Lederhosen 1
Zach Fuch, Mike Wagnon and Chris Cypert perform the Amboss Polka at the 2013 Addisson Oktoberfest.
lederhosen 2
The group meets up at a pre-Oktoberfest party weeks before the McKinney Oktoberfest a few years ago.
Want to go?
What: Oktoberfest
Where: Historic Downtown McKinney
When: Sept. 26 4-11 p.m.
Sept. 27 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sept. 28 Noon-5 p.m.
Admission into the fair is free.
For more information about Texanischer Schuhplattler Verein d’Holzar, visit tsvallgau.org.
Posted: Friday, September 26, 2014 5:07 pm
|
Updated: 5:58 pm, Fri Sep 26, 2014.
Star Local Media
-
-
Posted on Sep 26, 2014
Deep in the heart of North Texas is a group of locals immersed in Bavarian culture; so much that they’ve formed an organization that celebrates a specific region in Bavaria, its clothing, music and dance.
This organization, one of the main performers in the McKinney Oktoberfest, is called Texanischer Schuplattler Verein d’Holzar, which translates to Texas Schuplattler Club. It’s made up of locals from North Dallas to Denton County who work together to promote Bavarian culture in Texas through traditional garb, customs, events and performances.
“There are three groups in Dallas; all of the groups represent a different part of Bavaria,” said Chris Cypert, vorstand (president) of the organization. “Though the dances are similar, the things that we wear are different.”
The city from Southwest Bavaria that this group represents is Fischen, a small town with only around 4,000 citizens, but known as one of the second largest preserved areas in the region.
“The clothing that we wear are identical to what they wear,” Cypert said. “The clothing that we wear we either bought from them or we made it to look identical to them. Our goal is to be able to stand next to anyone from Fischen and look just like them.”
The men’s garments made up of shorts with suspenders attached are called trägers in this area.
In order to stay as authentic to the customs and culture of this region, the members of the group send emails to citizens of Fischen from time to time.
“One of our members has gone over there and visited with them,” he said. “Eventually, I’d like my family to visit the area to meet a few of them as well.”
A major component of being visible to North Texans is performing at major events. Through performances, members of the group are able to expose the locals to authentic music and folk dance that has been passed down for generations in Western Europe.
“We do two general types of dance: the Landler and the Schuhplattler,” he said. “The Landler is the type of dance that was typically done in gathering. … You might find it in a formal ball. But we’re most known for the Shuhplattler – that is a boasting dance. It’s the type of dance that a bunch of guys would get together and do to show off to the girls. It was all about who could slap their thighs the hardest or jump the highest.”
In Bavarian culture, there are many dances that are a variation of one dance and they are typically recognized by adding the city of origin in the name.
During the performance at the McKinney Oktoberfest, a few members of the group plan to do a some traditional folk dances including the Reit im Winkle and a Schuplattler that will include axes and logs.
The organization has traveled to several states through out the country for performances, but what they’ve maintained throughout the years is the passion for exposing the public to Bavarian culture.
“We’re a preservation society,” Cypert said. “So we’re just trying to teach people that Bavarian culture isn’t just about drinking beer. We say this is how we do our dances, these are the things that we wear. There is a very rich culture that we are trying to introduce people to.”
Follow Star Local Media Live and Local on twitter @liveandlocal1
Posted in
Live and local
on
Friday, September 26, 2014 5:07 pm.
Updated: 5:58 pm.
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 6]