"JUST MY STYLE"
It seems that each of the 2,444 Midwestern Music and Art Campers has his own style of dancing. The dance was last Saturday night a Lewis Hall Parking lot.
Do The Dog Or Bugaloo
Unusual types of dancing at the Midwestern Music and Art Camp's Get Acquainted Dance fascinated many observers. Styles ranged from those of the Roaring Twenties to the popular ones of today.
The few who attempted to do the Charleston and Twist, both outdated, found difficulty because they either couldn't recall how to do them or couldn't recall how their parents taught them.
The modern dances, however, were performed with grace and ease(?) The slow ones showed the simplicity of the Box Step and the Two Step; the fast ones displayed the intricacy of the Bugaloo, the Skate, the Dog, the Frug, the Shing-a-ling, and the Jerk.
Widespread opinion was that there is little similarity to the dances of people from different areas.
Campers Come From 48 States
A total of 2,444 high school students from 48 states and the District of Columbia are attending the 1967 Midwestern Music and Art Camp here.
This figure represents every state of the United States except Delaware and West Virginia and is compared to last year's enrollment of 1,857 campers.
Distribution of campers by states shows Kansas has the largest representation of campers with 691. Missouri ranks second with 315 campers. Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia each have one delegate in camp. Coming the farthest are two campers each from Alaska and two from Hawaii.
Tryouts Held
Tryouts for the two recitals of advanced music students took place Sunday night in Murphy Hall. Approximately 15 judges, mainly faculty in the School of Fine Arts, presided at the auditions. Various divisions judged were strings, piano, brass, wood-winds and voice.
Ten to 12 students were selected for each of the recitals. Swarthout Recital Hall will be the scene of the recitals on the evenings of July 12 and 18. There is no admission charge.
Camp Drawl, Twang Lend National Air
By DIANE ARMSTRONG
The accents of the students at the KU Midwestern Music and Art seminars give the summer camp a truly national air.
The Eastern nasal tone, the Midwestern accent, the Southern drawl, and the Western twang represent different regions of the United States.
The New England accent is one of the easiest to distinguish. The "oi" sound is characteristic of this area.
Texans and Oklahomaans tend to drawl. When a "yall" is heard, it is usually referring to a group.
MIDWESTERNERS remain the most neutral in regard to accent and dialect. Most from the central United States can be distinguished in that they tend to draw out their words and talk slower
Typical of the South, accents from North Carolina and surrounding states represent the true southern drawl. They tend to accent the first syllable.
Residents of the Northeastern part of the country pronounce "o" as a "long u" and "a" as "ah."
Learning to distinguish different accents on the campus can be not only a study in phonetics but also a key to human nature.
VICKI WAS undecided about attending the camp at first, while Jane was "happy to come." They both discussed their situation with Professor Robert Elkins of the German Camp before their final arrival.
Vicki and Jane find the campers very helpful in showing them to their classes and aiding them in cafeteria lines. "Sometimes I am embarrassed to ask for help," says Vicki.
Blind Campers Feel At Home
The girls consider themselves regular campers despite their handicap. Their German textbooks are in Braille and they either type or write transcribed
To some campers, coming to the Midwestern Music and Art Camp was a long awaited vacation. To others it was a change of scenery and pace. But to two blind girls of Lewis Hall, coming to camp meant much more.
By BONNIE SOLOW
Vicki and Jane are enrolled in the German camp, Level I. Though they have previously had four years of elementary German, they did not have any German classes this past year. The girls pursued their interest during a lunch hour study period with a teacher who later recommended their coming to the KU summer camp.
Kansans Vicki Szczepanik of Wichita and Jane Roth of Oskaloosa are classmates at the Kansas School for the Blind. Although Vicki is 14 and Jane is 15, both will be sophomores next year.
VICKI'S HOBBIES include writing stories and rock and roll music in Braille, singing, and playing the piano.
Braille letters home.
Jane likes to play the piano, knit and type. She plans to become an interpreter in four languages.
Instructor Tells Ballet Secrets
By KATHY KISER
"The secret of teaching ballet is to be able to explain so that the student knows exactly how to do something," stated John Landovsky, newest member of the ballet camp faculty.
Landovsky, from Riga, Latvia, near the Baltic Sea, is a specialist in character dancing. "Character dancing was done a long time ago at weddings and festivals," he said. "When it is done on stage, though, the steps are made more complicated and showy, although the basic folk flavor is always there."
Landovsky also said that ballet is the basis of any other kind of dancing. It gives the dancer the discipline he needs for jazz, character, or other kinds of dancing. To be a professional ballet artist, according to Landovsky, one must possess more than anything else a will to dance. "The work is hard, and if you aren't interested in it you won't make it. You have to want to do it; it's a lot of sweat."
Today's ballet is more scientific and perfectional than that of a century ago. It requires a great deal of physical co-ordination and intelligence, explained Landovsky.
Landovsky, whose family was forced to flee Latvia during the war, was introduced to ballet by a ballerina who was a close friend. He started in adagio classes at the age of 20, which is old to begin ballet. However, he adapted easily to dancing as he had formerly been an athlete interested in soccer and long distance running.
Later the John Pettrey School of Dance in Chicago awarded him a scholarship. He has danced regularly on television, performed with a professional theatre company in Birmingham, Alabama, and is currently with the International Ballet working out of Chicago.
Before coming to KU, Landovsky taught at a dance school in Wisconsin. He expected the students "to be lazier" here at KU. "I'm surprised they work so hard," he said. He is very pleased with the teaching staff; and as for KU itself, Landovsky thinks the campus with its hills is very beautiful.
Skits and Debates Set
There are currently 90 students attending the speech and debate division of the Midwestern Music and Art Camp.
Various courses are set up for the students taking part. Among the courses offered are classes in poetry, drama, oration, and speaking. The students assemble to give speeches and learn by others' mistakes.
During the first two weeks the students have been assigned speeches to give. The contents of the speeches have to be rescarched on their own. It is not unusual to see a group of speech students making their way to Watson Library, for that is where they find the information needed for their talks.
On July 21, the speech and debate students will hold open competition in all fields. It is hoped every member will take part in some type of competition with his fellow classmates, whether it be a duet or an informative talk. The skits are already being worked on and practiced by the students.
Second Kamper Kansan
This edition of the Kamper Kansan is the second of four which will appear as inserts in the Summer Session Kansan throughout the six-week session of camp.
Israeli Conductor Gone
ELYAKUM SHAPIRA
By AMY SHAFFER
Israeli conductor Elyakum Shapira left Kansas University June 26, but he will never leave the hearts of many band camp students.
"I liked it very much here because the campers were eager and willing to learn. It's fantastic how well these high school students can play!" stated Shapira.
Although he has never before worked in a band camp, he hopes to return to KU next summer but has no definite plans.
Shapira's association with the camp started one morning when he received a call from Russell L. Wiley, camp director, inviting him to be a guest conductor. Shapira accepted and as a result spent the first week of camp directing the orchestras and bands.
SHAPIRA, WHO has been a conductor for seven years, said he doesn't know how he decided to become a conductor, but explained that he started by conducting choirs in his high school in Israel.
Shapira was raised in a city near Tel Aviv which thrived in the citrus fruit industry. Leonard Bernstein, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, discovered Shapira in Israel and brought him to the United States. Shapira spent a year studying under Bernstein and working as his assistant. The next four years Shapira studied in New York City at the Juilliard School of Music,
At present, Shapira resides in Baltimore, where he is conductor of the Baltimore Symphony.
After leaving here, Shapira went to Chicago to conduct a concert series known as the Grant Park Concerts.
Kamper Kansan Friday, July 7, 1967
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