Schuhplattler Group

It's no surprise that our loudest, most exciting dances are the Schuhplattler. For those not brushed up on your German, think of lederhosen, clapping and slapping dances!

After becoming GFS Jugendgruppe Alumni, which typically caps at age 25, a group of young adults could not shake their love for dance from their polka-trained feet. With several of their peers, Michi Rodesheim and Jon Armbrust are paving the way for a new group of dancers called our Akron Schuhplattler group.

You may recognize many faces from other Jugendgruppe Alumni, as well as new faces from our other local sister cities. The group hopes to grow and maintain a practice schedule to perform at our events and festivals in the future!

Read about some of their experiences below:

"...A handful of dancers from our Akron Schuhplattler group went to the Mansfield Members Picnic where the Cincinnati Schuhplattler group was performing. They offered to stay after their performance when the event was over to put on a Schuhplattler workshop. They helped us critique our own dances as well as shared a few of their own dances with us to help our group get started! We learned new choreography and a little bit more about the Schuhplattler dance style. Both Mansfield and Cincinnati were incredibly welcoming and eager to share their space and experience with us. The whole visit reminded us of why we dance in the first place, and made us feel like family." - Jon Armbrust

Interested in learning more? Please reach out to our group leaders. 

Michi Rodesheim michi_rodesheim@icloud.com

Jon Armbrust jarmbrust2020@gmail.com