Thesis idea- German Cultural Heritage in Rochester

Last fall, for Dr. Foti's Cultural Heritage class, we were assigned a final paper in which we were able to choose any topic in cultural heritage that we wanted. After coming up with a few topics that I felt I could discuss with some relative expertise in those areas, the phrase that I had heard many times before in my previous classes stuck in my head- "write about what you know about" and my topic became clear.

Before I started my education in Museum Studies at RIT I was very involved in the German community in Rochester. I started out as a dancer with the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold (SVH), quickly became their recording secretary, Vorplattlerine (responsible for leading and teaching the females in the group), and eventually the Vorstand (President) of the group. In addition to my roles in the SVH I also became a member of the Rochester Touristen Verein (sometimes referred to as "the nature group" although it's much more than that) and for two years I was either the chairwoman or the co-chairperson for their annual Blossom Fest. In addition to this, I was also elected to be 2nd Vice President for the Federation of German American Societies (FGAS) with the duty of being the chairwoman for their German Fest currently held in Spencerport. In addition to these duties, I also have been honored by the FGAS with a citation for all of my work with the SVH as well as being selected as the princessen (princess) of the federation's 2014 Mardi Gras (also known as Karnival).
Being involved in the German community in Rochester for over 12 years has given me great insights into the the challenges they face including recruiting new members (as there is a large generation gap in many of the clubs which has resulted in multiple clubs folding) as well as making their presence in the Rochester community more widely known.

Drawing on this, I decided to write my final paper for the Cultural Heritage class on the German community in Rochester. After touching on just one aspect of one of the dance groups in the area I had enough for the requirements for the paper, leaving much more to be explored at a later time. Enough to complete a thesis. And so, a thesis idea was born.

My thesis will discuss promoting and preserving German cultural heritage in Rochester. I will discuss the history of Germans in the Rochester area, the challenges they face, and what they are doing to keep the German cultural heritage alive. I will mainly discuss the groups within the FGAS but will touch on their networking with other organizations outside of the German community as well as what other businesses and organizations are doing to promote German cultural heritage. Primarily, my focus will be on the dance groups associated with the FGAS, their authenticity and how it preserves German cultural heritage, what determines their authenticity, and the connection to the Gauverband Nordamerika and UNESCO's international standards.

This photo features three different dance groups that represent the Allgau region in Germany- one from Texas, one from Germany, and the third is the SVH from Rochester. Because each group from the United States adheres to the standards set by Gauverband Nordamerika, they are indistinguishable from the group directly from the Allgau region in Germany.