German Folkloric Dancing in Australia

Folkloric Dancing is a sporting activity which can be experienced and shared at all levels and among all age groups. While many people dance purely for the enjoyment or the cultural values that are engrained in the dances, there is also the challenge of various kinds of social, physical and psychological impacts. The preserved IDENTITY of the performers and the dances themselves is of great value for everyone who seeks to express individuality in conformity: individuality in clothing, in music, and in the so-called modern forms of cultural folk dance. After WWII large communities of people have been torn from their home countries, and often this has been the force behind them to strongly retain their rich heritage of traditional dance steps. This study will focus primarily on culturally active approaches and new marketing ideas of Sydney's ""St. Raphael´s Deutsche Volkstanz Gruppe"", which aim at encouraging potential members to join and participate. After some background information on German Folk Dancing (Deutscher Volkstanz), a market segmentation process is discussed, highlighting the distinct values of Folk Dancing itself and the social benefits attached to it. Secondary data as well as expert interviews are taken as the main sources of research information. In the final part of this paper, some practical advice on how to increase membership in ethnic based cultural communities will be given. Seminar paper aus dem Jahr 2004 im Fachbereich Sport - Sportökonomie, Sportmanagement, Note: High Distinction, University of Technology, Sydney (School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism), Veranstaltung: Sports Marketing, 9 Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis. ""