The Grace McMillan Project
A Woman
A Vision
A Castle
the grace mcmillan project
About the project
A Dinky-Di Dance Discovery
In the summer of 1904, Grace McMillan, an Australian-born education specialist then living in Scotland, was selected to go to Sweden for a teacher-training program called Lekkursen in songs, dances, and games for young children at Sweden's renowned Nääs Slott & Slöjdseminarium (Nääs Castle and School of Crafts). Miss McMillan's book Swedish Recreative Exercises for School & Playground was a result of what she had learned in that program. This book was adopted in both the UK and the USA at the forefront of the educational folk dance movement for physical training and organised play.
For decades, Miss McMillan's story had been lost... until now.
In early 2023, dance historian Erica Nielsen Okamura came across a rare 1912 Australian edition of Miss McMillan's Swedish Recreative Exercises. Fascinated by this discovery, Erica embarked on a challenging quest to piece together Miss McMillan's life story and to determine how the Nääs dances and games were used in Australia. The Australian edition seemed out of place. Other early 20th century folk dance resources from the UK and USA did not have Australian editions. Erica had to know: Who was Grace McMillan, and why did an Australian edition of her book exist?
By the end of 2023, multiple archives and individuals from across Australia, Scotland, England, Sweden, and the USA had assisted with the Grace McMillan Project. In 2024, Erica will share Miss McMillan's story, dances, and games at local events in Albury-Wodonga, at national events including the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and even at international events including the speaker luncheon series for the Dundee City Archives in Scotland. Throughout 2024, the Dance History Explorers group in Albury-Wodonga, led by Erica, will study and practise Miss McMillan's dances and games, and the group then will work with videographer Simon Reich and professional musicians to create video tutorials for this website, so that the world can experience the Swedish exercises that Miss McMillan so loved.
Biography
Erica Okamura
Erica Nielsen Okamura holds a Master's of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona) and a Bachelor's of Arts degree in International Studies with Cultural Anthropology from Macalester College (St. Paul, Minnesota). In her 20s, Erica spent two years traveling across the USA to research dance communities for her book Folk Dancing (2011), part of the American Dance Floor Series by Bloomsbury Publishing. Erica moved to Australia with her family in 2018. Her current research focuses on the adoption of national or folk dances for children's physical exercise and organised play at schools and playgrounds in the early 20th century.
Upcoming Events
Click on the pictures below to take you to workshops in Albury / Wodonga, National events or International events.
Albury - Wodonga Workshops (Children)
Click on the picture above for more information about upcoming children's workshops in the Albury-Wodonga area.
Albury - Wodonga Workshops (Community)
Click on the picture above for more information about upcoming community (adults or all ages) workshops in the Albury-Wodonga area.
National Events
The Grace McMillan Project is proud to be part of Australia's National Folk Festival and National Folklore Conference in 2024. Click on the picture above for more information about these events.
International Events
The Grace McMillan Project began as an international collaboration and continues to pique interest far and wide. Click on the picture above for information about international lectures and workshops.
Dance History Explorers Group
Dance History Explorers (DHE), is a group for all ages who are inquisitive about the relationship betweendance and culture. The group is facilitated by Erica Nielsen Okamura and meets in-person in Albury-Wodonga, Australia. Click on the links below to access the DHE quarterly newsletters.
media appearances
Erica Okamura ABC Radio Interview
Click on the Soundcloud link below to listen to Erica talk about Grace McMillan and the upcoming Scandi-Lightful Dance collaboration events being staged in Albury/Wodonga.
Gallery
The following images represent highlights from the archival process and Grace McMillan's life story. To learn more, see
"Grace McMillan: A Leader in Education" in the Dance History Explorers Report for January 2024.
