Marty McCullen first met Herb Fredricksen in 1982 . Marty had been attending Irish ceilis, at which the dances always included a waltz and a polka, and he wanted to learn those dances. So he signed up for a "Waltz and Polka" class that Herb was teaching in the District of Columbia for Open University. That led to his taking some of Herb's classes in Maryland for country/western and German dancing. He eventually joined the Bairisch und Steierisch Dance Group, and he has performed with members of that group in demonstrations of other types of dances in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and D.C. These have included functions at the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, the National Mall, the Barns at Wolf Trap, the Maryland State Fairgrounds and various schools and nursing homes. Marty retired from the Federal Government in 1992. He lives in Gettysburg, PA, and he has five children and 13 grandchildren spread around the Mid-Atlantic states and northern Georgia.
- Biography by Marty McCullen; photography by Stephanie Keilholtz
Rachel Tanner got the bug to learn German dancing after an encounter with the group Alt Washingtonia at her college. She then became a weekly patron of Blob's Park, going there nearly every Saturday for 2 years to learn polkas and other dances. On a rare Sunday outing to Blob's, she caught a performance by Herb Fredricksen's Bairisch und Steierisch at the venue. Taking part in an audience participation with the dancers, Rachel felt drawn to the family atmosphere of the group and afterwards struck up a conversation with Herb, which ended with her being invited to join the group and also taking several of his dance classes. She became a member of Bairisch und Steierisch at the event of St. Thomas Oktoberfest in October of 2007. In just over a year, she's been in many performances, her favorite to date being the impromptu dance number at the American Turner's of Baltimore when the audience asked the group to do a spontaneous performance. This is the first dance group she has ever been a member of and she is enjoying it immensely.
Rachel is also a website designer and an experienced videographer. This website is one of three she has online currently.
- Biography by Rachel Tanner; photography by Stephanie Keilholtz
Robbie and her family have roots in the Rhine River Valley and had become increasingly interested in German art and culture, including a passion for German silent film. A local college provided the opportunity to learn the language, but she had been hoping to find somewhere in the Baltimore/Washington area where she and her family could learn how to do German dancing. This led to visiting Blob’s Park, where she first saw a performance by Herb Fredricksen’s Bairisch und Steierisch dancers and was invited to join in a dance during an audience participation segment. She eventually ended up joining the group in October of 2007. She has learned not only many Bavarian and Austrian dances, but also a variety of social dances in Herb’s excellent dance classes. Her favorite performance with the group so far has been the Washington Folk Festival at Glen Echo Park. She particularly enjoys performing in nursing homes and seeing the joy that the group’s performance brings to those audiences. She is a medical transcriptionist by profession and in her private time enjoys many hobbies including drawing, costume-making, writing, and quilting. With a Native American heritage as well, she participates in pow-wows and French and Indian War reenactments.
- Biography by Robbie Tanner; photography by Rachel Tanner
Bill Keilholtz first met Herb Fredricksen in 1989 when he enrolled in one of Herb's recreation department classes. At that time Bill's objective was to learn "social dances" for his daughter's upcoming wedding. Under Herb's direction, and as the years progressed, Bill developed a great appreciation for Austrian and Bavarian dance and their origin. He learned a variety of dances and became proficient in Waltzes, Polkas, German Folk Dances, Country/Western Dances, Swing, One Step/Two Step Combinations and others. Guided by Herb's excellent teaching style and leadership, it was easy for Bill to become an enthusiastic member of the Bairisch und Steierisch Dance Group. He continues to perform with fellow dance group members in Montgomery County, MD, Baltimore, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania at Oktoberfests, civic functions, state fairs, colleges, senior centers, and nursing homes. Bill retired in 2003 and lives in Rockville, Maryland with his wife, Stephanie, the group's official photographer. He enjoys his family, especially his children; Christopher, Lisa and Paul and many grandchildren.
- Biography by Stephanie Keilholtz; photography by Stephanie Keilholtz
