Upbeat and energetic Bavarian polka music blares across the Texas State University courtyard, soundtracked by the rhythmic clacking of black dance shoes on the ground. Ornate colorful Dirndl dresses swish with each step the dancers take as they compete in the folk dancing event at the 43rd annual Texas State German Contest (TSGC) on Saturday, March 1. 

TSGC is a German cultural contest for students all over Texas to showcase their German language skills and to encourage the study of German heritage. This year, over 630 students from 36 schools were registered in 91 events, with Westwood earning the 3rd place position in sweepstake points. Westwood’s team was placed in the top five at Sprachfest (a regional competition held in early February) which led them to advance to TSGC.

While there were many tests that evaluated the students’ abilities in knowledge of German culture, spelling, or grammar, there were other events that focused on performance skills or fine arts such as duet acting, classical ensemble, or German needlework. One of the most popular events to compete in at TSGC is German folk dancing. This particular style of folk dancing is common in the German-speaking alpine regions of Tyrol, Salzburg, and Upper Bavaria, and is often performed for the town events or the Oktoberfest, a popular festival.

Years ago, Westwood had a German folk dancing team, but after the pandemic, participation in TSGC and the folk dancing event significantly decreased. This year, German teacher Frau Jennifer Melgar was able to kickstart the team again.

“I think several students had interest just from previous years, [which was important] seeing that folk dancing is something that can get us more sweepstake points,” Frau Melgar said. “There were a few students who showed interest last year but the hardest part was finding somebody in our area who could teach us, and that took time [to set up].”

While the team arose from humble origins, its individual members inspired others to further explore what the contest had to offer. Gabriel Oliveira ‘26 was originally registered for  just the gingerbread house-decorating competition and the oral tests. However, after seeing initial rehearsals for the folk dance team, he was intrigued by the new event, and joined the group dance, as well Einzeltanz, a couples’ dancing event. 

“I mean, I’d never done any choreographed dancing, so it was a very unique experience,” Oliveira said. “I kind of learned how to be a bit more coordinated, but I think the most important thing I learned was how to organize a group of people, because [my partner] and I were guiding everybody else [through the dances as well].”

The folk dancing team picked their four dances off of a prescribed list from TSGC, and the folk dancing instructor met with the team for only one weekend to teach them half of the dances due to scheduling conflicts. The rest of the dances, the dancing team taught themselves by watching YouTube videos.

“We did get one instructor to come for one rehearsal to get us started,” Oliveira said. “He taught us how to waltz and step on beat. Then, we just had weekly rehearsals starting in January until the competitions and some flex rehearsals, so it was kind of grassroots, but I think we did a good job.”

Not only are the dancers graded on their dance, but wearing traditional German attire correctly is also a part of the score. The boys wear Lederhosen, leather pants, while the girls wear Dirndls, which consist of an ornate dress and an apron.

“We have to be graded on our outfit, which is called Tracht, and that’s basically just how put together you are and how uniform everybody is in the costumes. Some Dirndls are more elaborate than others,” Ellah Daniel ‘29 said. “For example, with the Einzeltanz, I had an apron that I needed to tie in a specific way to show if I was married, divorced, a widow, or single.”

In terms of the dancing, the judges have certain criteria that they look for. 

“We’re graded on the way we’re stepping when we’re dancing,” Daniel said. “There’s a specific move we have to do called the Ländler, which is the way we move our feet while we’re dancing instead of just walking or waltzing. Timing and artistic interpretation is also important to make sure we’re all having a good time and enjoying ourselves while we’re performing so that we look very neat.” 

With good momentum and ramping curiosity for the folk dance event, students are looking towards next year to continue to raise interest and to involve more underclassmen. 

“The students are already thinking about practices for the summer [and] they’re already thinking about performing at Fishbowl so that they can get the incoming 9th grade students interested,” Frau Melgar said. “Then they can start practicing much sooner, learn more dances, and perform better. We now have a good core group to start from for next year.”

For a complete list of students’ placements at TSGC, click here.