Dick Oakes

He has taught in nearly 100 cities in the United States and Canada and taught Balkan dances to hundreds of Chinese folk dancers in Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Among these cities are

Traveling with his wife, Carol, Dick also taught folk dances on one of Rae Tauber's OPA! Folklore Tours through Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia, and on one of Mel Mann's Dance on the Water cruises to Alaska. Dick and Carol later moved from Southern California to Colorado's front range.

In 2008, Dick donated hundreds of his folk dance records and most of his folk dance notes and books to the Society of Folk Dance Historians in Austin, Texas, founded in 1987 by Ron Houston.

Dick received the National Folk Dance Organization U.S.A. "Preserving Our Heritage Award" for a lifetime of achievement in folk dance and folk arts, and also the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival "National Dance Award" in recognition of contributions to folk dancing in Texas and in the United States, both in 2014. Also, in 2014, he taught a "Dances for All Ages" class at the Stockton Folk Dance Camp.

In 2017, Marshall Cates, outgoing president of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc., presented Dick with a Service Award "in appreciation of decades of dedication and service."

In 2020, Dick received the Southern California Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laguna Folk Dance Festival for his "significant contribution to the International Folk Dance community."

Dick dropped out of the teaching and dancing scene in the late 1980s after his left knee gave out. He had surgery to replace his left and right knees and resumed teaching again until January of 2019, at which time he hung up his teaching opanci because of severe osteoarthritis in both feet.

1939 – Born.
1949 – First introduction to a "folk" dance (Pop! Goes the Weasel), Physical Education Class, Richland, Washington.
1955 – First attempt at international folk dancing, Richland, Washington.
1957 – First serious folk dancing, San Diego, California.
1958 – PerformedVyts Beliajus's Viltis Dancers and John Hancock's Dolina Cygany.
1960 – First of several folk dance scholarships received to the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference.
1960 – First of hundreds of workshops taught in the United States, Canada, and the Orient.
1964 – Taught at the opening of The Intersection, the first of many folk dance coffeehouses in Southern California.
1965 – First editor of Folk Dance Scene, Southern California's folk dance magazine.
1967 – Taught first of many folk dance camps at the Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference.
1969 – Contributor to the UCLA Museum of Ethnic Arts Gallery Showing of "The Balkans, Costume and Folk Art."
1971 – Taught the "Summer Dance Camp" in Seattle, Washington with friend and camp director Sonny Newman.
1972 – Put on the first "Floating kolo Party" with friend Tink Wilson in Boulder, Colorado.
1972 – Elected to the position of Membership Chairman of the Colorado Folk Arts Council, serving with Vyts Beliajus.
1972 – Played the dumbek and tûpan for a Boulder International Folk Dancers performance.
1973 – Taught at the Lighted Lantern Folk Dance Camp, substituting for Vyts Beliajus (and taught each subsequent camp till it closed).
1976 – First of two teaching tours of the United States sponsored by InstrucTours.
1980 – Performed with such ensembles as AMAN Folk Ensemble, Betyárok, Gandy Dancers, G.T.E.V. D'Isartaler, and Westwind.
1981 – Toured Balkan countries of Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia on Rae Tauber's Opa! Folklore Tour to the Balkans.
1982 – Contributed article on Yugoslav dance to the book International Folk Dancing U.S.A. by Betty Casey.
1983 – Founded the International Folk Dance Club (now Empire Grange International Folk Dancing) in Fort Collins, Colorado.
1985 – Founded the Simi Valley Folk Dancers in Simi Valley, California.
1986 – Member of the first advisory committee of the National Fok Organization U.S.A.
1987 – Elected President of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
1988 – Elected to the Advisory Board of the California Traditional Music Society (CTMS).
1988 – Taught on a Mel Mann's Dance on the Water cruise.
1990 – Served on several judging committees for the Greek Orthodox Youth Folk Dance Festival.
2000 – Designed and built his personal PhantomRanch.net website, featuring folk dance articles, artwork, dance descriptions, resources, and more.
2002 – Designed and built a website for the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
2010 – Designed and built a website for the Ethnic Express Folkdancing Club of Las Vegas.
2014 – Taught the "Dances for All Ages" workshop at Stockton Folk Dance Camp.
2014 – Received the National Fok Organization U.S.A. "Preserving Our Heritage Award" for a lifetime of achievement in folk dance and folk arts.
2014 – Received the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival "National Dance Award" in recognition of 'contributions to folk dancing'.
2015 – Taught the North-South Teachers' Seminar in northern California with Cristian Florescu and Sonia Dion.
2017 – Received a "Service Award" in appreciation of 'decades of dedication and service' to the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
2018 – Designed and built a website for the Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH).
2019 – Retired from teaching folk dance.
2020 – Received the "Southern California Lifetime Achievement" award for his 'significant contribution to the International Folk Dance community' from the Laguna Folk Dance Festival.

Like many students in the 1950s, Dick was exposed to dance in grade school. He has a funny story about this, that you are welcome to ask him about later... Anyway, he liked it enough to do a bit of international folk dancing in his hometown of Richland, Washington around 1955. He got into dancing more seriously in 1958 while in the United States Navy stationed in San Diego. After leaving the Navy a few years later, he moved to Los Angeles and began to soak up all that Southern California had to offer at that time period: learning from a variety of now-revered teachers. About that time, he, and we, to our benefit, discovered that he was a natural dance teacher. Passionate and hard working, he started to take leadership roles in numerous dance clubs and coffee houses in Southern California at that time, and in several folk dance organizations. He held just about every office available in the Folk Dance Federation of California South. He was the first co-editor of their publication Folk Dance Scene and a staff artist for Viltis. Along with Diki Shields, he directed the Holiday Folk Dance Camp. He also founded several "beginner festivals" – an idea still relevant and important to today’s international folk dancers. By the 1970s, the heyday of Recreational International Folk Dance, he was widely respected for his humorous teaching style, that not only accurately conveyed the steps of a dance, but more importantly its style and cultural background. He did two Teaching Tours of the United States (75 cities) and then one in Asia. He had a lucid sense of the learning process and wrote several articles on how to teach folk dance, and on the qualities of a good instructor. He also shared his writings on what makes a good dance program and a welcoming dance group. Over the past twenty or so years, during his temporary retirement from teaching, Dick has channeled a lot of his dedication and energy into the amazing PhantomRanch.net website with pages and pages of pronunciation and costume guides, along with the articles mentioned earlier. What began as a way for Dick to give back and sort through a lifetime of knowledge, has grown into the go-to site for background information on folk dance instructions and instructors, past and present. It has expandedto include the contributions of many other master teachers and fellow dance fanatics. [Most has been transferred to the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, website!] But it’s not all folk dance! Dick “Colorado” Oakes also enjoys viewing B-Westerns and meeting others who do the same. Look on PhantomRanch for his pages on that interest as well as traveling, photography, and artwork. About the website Kathy Molga says, "Never asking for any financial compensation for his years of labor in compiling this information, Dick shared his gifts of planning, organizing, and writing by creating an invaluable resource with a flair for detail. Not looking for accolades, his 'labor of love' has left us with a legacy of research materials for everyone to enjoy for generations to come!" Dick has also contributed many items to the Society of Folk Dance Historians archives. He really has helped Preserve Our Heritage on many different levels. After dealing with two knee replacements and more significantly the death of his beloved wife Carol in 2013, Dick is slowly returning to the folk dance world. We are so happy that he was able to join us here in San Antonio and thrilled to finally give him this award.

Dances that Dick has taught at camps, workshops, seminars, institutes, and conferences include

16-Count Tsamikos, A Ja Zo Šariša, Ais Giorgis, Alunelul ca la Sadova, Alunelul de la Cerna, Ampuieții, Appalachian Big Circle Clog, Apat-Apat, Arkan, Bakmes från Transtrand, Baltă II, Băltăreasca, Bashana Haba'a, Bat Tsurim, Bătrîneasca din Vicov, Bătută, Bavnooro, Bela Rada, Biserka-Bojarka, Brâul lui Ioșca, Brâul lui Zbîrcea, Brâul Oltenesc, Brâul pe Opt, Brâul Românesc, Bre Devojče, Bučimiš, Ca la Ușa Cortului, Čačak, Čarlama, Čerešna, Čerešničky, Čérni Potök, Chindia, Ciganski Orijent, Cimpoi, Ciocârlanul, Cioful de la Vatra Dornei, Cîrligul, Ciuleandra, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Čukaričko Kokonješte, Dabke Ba'albakia, Dajčovo horo, Davoljike Dajke, Denjovo horo, Der Schlederer, Divčibarsko kolo, Dobrudjanska Pandela, Dobrudjanska Rŭka, Dorčolka kolo, Doudlebská Polka, Dramskoto horo, Drmeš iz Zdenčine, Dunda kolo, Dura, Džingurica, El Ginat Egoz, Ententanz, Familijevalsen, Fatiše kolo, Fjäskern, Floricica Oltenească, Gammalhambo, Gammalpolska, Gammalschottis, Gjuševska Râčenica, Glamoć, Ha'eer Beafor, Hambopolska, Hasapiko, Hasaposerviko, Highlife (Pandogo), Hora Boerească, Hora de la Însurăței, Hora de la Medgidia, Hora din Goicesti, Hora Fetelor, Hora Olteneasca, Hora Ploii, Hora Spoitorilor, Învârtita din Luna Turda, Ițele, Jianul, Joc de Leagăne, Joshua, Jovinata, Kačerac, Kalamatianos, Kalendara, Karsilamas, Katerena, Katia, Kiša Pada, Kjustendilska Râčenica, Kokonješte, Kopačka, Kosturskooro, Kriči Kriči Tiček I, Krumovo horo, Kūbilas, La Bastringue, Lach Yerushalayim, Lesnotooro, Ličko kolo, Lipa ma Marýca, Makazice, Makedonikos horos, Malo kolo, Maloj Mome, Maričensko Pravo horo, Mayim, Milanovo kolo, Misirlou, Miteritsa, Mureșanca, NAMA Drmeš Medley, Našlys, Neda Grivne, Niška Banja, Noriu Miego, Novozagorsko horo, Oee Naze, Oh Johnny!, Oláhos, Orlovskaya, Ovčepolskooro, Păhărelul, Pajduška, Palóc Csárdás II, Pandalaš, Pasarelska, Pentozali (Two-Figure), Pentozali (Six-Figure), Pidichtos Tsamikos, Pinosavka, Pinosavka II, Piperana, Plovdivska Râčenica, Pokupski Plesovi, Politiko Syrto, Polka Wengierka, Pongauer Waltzer, Pookie, Pop Goes the Weasel, Posavski Drmeš I, Pravo horo, Prekid kolo, Preplet, Prorupta, Râčenica, Radomirsko horo, Reit im Winkl Schuhplattler, Roata din Bihor, Robin Ddiog, Rokoko kolo, Rørospols, Rustemul, Sandansko horo, Sarajevka, Sârba pe Bătaie, Sârba pe Loc, Savila se Bela Loza, Sedi Donka, Šestorka iz Bela Palanka, Šetnja, Sev Acherov Aghcheek, Šilovačko, Sitna Zborenka, Skudrinka, Skuizkâ Râčenica, Slängpolska från Skåne, Slavjanka, Snoa, Sojanca, Šokuc, Sønderhoning, Šopsko horo, Srbijanka, Staro Planinsko, Staro Ratarsko, Strandžansko horo, Strumička Petorka, Sukačica, Suktinis, Svrljiški Čačak, Syrtaki, Syrtos, Széki-Lassú, Szökkenós, Talima, Țărăncuța, Țărînă de la Abrud, Teškooro, Tetovskooro, Texas Star, Tin Tin, Tokyo Dontaku, To Ting, Trŭgnala Rumjana, Trakijska Râčenica, Trava Trava, Trei Păzește din Bîrca, Tresenica, Trite Pâti, Trojanac, Tsamikos, U Šest Koraka, Vari Hasapiko, Vėdaras, Vetter Michel, Virginia Reel, Vlaškooro, Vossarull, Vranjanka, Vranjsko kolo, Vrni se Vrni, Western Trio Mixer, Wrth Fynd Hefo Deio i Dydyn, Yehoshua, Žabarka, Zaječarka, Zajko Kokorajko, Zdroboleanca, Zeybekiko, Žiogelis, Zizaj Nane, Zonaradikos, and 22 Zwiefachers.