Small Collaborative Partnerships – Folk UP! Dancing Towards a Healthy Lifestyle

From the 22nd to the 24th of February 2019, together with representatives of our partner organisations, we went over the logistical and administrative aspects of the project - such as task deadlines – and settled all details of the implementation activities so as to ensure our project got off to a flying start!

In partnership with "Dimitrie Gusti" Romanian National Village Museum, our organisation developed the training course in July 2021. Folk ensembles and dance youth groups were invited by the partner organisations to present each country’s traditional dances among the 8 selected. Their performance were documented in order to create the educational content of the most important deliverables of the project: an online booklet and a video catalog. These training resources serve as sources of inspiration for anyone keen on practicing sport and feel the other cultures by learning traditional dances.

Many thanks to the youngsters who join our training activity in Bucharest:

🇸🇰Slovak Folklore Ensemble “Vagonár”

🇹🇷Gaziantep University - Folk Dance department

🇧🇬Bulgarian youth dance group

32 youngsters from our partner countries met in a green outdoor enviroment, Borisova Gradina, Sofia, Bulgaria with the aim to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity, but also about the roles of dance as a facilitator for social inclusion, mutual respect and communication. Also, the participants had the oportunity of learning and teaching their national Folk dances.

It was a great occasion to share their knowledge and technique with the many passersby of the beautiful park in Sofia.

Taking into consideration the unstable situation of the COVID pandemic context and anticipated the new wave of the virus infections during autumn period, the project coordinators from partner countries and the dance coaches agreed to separatley meet during the youth exchange activity in order to discuss about the deliverables of the project and to evaluate the steps for implementation of the local activities as the next phase of our project.

Nonetheless, we managed to go over everything we have achieved and, so, we were able to take in the success of our activities, prompting a positive outlook on finishing the Folk UP project.

Since September 2021 until November 2021, local educational institutions from each of our partners’ countries continued our mission to preserve the 8 traditional dances selected for our project by encouraging children to take part in them together, this way, bringing the conventional physical education class to a whole new level of excitement.

Impressions on the “Folk UP” activities carried out in multiple European countries:

European activities in a European School in #Radauti, #Romania. #FolkUp #ErasmusPlusSport project. Congrats to all children, parents and dedicated teachers!

ABC - learning to learn- through #FolkUp activities. Many students participated on theoretical and practical sessions promoting the healthy lifestyle through traditional dances.

The students of the school participated in three practical implementation activities, being delighted to dance four of the selected dances from the partner countries, practicing them in the Music and Movement classes: Dunavsko Horo (Bulgaria), Zamutov Village (Slovakia), Hora and Sarba (Romania).

Having the great educational materials (Broschure and Video catalogue) the students had an amazing experience to learn and practice some of the European traditional dances.

The students of the school participated in the practical activity by implementing dances in their community, being delighted to learn some of the 8 presented traditional folk dances.

Our wonderful students participated (and will participate, hopefully we can continue after the holidays) with great enthusiasm in the Erasmus project "FOLK UP - DANCING TOWARDS A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE". They are eager to penetrate different cultures and ... dance their traditional dances.

Students in grades 10 and 11 identified elements of traditional dances from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Slovakia Coordinators: Prof. Teleagã Ancuța, Prof. Bândiul Ionela. Knowledge continues in dance steps!

#ErasmusPlus #FolkUp project in Romanian kindergardens. Well done, kids!

With the activities carried out, the dances of common countries were introduced to the students and the educational steps were implemented.

Students from Republic of Moldova, happy to enjoy European traditional dances presented in the Folk UP project.

Online events presenting FolkUP project for public and joined by the students from the Slovak schools.