by
JoAnne Rudo
May is here
with all of its beauty and Katrilli is beginning their
busy season. We performed for the residents of the Horizon
House which is a
lovely retirement center in Seattle. It was memorable in
several aspects:
Kathleen and Chris Luquette made their performing debut. They
were a bit
nervous, I still get nervous after many years of performing) but
they were
all smiles when they realized how well they did and how much fun
it was.
Elaine Packard also had a first as her foot became entangled
with another
dancer's foot and down she went. The audience gave a uniformed
sound of
concern, but Elaine didn't miss a beat and went on dancing.
Folk Voice
played for us using several different instruments and their
music made the
event quite enjoyable. Best of all, the audience was super
complimentary
which is good for all of our egos.
By the
time this report is printed, Katrilli will have performed for
the Swedish Club's membership dinner and for the Sweden's
National Flag Day.
Yes, Katrilli really is a Finnish Folkdance group but many of
our dances
and costumes show Swedish influence. Katrilli once again has
been asked to
give an hour performance for the City of Renton as they open
their Farmer's
Market. Last year, it poured for our outdoor performance, but
the produce
that was purchased at the market was wonderful and full of
moisture.
Katrilli will travel to Astoria for their annual Midsummer
festival and
the last week of June, we will be at Skandia's beautiful
traditional
Midsommarfest celebration held at St. Edward Park in Kenmore,
WA. Of
course, we will be in Naselle in July for the much anticipated
FinnFest.
Along
with all the performances and practice, we are still trying to
perfect our choreographed rake dance done with old-time wooden
farm
implements. Thus far, we have avoided concussions with the
lowering and
raising of these wooden tools. Elisabet Arnold not only is
teaching the
rake dance but she is also working on doing a solo dance from
Karelia which
will be introduced in our new spring/summer season. Elisabet
with her grace
and long hair will be delightful to watch. Did I also mention
that she is
quite lovely and young?
Katrilli is delighted to have been awarded a grant in order to
make
some new costumes. We are now in the process of trying to
decide how to
best use the grant--a lovely position to be in. With new
members and some
of our costumes showing much wear, the grant is most welcomed!
Katrilli members, Marja Hall and JoAnne Rudo have been elected
to serve
on the Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter Executive Board.
They are both excited to become involved with this impressive
organization. You too can become involved with Finnish
traditions and culture while exercising and enjoying fun, lively
people by
folkdancing with us. You are welcomed to Katrilli with or
without a
costume--clothes, however, are mandatory!
Contact JoAnne
joannerudo@hotmail.com or Marja
spoon531@hotmail.com.