By Brenna Wiegand
The first thing Teresa Bryant, Marilyn Hall and Bev Fleckenstein say about receiving this year’s Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce’s Helping Hands Award is “Nann should be in here with us!”
Their theory is that Nann Fleck figures she got her due when she and husband Don received the First Citizens Award in 2003 and nominated her dedicated cohorts for this award.
At any rate, they roped each other into starting the children’s dancing at Oktoberfest 30 years ago.
In addition to the dancing program, Bryant derives great enjoyment and satisfaction from her longtime involvement with Cultural Homestay International, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote international understanding, friendship and goodwill. Since most of the young people – from all over the world – arrive in September, Bryant often enlists them in the dancing. It is a great way to break the ice and start meeting other kids.
“Whether they end up on a sports team or not, they get to be on this team,” Bryant said.
Volunteerism is an American thing, she said, and there is no better immersion than Oktoberfest, where the visiting students soon find themselves pitching in with a variety of other tasks, too.
“We’ve always danced because my mother loved it; there was always polka music on,” said Bryant.
“Mom is now 82-and-a-half and she can dance the fastest polka – we can’t wear her out!”
However, Fleckenstein, their former classmate, is the fuel behind the dancing.
“Bev is a really good, technical dancer who can visualize and choreograph a whole dance,” Hall said. “She gives us cheat sheets that help us teach our dancers.”
Hall’s home is “costume central” with a sewing room chock-full of dirndls, lederhosen, headpieces and everything else associated with Bavarian dancing gear. Although they all keep a lookout for shoes and clothing that would work, Bryant is the queen of thrift shop scouring.
“Having everything available means that anyone who wants to dance can dance and can look as good as everyone else,” Hall said.
As if she’s not busy enough, Hall’s desire to provide a way for high school students and young adults to dance came to fruition last year with the formation of the “Flecksteiners.” The group includes several young couples with children.
“The thing that’s really cool is that these couples are so thrilled to have a date night out,” Hall said. “And dancing is romantic.”
Sometimes the weather isn’t exactly cozy, but the show always goes on. “One year we performed the mother-daughter dance with the mothers holding umbrellas over their daughters,” Fleckenstein said.
A seamstress; a dancer and a thrift shop hunter with overseas connections – with Fleck, their fearless leader – are the ones to thank for the lively, beautiful, youthful dances enjoyed by thousands of folks every year.
