Polish Mazur (Green 1939 Version) (Poland/USA) ~ Folk Dance Musings

Polish Mazur (Greene Version)
Poland/USA

These notes ©2016, Andrew Carnie. This is a very atypical Mazur. It doesn't really have any of qualities of more traditional elegant Mazurs. This version was set to this music by Madelynne Greene in the 1950s based on figures she was taught at the World's Fair in 1939 by the "Polish Ethnic Dance Group". The dance is uncharacteristically fast for a Mazur.

Music: Imperial 1206, Imperial 6206, National 4001A
Meter: 3/4
Formation: Couples in a circle, Men in the center. Holding nearer hands, facing LOD, free hands on hips. It's best to do this in circles of 4 or 8 couples.
Introduction: None (or skip bars 1-2 of part 1 and start with bar 4)

O = Outside = M's L, W's R
I = Inside = M's R, W's L

Part 1: Mazur and turn

Bar 1: Mazur step: Leap on O to O (1), step on ball of I foot next to O (2), Step on O in place (3). Do this while pushing inside hands forward and going slightly back to back
Bar 2: repeat bar 1 with opposite footwork, pulling inside hands back to face slightly towards each other.
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2
Bar 5: Click Step: Facing partner, step on O in LOD (1), close I next to O (2), hop on I, clicking O foot in the air (3), Bring joined hands forward and up, letting go and holding up to own O.
Bars 6-8: repeat bar 5, three more times, except without the hand movement.
Bars 9-10: Put R hand on partner's L hip (so partner are R shoulder to R shoulder.) Using the footwork of bars 1-2, turn around partner CW.
Bars 11-12: repeat bars 9-10 except with L hand on partner's left hip and rotate CCW.
Bars 13-24: repeat bars 1-12

Part 2: Circle hands down

Bars 1-4: join hands in a circle, and circle to the R with 4 Mazur steps
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 9-12 of part 1
Bars 9-12: repeat bars 1-4, but circling to the L with 4 Mazur Steps
Bars 13-16: repeat bars 9-12 of part 1

Part 3 Double circles

Bars 1-4: All face center, Women dance into the center with 4 mazur steps. Men dance in place or move in slight. r hook elbows (escort position), M hold hands down
Bars 5-7: Men circle L, W circle R with 3 Mazur steps
Bar 8: stomp L (O), I (2,3) in place turning to face the opposite direction
Bars 9-12: repeat bars 5-8 with M circling L and M circle R.

Interlude:

Bar 1: Men step forward and to the left of their partner, raising hands up
Bar 2: Men drop hands down into a front basket with women.

Part 4: Single circle in basket

Bars 1-7: Circle to the L (CW) with 7 mazur steps, starting L foot
Bar 8: stomp R (1), L (2,3) turning to face LOD
Bars 9-16: repeat bars 1-8 with opposite footwork circling to the R (CCW)

Part 5: Circle to a line

Bars 1-8: Staying in front basket, two couples (1 & 4) break to form a line of couples using 8 mazur steps
Bars 9-12: Release hands and men dance forward with arms akimbo and pull R shoulder back to face partner in a longwise contra line.

Part 6: Contra dance

Bars 1-4: Couple #1 (top couple - furthest away from audience), facing each other do 4 hop-step-steps, starting on outside foot and traveling down the center to the bottom. Outside hand is raised, inside hand is on the waist.
Bars 5-8: Using 4 mazur steps, with hands on hips, couple #1 dance away into the line, and then forward again to meet partner
Bars 9-12: Couple 1 turn each other CW with R hand on partner's L hip with 2 mazur steps, then switch sides (L hand on partner's R hip) and turn CCW with 2 mazur steps
Bars 13-16: Couple 1 cast up around outside of set to the top of the lines using 4 mazur steps, while Couple 4, take near hands and lead up the center. While doing this, they balance away from each other (back to back), together (front to front), and then the woman turns CW under the joined hands
Bars 17-20: Couple 4, repeat bars 9-12 at the top of the set.
Bars 21-24: Couple 4 casts down the outside, with 4 mazur steps, while couple 2 repeat bars 1-4 down the middle
Bars 25-28: Couple 2 repeats bars 9-12
Bars 29-32: Couple 2 casts up to the top on the outside using 4 mazur steps, ending in their original position, while couple 3 repeat the actions of couple 4 in bars 13-16
Bars 33-36: Couple 3 repeats bars 9-12 at the top of the set.
Bars 37-40: Couple 3 casts down to their original position with 4 mazur steps

Interlude

Bar 1: Everyone advance towards each other with 1 mazur step

Bar 2: Each couple take M's R and W left and turn to face the top of the set, joined hands held high to face the top.

Part 7: Tunnel

Bars 1-16: M1 ducks under own R hand and starts down the middle of the "tunnel", he pulls partner along with him. W1 grabs L hand of M2 and pulls him into the tunnel and so on. Each man has to turn under his own R arm as he goes in. after emerging from the tunnel, the group leads CW into a circle.

Part 8: Pas-de-basque

Bars 1-16: Get into Varsouvienne position as couples facing CCW and do 16 pas de basque steps, everyone starts by leaping onto R (away from center) on bar 1

Part 9: Women's Star

Bars 1-3: Using 3 Mazur steps, Men face center and dance in place. Men dance with arms Akimbo (crossed). W come into the center and give a R hand star turning CW.
Bar 4: Stomp L, R; Women pull R shoulder back and stick L hand in for a L hand star
Bars 5-8: W L hand star back to partner while M continue to mazur step in place.
Bars 9-12 Turn each other CW with R hand on partner's R hip with 2 mazur steps, then switch sides (L hand on L hip) and turn CCW with 2 mazur steps

Part 10: Men's Star

Bars 1-7: Using 7 Mazur Steps, M turn a R hand star in the center. W dance with hands forward, backing up slightly for all 7 steps.
Bar 8: Stomp L, R in place, M pull R shoulder back and stick L hand into a L star
Bars 9-12: W dance slightly into the center, while M turn the star CCW back to partner.
Bars 13-15: Turn each other CW with R hand on partner's R hip with 4 mazur steps (note that in the video below, the men use 6 mazur steps on the L hand star and then only turn their partners for two steps)

Part 11 Polka Mazurka and finale

Bars 1-2: repeat bars 1-2 of part 1 (back to back, face to face, moving in LOD)
Bars 3-4: With man still dancing forward in LOD, W turns CW twice under joined hands. End with W facing partner, both hands joined, W's back to LOD
Bars 5-8: Using 4 mazur steps W backup and M dance forward in LOD, arms gentle swing towards the center, out, in and out.
Bar 9: M leaps forward, landing on L knee, with R foot on the floor, M keeps his R hand up and starts to lead the W across in front of him (CW)
Bars 10-11: W circles CW behind M retaining M's R and W's L hand
Bar 12: W rolls CW into M's R arm and sits on his raised R knee. Raise free hand and shout Hey! on last count.

Other notes on the web

Bill and Karen Faust's Fayetteville Video

Other Sources

Kies, Francis (1973) Typewritten Dance notes. McFall Syllabus. PDF file

Folk Dance Musings

Tuesday, 14 March 2017