German Folkloric Dancing in Australia

Case Study on the 'St. Raphael´s Deutsche Volkstanzgruppe'

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Sport - Sport Economics, Sport Management, grade: High Distinction, University of Technology, Sydney (School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism), course: Sports Marketing, 9 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Folkloric Dancing is a sporting activity which can be experienced and shared at all levels and among all age groups. While many people participate 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. This case study will focus primarily on the socio-cultural values of dancing. Furthermore, new marketing ideas of Sydney's 'St. Raphael´s Deutsche Volkstanz Gruppe' are suggested, 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.