In this post, we honour the memory of Gary King who sadly passed earlier this year.
“Gary was a leader in the field of music education; a music and dance educator extraordinaire and a legend within the Orff community around the world! Gary was a founding member of the Shenanigans band whose music and dances are very well-known around the world and the Orff community.
Gary, Audrey Klein and Christoph Maubach co-founded the folk dance band Shenanigans in the early 1980’s. Gary played many instruments and loved folk dances.
Together, they gave workshops, presented and performed at conferences (including AOSA over in the United States) and arranged and recorded a myriad of multicultural folk music albums as well as two early childhood albums of dances. These beautifully recorded songs and dances that have used authentic world instruments have contributed to music and dance education pedagogy and curriculums around the world.
Gary attributed his teaching methods to the Orff approach and elemental music and movement and prided himself on using and producing music that was evidence based, authentic to the culture, inclusive, child focused and age appropriate. In 2013, Gary received the ANCOS award honour in recognition of his outstanding contribution made to music and dance education in Australia and around the world. Gary continued to keep Shenanigans working and viable for around 40 years. Gary has made massive contributions to the Australian and global music and dance community, the Australian and world Orff community, the music education fraternity as well as the ‘creativity’ movement through his Masters research where he was awarded the best thesis of the year at University Melbourne in 2008.
Gary’s legacy lives on in his music (see Spotify and the various streaming services under ‘Shenanigans’) and his number 1 song ‘Highway Number 1’ co-written by Gary and Audrey ….
“I travelled round Australia on highway number 1, I travelled round Australia just to have some fun. And when I got to Sydney I stopped to see someone and they said – walk, walk and run, run run, walk, walk and run, run, run, walk, walk and run, run run on highway number 1.”
Gary is survived by his 3 sons, Jules, Liam, Micah and 2 step sons, Gabriel and Jesse.
His lifelong dedication to folk dance, creative movement and music education has been driven by his vision of a harmonious, multicultural Australia where dance plays a central role in community life. His immense contributions are undeniable, and his unwavering commitment to multicultural dance is evidenced by sustaining the band Shenanigans for over forty years. May he continue to happily play on with those musos lost far too soon in the great Highway Number 1 in the sky.
With love,
Susie Davies-Splitter”
(We thank Susie for this wonderful acknowledgment of Gary’s contribution to music education and the Orff community.)
CIRCASSIAN DANCE
In memory of the late Gary King of Shenanigans
SOURCE: Shenanigans Bush Dances of New Holland, Vol. 2:
Muffin Man’s Jig/Circassian Circle
(Available on Shenanigans Vol. 2 CD / Spotify / YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFFHfUgMEY
(Click link)
PROCESS:
Walk to the beat in different ways around the room
Learn dance –
A SECTION:
· whole group in circle formation.
· Number students 1 and 2.
· Walk in for 4 counts, walk out for 4 counts
· Walk in for 4 counts, walk out for 4 counts
· Person 1 walks in for 4 counts and out for 4 counts
· Person 2 walks in for 4 counts, turns and walks out towards the person on their left for 4 counts, forming 2 concentric circles.
B SECTION:
· Inner circle crosses arms and holds partners hands for gallop spin clockwise for 8 counts
· Same arm hold with partner as above for 8 walks, counterclockwise, forward
· Gallop spin clockwise for 8 counts
· Walk forward with partner for 4 counts
· Use remaining 4 counts to get back into 1 circle
Divide the circle into groups of 4.
All groups devise a new section B (4 x 8 beats).
Turn into a rondo form dance (all do A, each groups shows their new section)
Things you should know:
Music plays through 6 times ending on the A section. If there are 5 groups, the 6th time the B section plays everyone does the original B section (as outlined above).