Richard Duree Status:   Active Specialty:   Ballroom, Clogging, Hungarian Range:   Ballroom, Clogging, Vintage, Hungarian, international	CLICK TO ENLARGE
Richard "Rich" Duree, who found folk dancing in Sacramento, California, in December, 1960, actually became "hooked" the following March. Since then, he has become an internationally known dance ethnologist , offering international dance classes in Appalachian Clog, Balkan, Ballroom, Czech, Early Californian, German, Hungarian, Old West, Ragtime, and Victorian dance. He also has expertise in Beginning Insruction, Dance Ethnology and History, Dance Pedagogy, and Teacher Training. Richard is the director of the Dunaj International Dance Ensemble, Inc. based in Orange County, California, which he organized in 1976. Dunaj's repertoire includes suites of Appalachian, Austrian, Bavarian, Czech, Early Californian, Hungarian, and Ragtime dances. Richard is noted for his realistic choreographic portrayals of traditional village dance. He performed with Polskie Iskry Polish Dance Ensemble (Costa Mesa, Calif.), the Russian Folk Dance Group (San Francisco, Calif.), the Camtia Bayerische Schuhplattlers (Sacramento, Calif.), and the Dionysian Folk Ensemble (Sacramento, Calif.). Richard has been active in the activities of the Folk Dance Federation of California (South), including chairperson of their Teacher Training Committee (1975, 1993, 2004). In addition to folk and ethnic dance, Richard's other academic activities and interests include dance ethnology and history, folk arts, dance theater, dance technique, holistic approach to dance, fitness and health, multicultural education, instructional desigh, and curriculum development. He has taught fencing, bowling, outdoor recreation, fitness and aerobics, weight training, self-defense, firearms safety, personal defense, regional geography of Europe and North America, cultural geography, physical geography, and travel geography. He also has knowledge of grant writing, fundraising, public relations, media relations, and video production. Growing up on a Texas cattle ranch with a cowboy granddad, Richard was taught from a young age about cattle, horses, branding, and the general mind set of the American cowboy. He still retains his historical interest in the Old West. So, in his spare time, he is an active member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). Much like folk dancers who wear international costume, SASS members dress up in period clothing, carry and shoot firearms of the period 1865 to 1900, such as real .45s, lever action rifles, and side-by-side shotguns, at knock-down metal targets. Members are encouraged to take on aliases and many do much research into one that is not only suitable, but who has a "rich" history. Rich, for instance, is "Colonel Richard I. Dodge," of the United States Cavalry (Ret.). (Colonel Dodge led numerous military mapping expeditions into the Black Hills and throughout the west and had his journals published, which are a major source of information for historians, anthropologists, and others, including Richard himself). Richard has a Master of Arts degree in Ethnic Dance Theater and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. He is was a professor of physical education at California State University in Long Beach and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Dance at Coast Community College District in Orange County, California. Richard and his lovely wife and dancing partner, Ruth Levin, live in Southern California. With a dance background in physical education, theater, history, and anthropology, Richard and Ruth impart an in-depth knowledge of dance technique and an appreciation of dance history to their teaching. Richard has led several educational tours to Europe and has toured the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics. He has produced full-length dance and music concerts throughout Southern California. In addition, Richard was Instructor of American Folk Dance at a dance seminar in Luhacovice, Moravia, and Instructor of European / American Folk Dance at the Pan Asian International Dance Camp in Taipei, Taiwan. In 1967, Richard conducted a four-month research project on Bavarian and Tyrolean dance, music, and folklore in Munich and Garmisch, Bavaria. Among the professsional affiliations Richard has are the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD); Society of Dance History Scholars; Dance Critics Association; and Congress on Research in Dance. Richard also has been the Southwest Representative for the National Folk Organization (NFO). Among the awards Richard has received is the Disneyland Community Service Award for Cultural Arts (1987). He has received scholarships from both the Folk Dance Federation of California (North) and the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, to attend summer dance camps. A prolific writer, Richard was a freelance business writer specializing in instructional design and business writing for seven years. He also was the Dance Writer / Critic for three years for the Orange Coast Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa, California. Richard has written dozens and dozens of articles for Folk Dance Scene, the news magazine of the Federation (South). Among his other writings are "Choreography Series." Examines the historical, geographical, and cultural factors that influence the form and style of the dance. Includes:       "America: Ragtime to Swing"       "Bulgaria"       "Greece"       "Hungary"       "Poland"       "Romania"       "Scandinavia"       "Spain"       "Transylvania"       "Turkey"       "Former Yugoslavia" "Folk Dance: A Window on the World of Learning." National Dance Association Conference Proceedings; "Dance as Learning" Conference. "Dance Teacher's Source Book." Discussion of teaching and learning methodology, physics and dance movement, partnering, anatomy and dance movement, and rhythm analysis. "Folk v. Ethnic Dance." Discussion of terms, definitions, attitudes, and the realities of folk / ethnic dance. "Motif Analysis in Ethnic Dance Research." Examination of the movement motifs unique to each ethnic group. Relates the motifs and movement character to the physical and social environment. "Dance Tip Series." Discussion of various dance techniques for couple and chain dance, including partnering, leading / following, improvising, posture / balance, and linear and circular movements. "Dance in the Old West." Discussion of the dance of Americans in the Old West and the influence of the military, migration, foreign immigrants, and social situations. "Dance in the Gold Rush." Discussion of the dance in California's mining camps. "Dance of Early California." Description of the dances, fandangos, costumes, music, and traditions of California in the Rancho Period before the Gold Rush. "Travel in Safety." Discussion of precautions and techniques to be followed to avoid criminal activity in foreign or strange environments. Focus is on increased awareness of potential dangers and pro-active movements to avoid or escape potential hazards. "Why Do People Dance the Way They Do?" An examination of the environmental factors that influence the character of the dance in a non-industrial society; relates the factors of topography, climate, livlihood, clothin, footwear, and foreign occupation. "Greeting the Newcomer." Suggestios for ensuring a successful and enjoyable experience to the casual "walk-in" observer to a folk dance session. Discusses the discomfort and embarrassment of being involved in dances with unfamiliar and confusing figures and the need for a pro-active program to teach learnable dances that the "walk-in" can learn quickly without the embarrassment of being singled out. "Csárdás." Discussion of the cáardás' history and evolution, with examination of older and newer forms, figures, concepts, techniques, and character. "Dance Traditions - The Newsletter of Traditional Dance and Music." Choreographic studies, feature articles on events and artists, calendar of events, editorials, ethnic food, folklore, folk art, dance technique, and etiquette (1994 to 1999). Dances Richard has taught include Bačko Kolo, Bunjevačko Kolo, Furiant, and Tandrček.

Previous Page    Home Page