Tineke van geel

DANCES OF ARMENIA and INTERNATIONAL DANCES

Tineke van Geel received her degree as folk dance instructor in 1977. She specializes in Armenian dance and works as a teacher and choreographer. Since 1985 she has regularly visited Armenia to study folklore at the Pedagogic Institute and Choreographic School in Yerevan. Part of each research trip was devoted to working with several amateur groups in Armenia and doing research on costumes. Two of those research trips were supported by scholarships of the Dutch government. On several occasions Tineke visited the United States to observe the dances performed by the Armenian communities there.

Tineke conducts workshops for students at various levels, beginning to professional, and has taught classes in international folk dance, Dutch and Armenian dances in many countries of the world, a fact that didn’t remain unnoticed in Armenia. In 2006, she received an award from the Armenian government for her extraordinary devotion and energy in promoting Armenian dance, music and culture. All her research in Armenia has made her a world-renown specialist of Armenian dance.

In addition to a pleasant sense of humor, Tineke is an excellent teacher who can break down dance patterns step by step to enable every student to master the dances and to experience the joy of both learning and executing this exciting material. Combined with a vast knowledge of Armenian dance and culture, these qualities have contributed to her worldwide success and popularity. Besides giving workshops in 14 European countries she taught in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

The music for a lot of dances that were researched in Armenia had never been recorded. Therefore, Tineke invited bands from Armenia to make recordings in a Dutch studio and she produced a number of compact discs on her own Van Geel Records label, established in 1989. Recently these programs are also made available on DVD.

Tineke has also conducted over 40 successful dance and culture tours to Armenia which have been attended by hundreds of participants from all over the world. Recently Georgia was also included in some tour programs.

Although Tineke is known as an Armenian dance specialist, she is sometimes asked to teach international folk dances because she has mastered a variety of styles and learned from many master teachers. This year Tineke will be presenting a package of dances from various countries, mainly non-partner dances, with a few exceptions.

Tineke first attended Stockton in 1986, as a camper, with her husband Maurits. Since then, she has been on the teaching staff five times.