Photo caption: Andre van de Plas with students from the first teacher training course held 1989/1990
Folk Dance Australia (FDA) was formed in 1990 and became incorporated in New South Wales in May 1991. Originally based in Sydney, FDA is now a national network with members in all states of Australia. Since FDA’s formation, tours by visiting teachers from Europe, the United Kingdom, USA and Canada have given folk dancers in Australia the opportunity to network and to create a wider field of knowledge, ideas and communication.
FDA’s activities include:
Providing an information network; arranging workshops with Australian and international folk dance specialists; delivering recreational folk dance teacher training courses; offering classes and style workshops with local community dance leaders; publishing six editions per year of “Footnotes”, which gives information on upcoming workshops, lists folk dance groups in Australia, includes articles on culture and dance, and provides varied items of news on folk dance.
Folk Dance Australia was established by graduates of the first Folk Dance Teacher Training Course (TTC) which was conducted in Australia in 1989/1990. The course was introduced by Andre van de Plas, a professional dance teacher from the Netherlands, and was based on the Dutch Folk Dance Teacher Training Course with the support of the Margaret Walker Folk Dance Centre. It was realised during the first course that an organisation focussed on folk dance would be beneficial to the development of folk dance in Australia.
Enthusiastic teachers hoped to raise the profile of international folk dance, show its value both as a recreational activity and an educational tool, and make international folk dancing more accessible to the broader community for their enjoyment. A meeting of the graduates from this TTC was then held in July 1990 and Folk Dance Australia was founded with an Interim Committee of Carol Maddocks as President, Christine Battisson as Secretary and Kaye Laurendet as Treasurer. The following year FDA became incorporated.