De Horit (Romania)

De Horit

Romania

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. Originally taught by Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu.  Karen Faust learned it from them at the Laguna Festival and taught it to us. The dance is from Maramureş. The title translates as "Song to dance to".

Music: Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu Romanian Realm Vol 8
Meter: 2/4
Formation: Circle, start as solos, but then move into a circle in W position in part 1

Introduction:

Bar 1: no action
Bar 2: Clap hands, bounce with both knees straight (1), clap again, bounce with knees straight (&), bounce down with knees bent, Clap again (2)
Bars 3-16: repeat bar 2, 14 more times.

Part 1: Grapevine (singing)

Take hands in W position. This step moves CW
Bar 1: Cross on R over L (1), step on L to L (2)
Bar 2: Step on R behind L (1), step on L to L (2)
Bars 3-16: repeat bars 1-2, 7 more times

Part 2: Scuffs (Instrumental)

Facing slightly CW
Bar 1: Step R in RLOD (i.e. CW) (1), step on L next to R (&), Step on R in RLOD (2), Scuff/stamp L next to R with no weight (&)
Bar 2: Repeat bar 1, with opposite footwork but still moving in RLOD
Bars 3-8: repeat bars 1-2, three more times, except on last bar omit final scuff.

Part 3: High Strings Music

Bar 1: Cross on R over L (1), step on L to L (2)
Bar 2: Step on R behind L (1), step on L to L (2) scuff R next to L facing center (&)
Bar 3: Facing center step on R in place (1), Step on L next to R (&), Step on R in place (3), stamp L next to R (&)
Bar 4: repeat bar 3 with opposite footwork

Sequence

Part 1, Part 2
Part 1, Part 2
Part 1, Part 2
Part 1, Part 2
Part 3 x 24 times (until the end of the music)

Tucson Video

Other sources

• Dion, Sonia and Cristian Florescu (2017) Laguna Folk Dance Camp syllabus
• Dion, Sonia and Cristian Florescu (2017) Romanian Realm #8  DVD

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Joc Din Gânţaga (Romania)

Joc Din Gânţaga

Romania

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. Originally taught by Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu. I learned the dance from Nancy Bannister.  The dance is from Hunedoara in Transylvania.

Music: Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu Romanian Realm 7 or 8
Meter: 2/4
Formation: Either of couples in a shoulder/shoulder blade hold or small circles in Shoulder hold.
Introduction: 8 bars no action

Part 1:

Bar 1: Facing slightly R of partner/center, step R to R (1), Cross L over R (2)
Bar 2: Step R in place (1), Step L next to R (&), Step R in place (2)
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork and direction
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 2:

Bar 1:Facing slightly R of partner/center, step R to R (1), Cross L over R (2)
Bar 2: repeat bar 1
Bar 3: repeat bar 1
Bar 4: Step R in place (1), Step L next to R (&), Step R in place (2)
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4 with opposite footwork and direction.

Part 3:

Bar 1: Facing partner/center Step R in place (1), Step L next to R (&), Step R in place (2)
Bar 2: repeat bar 1 with opposite footwork
Bar 3: Step on R to R (1), Cross L over R (2), Step on R to R (&)
Bar 4: Cross L over R (1), Step on R to R (&), Cross L over R (2)
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4
Bars 9-16: repeat bars 1-8

repeat dance from the beginning

Tucson Video

Below is the footwork for the dance, but note that the dance is supposed to be done in couples or small circles. 

Lyrics

Taken from Cristian and Sonia's Syllabus verbatum:

//Nevastă de când ne-am luat trai, la, lai, la, la 
Nici un lucru n-ai lucrat trai, la, lai, la, la // 
Că hainele-s nespălate lai, la, lai, la, la
Și cămașa-i ruptă-n spate lai, la, lai, la, la.

//Lasă-mă bărbate-n pace lai, la, lai, la, la 
Și mie necaz nu-mi face lai, la, lai, la, la// 
Că lumea ziua de-ntâi lai, la, lai, la, la
O ține pentru copii lai, la, lai, la, la.

//Iar marțea doamne ferește lai, la, lai, la, la 
Cine lucră bolnăvește lai, la, lai, la, la// 
Miercurile zile grele lai, la, lai, la, la
Și eu mă feresc de ele lai, la, lai, la, la.

//Joi cusu-i cu ață neagră lai, la, lai, la, la 
Și-am zăcut o vară-n treagă lai, la, lai, la, la// 
Vinerea nu coase nime lai, la, lai, la, la
Nici eu nu te cos pe tine lai, la, lai, la, la 
Sâmbăta-i ziua din urmă lai, la, lai, la, la
Nici de râs și nici de glumă lai, la, lai, la, la, la.

//My wife, since we’ve been married 
You haven’t done a single chore// 
No clothes are washed

And the back of my shirt is torn

//Leave me alone, husband
And don’t give me grief//
The first day (Monday)
Everyone reserves for making babies.

//And on Tuesday, oh my goodness! 
Whoever works falls ill//
And Wednesday is a difficult day 
And I avoid it.

//Thursday I sewed with black thread 
And was sick in bed all summer// 
On Friday, no one sews
And neither do I!
Saturday, the last day
No laughing, no funny business. 

Other sources

• Dion, Sonia and Cristian Florescu (2017) Laguna Folk Dance Camp syllabus

Also spelled: Gantaga, Ganţaga, Gântaga

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Lisu Seven - 傈僳 7 - ม่ลีซู 7 - လီဆူ 7 (Lisu People)

Lisu Seven
傈僳 7
ม่ลีซู 7
လီဆူ 7

Lisu people of China/Burma/Thailand

These notes ©2017, Ann Kyle and reproduced here with Ann's permission. Learned from Steve Kotansky at a workshop in Calgary in 2017. Steve didn't know the actual name of this dance so he gave it the nickname "Lisu-7". Lisu refers to the ethnic group of people who do this dance; seven refers to the number of beats in each bar. The Lisu people live in Southern China, Burma and Thailand. If anyone knows the actual name of this dance let me know.

Music: Steve Kotansky CD, 2017
Meter: 7/4 time (seven even beats per bar)
Formation: Open circle, W hand hold, leads to the R (CCW)
Introduction: Start with singing
Style:  Can be very bouncy, men especially can leap with each step

Part 1: Singing

Bar 1: Facing slightly right of centre, step R (1), step L (2), step R (3), kick L forward (4), step L in place (5), stamp R, next to L (6), kick R forward (7)

Bars 2-4: repeat bar 1 three more times. 

[Teaching Cues: Walk, walk, walk, kick, step, stamp, kick]

Part 2: Instrumental

Bar 1: Step R to R (1), cross L in front (2), step R to R (3), step L behind (4), step R to R (5), cross L in front (6), step R to R (7)

Bar 2: Step L behind (1), step R to R (2), step L into centre turning body slightly right (3), step R out of centre turning body back to face centre (4), stamp L, next to R (5), step L to L (6), stamp R, next to L (7)

Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2

[Teaching Cues: 9-step grapevine, sway in, step stamp, step stamp]

Tucson Video

Other Videos on the web

Also spelled Lisù

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Şaşkın - Tucson Version (Turkey)

Şaşkın (Shortened Tucson Version)

Turkey

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. Originally taught by Ahmet Lüleci. The name translates as "dazed". Ahmet originally taught 4 steps to this dance. In Tucson we only do two of these steps. See linked notes below for the fuller version.

Music: Ahmet Lüleci Turkish Dances 2, Ahmet Lüleci Turkish Dances 4
Meter: 4/4
Formation: Open circle, Fingers interdigitated, arms held down and very close to the body (glu glu position)
Introduction: Leader calls start.

Part 1

Bar 1; Facing center, step R (1), L (2), R (3), L (4) in LOD
Bar 2: Leap on R across in front of L (1), Leap back on L (2), Leap back on R behind L (3), Leap forward on L (4)
repeat until the leader calls a change.

Part 2

Bar 1: Drop hands. Traveling into the center step R across in front of L, clap hands in front of body (1), close L behind R (&), Step forward on R, clap hands in front of body (2), Still moving forward, cross L over R, clap hands (3), Close R behind (&), Step on L forward, clapping again (4)
Bar 2: repeat bar 1
Bar 3: Pulling L shoulder back, make a 1/2 CCW turn to face out by stepping on R foot, R arm is raised (1), Close L behind R (&), Step out on R (2), Still moving out, cross L over R (3), Close R behind (&), Step on L forward (4)
Bar 4: repeat bar 3.
On the first count of Bar 1 on the repeat turn CCW 1/2 way to face in, and then repeat the sequence to until the leader calls a change back to the first step.

Other notes on the web

• Page 115 of 2001 Stockton Folk Dance Camp Syllabus
• http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/S/Saskin.pdf

Other videos on the web

Other Sources

• Lüleci, Ahmet (2005) Turkish Dances DVD #5

Also spelled: Saskin, Shashkin, Şaşkin

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Branle De La Fosse Aux Loups (France)

Branle De La Fosse Aux Loups

France

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. Originally taught in the US by Roberto Bagnoli. The notes from France seem to indicate that it was introduced there by Andrée Fischer. We learned the dance from Ann Kyle. The name translates as "Branle from the wolf pit". Branles are circle dances from the Alsace region of Eastern France and the name refers to the side to side swaying motions typical of this style of dance.

Music:

• Tribal Jâze, "Le Grand Saut"; https://youtu.be/qH3x-kO77q0 (Composer: Boris Nortier); https://www.amazon.com/Branle-fosse-aux-loups/dp/B0167IDBMW
• Roberto Bagnoli, Ethnic Festival 2014

Meter: Bagnoli's notes say 4/4, Folkdance Federation notes say 6/8. I'll use Bagnoli's notation.
Formation: Open Circle, hands down in V position, leads to the left
Introduction: Start with the main melody.

Part 1

Bar 1: Facing center, step on L to L, arms swing back (1). Bounce on L, kicking R foot slightly forward; arms swing forward (2). Step on R to R, arms swing back (3). Bounce on R, kicking L foot slightly forward (4)
Bar 2:  Step on L to L, arms swing back (1). Cross R in front of L, arms swing forward (2), Step on L to L; arms swing back (3), Step on R foot behind L, arms swing forward (4) (grapevine step to the left)
Bar 3: Step on L to L, arms swing back (1). Close L next to R, arms swing forward (2). Step on L to L, arms swing back (3). Bounce on L, lift L next to R ankle; arms swing forward (4) (Branle step)
Bar 4: repeat bar 3, opposite footwork
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 2

Bar 1: repeat bar 1 of part 1
Bar 2: drop hands and do a complete CCW turn with 4 steps (L, R, L, R), traveling to the left.
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 3-4 of part 1
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Other notes on the web

• http://www.folkdance.com/LDNotations/BranledelaFosseAuxLoups2014LDN.pdf
• Notes Written in French (note: Clicking this link will begin a file download)
• Florida Folkdance Workshop, Bagnoli Syllabus

Other Videos on the web

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Korakianítikos - Κορακιανίτικος Greece

Korakianítikos

Κορακιανίτικος

Greece

These notes ©2017, Andrew Carnie. The dance is a traditional dance from Corfu. The version described here has a little bit of extra choreography added by Ira Weisburd to make it fit the recording he used. I'll transcribe the traditional dance first then add in Ira's choreographic changes.

Music:

• https://youtu.be/1YzHv1fO5NE
• https://youtu.be/Xr5CcUdgJnE
• https://youtu.be/qGVALTgbTvg

Meter: 4/4 and 2/4
Formation: Open circle in either shoulder hold or hands down in V position. Ira's version has the hands down in V position
Introduction: Start with slow music

Traditional Versions of the Dance

Part 1: Slow music (4/4)

There are a couple of different ways to do this step, see the various videos below. This is one of them:
Bar 1: Step R (1), L (2), R(3) in LOD, touch L toe forward (4)
Bar 2; Step on L in place (1), Touch R toe forward (2), Step on R in place (3), Touch L toe forward (4)
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork and direction.
repeat these steps until the music speeds up. 

Part 2: Fast Music (2/4)

Again there are a couple of different ways to do this step. The leader can choose or the group can always just do one of the variations.

Version 1: Step lifts 

Bar 1: facing center Step on R to R (1), Lift L up slightly in front (2),
Bar 2: Step on L to L (1), Lift R up slightly (2)
repeat until the end of the fast music

Version 2: Chiotikos step
Bar 1: Step on R to R in LOD (1), Cross L over R (2),
Bar 2: Step on R to R facing center (1), Lift L in front (2)
Bar 3: repeat bar 2 with opposite footwork and direction
repeat these three bars until the end of the fast music

Version 3: Long Chiotikos Step
Bar 1: Step on R to R in LOD (1), Cross L over R (2),
Bar 2: repeat bar 1
Bar 3: Step on R to R facing center (1), Lift L in front (2)
Bar 4: repeat bar 3 with opposite footwork and direction
repeat these four bars until the end of the fast music

Ira Weisburd's Version

Part 1: Slow music (4/4)

Bar 1: Step R (1), L (2), R(3) in LOD, touch L toe forward (4)
Bar 2; Step on L in place (1), Touch R toe forward (2), Step on R in place (3), Touch L toe forward (4)
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork and direction, except on the last count of bar 4, cross the R toe across in front of left instep, touching toe to floor.
repeat these bars until the music speeds up. 

Part 2: Fast Music (2/4)

Bar 1: Step on R to R in LOD (1), Cross L over R (2),
Bar 2: Step on R to R facing center (1), Cross L over R (&), step on R in place (2) (Pas-de-basque)
Bar 3: repeat bar 2 with opposite footwork and direction
repeat these three bars until the end of the fast music
Bars 4-15: repeat bars 1-3, four more times (five in total)
Bar 16: drop hand and make a complete CW turn to the R, stepping R (1), L (2)

Alternate the steps to fit the music

Other Videos on the web

Ira's version

Traditional versions


















Also spelled: Korakianitikos

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