Türkistan (Turkistan)

Türkistan

Turkistan

These notes ©2016, Andrew Carnie. This dance was originally taught in the US by Ercüment Kiliç, who learned it in 1986 from Kemal Taşkent, president of the Turkistani Association of America. The dance is a women's dance done at weddings, the dance is meant to represent the parts of the wedding celebration.

Meter: 2/4
Formation: Open circle, hands down in V position, leads to the R
Introduction: none, start right away.

Part 1: Slow Music

Bar 1: facing LOD step R (1), L (&), R (2), Kick L through (&)
Bar 2: Repeat bar 1 with opposite footwork, but still moving in LOD
Bars 3-8: Repeat bars 1-2, three more times.

Part 2: Clapping

Bars 1-4: Facing center, clap 8 times, once on each beat

Part 3: Limping

Bar 1: Grab little fingers/pinky fingers with neighbor but hold hands down in V position. Step on R in LOD with straight leg (1), Fall on L closing behind R (&), Step on R in LOD with straight leg (2), close L behind again (&)
Bar 2: Repeat bar 1
Bar 3-4: using same footwork as Bars 1-2, but turning CCW in place, make a complete turn. W's arms go from side to side on each main beat. Men clap on first count (R hand comes down, L hand goes up), then do what W does.
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 4: Chorus

Bar 1: Face center, hop on L, extending R to R (1), hop on L again (&), Step on R behind L (2), Step on L to L (&)
Bar 2: Cross R over L (1), Step on L to L (&), Step on R behind L (2), step on L to L (&)
Bars 3-4: repeat bar 2, two more times.
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 5: Limping again

Repeat part 3

Part 6: Chorus

Repeat part 4

Part 7: In and out

Bar 1: Drop hands, bend forward and extend hands to the R, step on R into the center on the diagonal R (1), step on L straight forward  (&), Step on R directly forward, arms swing to L (2), step on L forward (&)
Bar 2: repeat bar 1
Bar 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 except backing away from center
(note that this does not have bars 5-8!!)

Part 8: Chorus

Repeat part 4

Part 9: In and Out again

Repeat part 7

Part 10: Chorus

Repeat part 4

Part 11: Leg Swings

Bar 1: Raise hands up above head but don't hold hands with neighbors, Hop on L with R knee raised parallel to the floor, R heel inwards (1), Hop on L, swing L heel outwards to L (2)
Bar 2: Hop on L forward into the center, Swing R heel inwards (1), hop on L swing R heel outwards (&), Hop on L and swing R heel inwards (2)
Bars 3-4: Repeat bars 1-2, except heel goes out, in, out, in, out
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4 with opposite footwork and backing out of center. To start leap onto R foot, lifting L in front on first beat of bar 5

Part 12: Chorus

Repeat part 4

Part 13: Leg swings again

Repeat part 11

Part 14: Chorus

Repeat part 4

Bill and Karen Faust's Fayetteville Video

Other Sources

• Kilic, Ercüment (1987) unsourced typewritten notes

Also spelled: Turkistan