing to recorded music

A veteran Split Tree vintage waltzer, Larry Larson of Larry's Beans, a fair trade, gourmet coffee roaster in Raleigh, NC, sponsors Friday night at the Tivoli. His donation is much appreciated. We hope he will bring some of his coffees for this special weekend, maybe a sort of Viennese coffee shop.

SATURDAY
8:00          - Breakfast in Tivoli
9:00 (1:10) - Cellarius and D'Orsay Valse a Deux Temps
10:10 (0:10) - Break
10:20 (1:00) - Second-Position Redowa, Gitana/Carlowitzka
11:20 (0:10) - Break
11:30 (1:00) - The Mazurka
from 1850 and the 1890s Columbia.
12:30 (1:00) - Lunch in Tivoli
1:30 (1:00) - Free style Mazurka
2:30 (0:10) - Break
2:40 (0:40) - The Split Tree Waltz
3:20 (0:10) - Break
3:30 (0:45) - 1930s French Boston (Cross-Step) Waltz
4:15 - Informal music for dancing or rest time
6:45 (1:15) - Dinner in Tivoli Lobby
8:00 until 11:00 - Vintage Waltz Ball -- formal attire from past 200 years strongly admired but not required.
                          See Robert Chapman's photos - Bob Chapman's photos of previous vintage balls and examples of period clothing

SUNDAY
Thanks to Stephanie and Douglas Haas for their donation to help make possible the Tivoli's main stage on Sunday.
8:30 -           Breakfast in Tivoli
9:30 (1:15) - Six-count Habanera
10:45 (0:15) - Break
11:00 (0:55) - Ragtime Era Hesitation Waltz
11:55 (0:10) - Break
12:05 (0:55) - More 1930s French Boston (Cross-Step) Waltz
1:00 -- Lunch in Tivoli, clean up and leave no trace of dancing in the theater; volunteers needed

Afternoon options:
Walking tours of Chattanooga's renewed downtown, riverfront hikes, walking bridge, etc.
All are invited to mid-afternoon visits to Split Tree Farm for farewell visit to studio location and farewell ceremony weather permitting.
5 pm -- (tentative) Dutch treat dinner at Canyon Grill Restaurant, Lookout Mountain (could be in Chattanooga on the river)

Afternoon options:

Walking tours of Chattanooga's renewed downtown, riverfront hikes, walking bridge, etc.
All are invited to mid-afternoon visits to Split Tree Farm for farewell visit to studio location and farewell ceremony weather permitting.
5 pm -- (tentative) Dutch treat dinner at Canyon Grill Restaurant, Lookout Mountain (could be in Chattanooga on the river)

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

Pre-requirement: Know a basic turning waltz or dance (any kind). We will offer Richard Powers' music for waltzing warm-up 6-8 pm.

TUITION COST: $125 before Sept. 1; $150 after; tuition credit refunds toward future STF-produced weekends only after Oct. 26; no food refunds after same date. No single dance/workshops tickets.

FOOD (optional): $50 (no single meals except by advance registration and if full weekend spaces are not taken by Oct. 26). For Friday night, bring your picnic or contribute a $5 donation to the Chef Paul Schulz'ss fresh bread and hot soup fund. Link to menu. For $50, five tasty meals, meat or veggie, will be served in the Tivoli Theater. The Chef cannot accommodate special dietary needs. Deadline for meal tickets is Friday, Oct. 26. No single meal tickets available at this time but requests can be made to the Chef.

(note, lodging will now apply to downtown Chattanooga for those who don't want a long commute)
LODGING: See housing page for info on motel/BnBs and other nearby housing (disregard). There is no charge for tent or RV camping on Split Tree's 200 acres of woods and pasture in the NW Georgia mountains. The facilities of the "behind the (former) barn" cabin and Sid's cabin are available for campers. Obviously this will change to the new location and we can assist with lodging needs if requested. Most waltzers are staying in the nearby Day's Inn at MLK Blvd and Chestnut streets, one block from the theater. The elegant, historic Read House Hotel is a block away from the Tivoli.

Here are lodging options from Wendy Carson, who's been assisting dancers with downtown Chattanooga lodging (email her at wcarson (at} cbslawfirm.com)
Located in Downtown Chattanooga and less than a mile from the Tivoli:
Holiday Inn- Chattanooga Choo Choo - $122
Hilton Garden Inn - $179
Sheraton Read House -$190

Located 5-7 miles from Downtown:
Mainstay Suites Chattanooga - $78
Econolodge Lookout Mountain -$64

Lookout Mountain Knights Inn -$49 to $54, I-24, Exit 174, just west of downtown Chattanooga. Knights Inn, Cummings Highway, link.
Oct. 24 UPDATE: If you stay at the Knights Inn, ask the owner for the Tivoli Theater Dancer rate of $49+tax for a kingsize and $54 for double queens.

Super 8 Motel Lookout Mountain -$55
Most of these offer discounts for the usual plans, corporate, AARP, AAA, etc.
Also there are some lovely BnBs in and near the downtown area.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: Gender balanced by paired registration. Paired registration is required and the registrar will maintain a list of singles for matching by registration date. To be fair to all, we must pair you at registration to keep this type of dance fun for all. (Note: Confirming singles led to much frustration for unpaired waited listed dancers). Singles will be gender balanced or wait-listed until balanced but will not be confirmed without a registration partner. Other requests: 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. Split Tree admissions policies apply to this event at the Tivoli Theater; see link.

WEEKEND REGISTRATION LIMITS: Maximum, 100 dancers; minimum met and exceeded by Oct 12, 40.

INFORMATION / REGISTRATION QUESTIONS: See below.
Email the registrar at sid [at] splittree.org or call Sid Hetzler at 706/539-2485. Margaret will handle registration at the Tivoli. Click here for STF photos, studio, maps.

Note: For quick email registration, copy the green text below and paste into an email to sid [at] splittree.org. All registrations are confirmed.
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Click here for convenient, secure PayPal electronic credit card payment link STF Web Store (link broken; send Paypal payment to sid@splittree.org).

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 on Paypal. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 120 participating dancers; observer space is available on Saturday only. Send check payable to: Split Tree Farm/WW2007, 597 W Cove Road, Chickamauga, GA 30707. Fax: 770.216.1596. This address is still valid after the fire.

Date:_______________________
Name________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________________

Email address____________________________ Method of Payment: ______________________________

Paired with ________________________________ (Must be paired to be confirmed; singles may register but please, please match yourselves by gender before being confirmed; do not send payment unless paired. Email sid [at] splittree.org for status). Normally we do not have enough single men to pair with single ladies and need to rely on you the dancers for assistance with this delicate balancing, which is necessary due to the nature of the workshops and the style of dance).

#___dancers at $150 each = ____$_________
#____meal tickets at $50 each=$______ (optional)

Lodging is recommended in downtown Chattanooga near the Tivoli Theater, 709 Broad St, 37402.

#____ Camping on farm, no charge; all single cabin facilities are available for campers

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

Grand total: $___________. No refunds after Oct. 26. Method of payment _____________________

Deadline for meal tickets is Friday, Oct. 26. Single meal tickets price: TBA if available.

Shelter plans: Farm pasture tenting________ Motel/BnB_____________ Other?______________

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FLIGHT INFO: Nearest public airport is Chattanooga (20 minutes from downtown); 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.

(This structure all burned Friday, August 3, 2007). 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. 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. A large dance studio and recreation room burned along with the house and barn Aug. 2, 2007.