St'tris (Σ'τρεις) - Dance Tidbit

Thank you to Bill for the following contribution.

The lively dance with the gaida (bagpipe) called St' tris that we did last Wednesday is just one version, but is the version as it is done in the village of Kufalia.

Kufalia is about 39 km (24 miles) northwest of Thessalonika, Greece. The people in Kufalia arrived as refugees from East Romelia in 1906 and settled in a number of villages in Northern Greece. Their region, East Romelia, was in northern Thrace, which is today part of Bulgaria.
St'tris is one of 6 dances from Kufalia that were taught during the `12th Seminar of Greek Dance' this summer. Tripodhis is one that I taught and we have been doing the last couple of weeks.

Others from Kufalia include:
Rihtos
Kastrinos
Sygkathistos
Baituska

St'tris literal translation is 'On Three' or 'In Three' possibly because one complete pattern is composed of 3 counts of 4.

St'tris is pronounced 'Strees' with a trilled 'r'. Other parts of Greece may pronounce it as sta treese.

The following are some YouTube videos of different versions of St'tris. The music is not the same as used in Kufali but the dances are all very similar. St'tris is characterized with very rapid arm swing behind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcvplAaFsj8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ln2AUMzSS0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6_lssnFTj4

Some variations of the dance involve a swinginig arm movement with a pause where the arms are held in the 'W' position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKiZRXfTtvk&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAJp8SjZNJo&feature=related

Please pass the word about this blog to your friends.

Another Day, Another Dance!

Tripodhis,Kukuvicka, and the Greek Seminar

Bill has taught the Greek Dance " Tripodhis" that he learned at the dance seminar we attended in Greece this past summer. Sue C. noticed that it sounded very similar to the Bulgarian dance we do "Kukuvicka ". You can listen to a version of "Kukuvicka" at http://www.dunav.org.il/balkan_music_bulgarian.html#all .

The dance "Tripodhis" is done to the song "Bati kuritsia stu churo". Neither one could be found online. Sorry! If you find them, please let me know.

Anyone looking for a great dance vacation check out the 13th Annual Seminar with a great teacher Kyriakos Moididis! The 12th was fantastic!
http://www.moisidis-dance.gr/en/

Timber Ridge and beyond

Another great year at the Labor Day Camp at Timber Ridge. Dance, sing and play 'til you drop!!
Go to http://www.dancingplanetproductions.com/dancecamp.htm to see what you missed!

A big THANK YOU to Betsy and Jamie Platt!

I was able to start the third part of the BIRD Project, which is interviewing folk dancers about their experiences folk dancing. Thank you to all that participated.

Susan O. is teaching Pembe a Macedonian dance. The one on Youtube is near to the one that we dance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2qvxvY7lq4&feature=related
There is also a Serbian dance of the same name but different music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj2E-S_x3dU

Please forward this blog to your dancing friends!
Happy Dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance

Serbian Dancers on Jay Leno

Did anyone see Novak Djokovic, the world's reigning top tennis player (from Serbia), on Jay Leno the other night. He brought with him some Serbian dancers!

Here is a clip of that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnHiVMxb7k
International Folk Dance needs some more publicity like this!
Please share this blog!

Keep on Dancing!

Another Day, Another Dance!

Sighanon

Thank you to Bill for the following "Dance Tidbit" information.

The dance we tried out on Wednesday, 8/10/2011 was called Sighanon. It comes from the Pontos region which is now part of present day Turkey, the southern coast of the Black Sea.

"40 Red Apples"
The actual name of the song that we danced Sighanon to, is "Seranda mila kokina" or "Saranta Mila kokkina" which translates to "40 Red Apples".

We learned this in the village of Prochoma in Northern Greece which is populated mainly by refugees from Pontos and Kars. Kars is a present day city in Turkey.

Greek Genocide
The refugees were from the Greek Genocide carried out by the Turks during the years of 1914 to 1923 when the worlds attention at the time was focused on the aftermath of WW I. Explains the sometimes derogatory references to Turks in some of the lyrics of other Greek dances.

Links

I don't at present have a video link to the dance Sighanon but do have some links to performances of "Saranta Mila kokkina", "40 Red Apples".

Modern Acoustic Session. Recorded 16.10.2006 live at at Octalogic Studio (GER)
http://youtu.be/7oXm_BeQrm4

Very dated ( 60's ??) black & white movie with people singing to lone bagpipe version of the song. They appear to be drinking Ouzo.
http://youtu.be/HIIhkYzBf4I

Some lyrics from "Saranta Mila kokkina"

saranta mila kokkina pouli m'
saranta mila kokkina giavri m'

s' ena mantil demena
s' ena mantil demena

saranta sevtas ki' an eftas pouli m'
saranta sevtas ki' an eftas giavri m'

k' evrik's ki amon emena
k' evrik's ki amon emena

gia ela ela pouli m'
me temen ela giavri m'

This is a 'latin alphabet' based version of Greek words.

Boris Karlov

Thank you again Susan J. for the following Folk Dance "Tidbit":

When people hear the name "Boris Karloff", they usually think of the English actor who took this as a stage name, and used it in his roles in horror movies.

But the REAL Boris Karlov was an accomplished Bulgarian accordianist, who recorded a lot of wonderful music on the Bulgarian record label HORO (this means "circle dance", and in Cyrillic is looks like XOPO.) See this entry for information on this musician:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Karlov

Some of his tunes are regulars on the folk-dance circuit. You can check out YouTube to listen to some of these.
1. Obedjansko Horo
2. Vrabniska Racenica
3. Sitno Horo
4. Racenica
5. Bre Blagatka
6. Makedonsko Horo
7. Dajcovo Horo (1A)
8. Sofijsko Sopsko Horo
9. Gankino Horo (1)
10. Kjustendilsko Horo
11. Severnjaska Racenica
12. Gankino Horo (2)
13. Trakijsko Horo (A)
14. Trakijska Racenica
15. Gankino Horo (3)
16. Dajcovo Horo (2)
17. Plovdivsko Horo
18. Dajcovo Horo (3)
19. Gankino Horo (4)

Keep on dancing!
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Another Day, Another Dance!

Mary Baldwin Visit

Last Wednesday, it was great to have Irene Sarnelle and her students from Mary Baldwin dance with us again! They came prepared with a list of dances that they enjoyed dancing with us. Many we had danced before, but there were also new ones that they shared with us. The room in which we dance many times seems very large, but Wednesday it almost seemed too small! The energy was so high that it was hard to stop dancing at 8:30 -- we "could have danced all night!"

See pictures of last Wednesday and other days at http://charlottesvilleinternationalfolkdance.com

Please pass this blog on to your folk dance friends.

Keep on Dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance!

Opsa "tidbit"

Thank you Susan J for this "tidbit"!

Notes on the dance Opsa, which we did Wednesday, April 6.
(Andrew Carnie is a folk-dancer in Tucson, who has done some fairly extensive cataloging of various things IFD-related. Dick Crum is a well-known and -honored folk dance teacher of many decades (passed away several years ago).

Notes by Andrew Carnie July 19, 2003 based on notes by Dick Crum, July 1994.
Here’s what Dick Crum had to say about this dance:

“Opsa (OHP-sah) is currently one of the most popular dances at Croatian & Serbian dance events in the major cities of the Upper Midwest & the Pennsylvania/Ohio area. Its melody is relatively recent, having been composed & recorded in former Yugoslavia about a decade ago. The origins of the dance per se are obscure - it seems to have arisen here in the U.S., possibly around Pittsburgh. On the other hand, its structure has the same 5-measure pattern as the old Serbian Vranjanka. I first saw learned it at the Tamburitza Extravaganza weekend in Los Angeles, 1993, where tamburitza players & fans of tamburitza music from all over the U.S. had gathered, and Opsa was played & danced dozens of times.”

Translation:
1. Let's dance this kolo -- everyone loves it. It moves so freely & easily, everyone can dance it.
Refrain: You can hear the girls shouting: "Opsa!* Dance!" The boys won't be outdone – they want to dance faster, more together & better -- dance till dawn, opsa!
2. Let's dance this kolo -- everyone loves it. Boys, girls, everybody join the kolo, wind it around.
3. Let's dance this kolo -- everyone loves it.
The zurlas** are wailing, the drum is beating, and the dancers are on a high. * opsa! - spontaneous exclamation often used while dancing (no exact English translation; something like 'whee!', 'yippee!', or 'hee-haw!'
** zurla (zoor'-lah) - shawm-like folk instrument common in southern Serbia, Macedonia, & other southern Balkan countries. Usually played in pairs with accompaniment by a drum (bubanj, tapan, etc.)

Thank you again Susan for the above info.

Below are Youtube videos of the dance:
:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKur2euYao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKur2euYao

The dance notes are at this site:
http://dingo.sbs.arizona.edu/~carnie/folkdance/PDFs/Opsa.pdf">http://dingo.sbs.arizona.edu/~carnie/folkdance/PDFs/Opsa.pdf

Please pass this blog along to your folk dance friends!

Happy Dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance!

Knoxville Workshop with Mihai David

The Knoxville Mihai David workshop was fantastic! Mihai is a great teacher and a very entertaining personality. If you get the chance to take one of his workshops don't hesitate. It was well worth the 7 hour drive to get to Knoxville!

Another dance tidbit for those not in the know. Opincuta( which Sue C. taught previously) means "little shoe" in Romanian. Opinca( the dance that Sue C. is teaching) means regular sized shoe.

Mihai gave permision for anyone who wanted to video the workshop. I have 2 DVDs if anyone is interested please email me @ birdproject2010@gmail.com or comment to this blog. The cost is the cost of the DVDs plus shipping and handeling. Below are the dances that he taught:

1 Hora de la Putna (Moldova)
2 Hora din Neruja
3 Arcanul de la Fundul Moldove
4 Hora Ploii
5 La Mahala
6 Hora din Banat
7 Cadineasca
8 DamuL
9 Hora Dreapta
10 Sirba Fetelor
11 Atica
12 Tarina de la Abrud
13 Briul pe Opt
14 Gaselnitsa

Please forward this blog to all that you think will be interested!

Keep on Dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance!

Opinca

Thank you again to Susan J. for this week's folk dance "tidbit". Sue C.introduced us to the dance, Opinca. Cool! A good dance, so thanks to Sue for the good pick. We considered how to do the arm-swinging. I think the following video may gave some guidance: this is a YouTube video of Opinca being done by members of Kolo Koalition. This is the long-established recreational folk-dancing group in Sacramento, and has a number of experienced dancers, so that I would guess that their version of the arm-swinging is correct. (Also, I think that Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu, who introduced Opinca, have taught in that part of California, so)again I think that what one sees in the video is probably the correct way to do this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBS9lu_WkEo Also: Romanian dances are often characterized by strigaturi, which are phrases shouted out during the dance that are in cadence with the steps of the dance: http://www.eliznik.org.uk/RomaniaMusic/strigaturi.htm In Opinca, there is 1 strigaturi that is called out in 2 places. You can hear it, but somewhat faintly, on the video. I have heard this called out in person, and it sounds something like "Opishaw". This is a "choreographed" part of the dance, so it would make sense to add this in. I have e-mailed Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu and asked that they provide the spelling, so as to make sure we get the correct pronunciation. Not all Romanian dances have these. However, the dances that have any strigaturi at all usually have these in multiple places throughout the dance. This makes Opinca is a bit unusual, in that the strigaturi is limited to one 3-syllable word, called out only twice. Here is a YouTube video of the dance Calusari, and here the strigaturi are a prominent part of the dance. This may be a bit more typical of Romanian dances that have strigaturi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndxoye0vEfg&feature=related Keep on Dancing! Another Day, Another Dance! Please share this blog with all of your dancing friends.

Troika

Thank you to Susan J. and Bill for the following info.

From Susan J:

Sue C. has been teaching "Troika", a Russian dance. The name means "trio", and refers to a 3-horse configuration that was used in Russia to pull sleds in past times. Some of the movements of the dance mimic the prancing movements of horses. The dance is traditionally done with a man in the center of the trio, and a woman on either side. (One wonders whether this occurred because men were fewer in number than women, due to death in wars. However, this is pure speculation on my part.) In the United States, this formal assignment of the different genders to different positions in the trio is often not formally observed.

From Bill:

Another interesting tidbit “The troika is traditionally driven so that the middle horse trots and the side horses canter; the right-hand horse will be on the right lead and the left-hand horse on the left lead.” “The troika is often claimed to be the world's only harness combination with different gaits of the horses. ” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_(driving)

I am always glad to have help with this blog.

Below are some of the variations on the Troika that I found.

Some have a shoulder hold for the circle.
Only one had the "kick" forward running step.
One had the shouldar hold for the whole dance.
I have seen none that have the grapevine step that Leigh and I do when we do the circle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CiQ8bKU4bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ-yoBTFmmc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJHGvRinhA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q624FkX7D5U&feature=related

Keep on Dancing,
Another Day, Another Dance!

Kulska Sira, Su Passu Torrau

Thank you again Susan J. for your"tidbits".You say it better than I ever could!

Late in our dance evening, Leigh and I did part of a wonderful dance, Kulska Sira. This is a Vlach dance. The Vlachs are a people who live in Romania and Bulgaria.

The dance was introduced by Yves Moreau, a well-known Quebecois teacher of dances from Bulgaria, other parts of Eastern Europe, and Quebec and France. Here is a YouTube video of the Sacramento group, Kolo Koalition, doing Kulska Sira.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDF8oi8yoo


Here is another version: the music is different, the dance is very similar, but not exactly the same, as the one Yves introduced:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiF8I4SJfm8&NR=1


"Su Passu Torrau", which Susan O taught , is a Sardinian dance.
There are at least several dances by this name. The music is characterized by 6-count measures. The dances are characterized by: small steps that include step-closes; bounciness; still upper body; and stance very close to one's neighbors in line.
Here is a charming "Su Passu Torrau", which is not the same as our dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Q8n8DP6Ic

Please pass this site on to those you think might be interested.

Keep on Dancing!

Another Day, Another Dance!

Ciuleandra "Tidbit"

This week and in the future Susan J. will be contributing Folk Dance "Tidbits".


Take a listen to Ciuleandra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mElMRhmBo-g

This is performed by a Romanian singer, Maria Tanase, who lived decades ago. She specialized in folkloric material, and was very popular in Romania. I'm never sure how good a source Wikipedia is, but here is their article on her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_T%C4%83nase

Here is another:
http://www.romania-central.com/maria-tanase-and-the-spirit-of-romanian-folk-music/

Lastly, here is an haunting tune she did. This is from Romania, but I believe it is a Rom (Gypsy) tune, rather than a Romanian one. (There is a very nice dance to this, but while I learned it once a while back, it didn't stick enough for me to reach this.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vj6g-l28ks

And that is your folk-dance tidbit.

Susan J

Keep on Dancing and pass this site to your friends!

Another Day, Another Dance!

Orijent, Ooska Gooska

Since last blogging, the Charlottesville International Folk Dancers had a great turn out at their first Saturday night dance. They plan to continue having a monthly Saturday night dance party.

The last weeks we have been learning the Serbian Dance Orijent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn148XeIxm0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuADtEVbOgk&NR=1

In both of the above videos the groups do not put out their arms the way that Susan is teaching. Susan did admit that she has never seen it done this way, but the notes from Dick Crum discribe the way she is teaching it.

Sue C. taught Ooska Gooska, but I couldn't find anything on the web demonstrating the dance.

Bill just happened to be in Ohio on Business and was able to attend the Greek dance teaching with Kyriakos Moisidis. He had a great time.

Have a great time dancing and forward this site to your friends.

Another Day, Another Dance!

Cije e Ona Mome

Susan O. taught Cije e Ona Mome a Macedonian Dance last week. We didn't dance this week due to the weather!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXwSwvbigZQ&feature=email

Over the week end the 4-H group, Global Explorers, did a demostration at the annual "Share the Fun" talent event. They did a great job! It really is easier partnering with an established group. I don't have to do it all! We just show up, practice and perform!

Please pass this on!

Happy Dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance!

Learning the Names of the Dances

Welcome Erin! a new addition to the group and welcome back Virginia! It's always great to see new faces and old friends.

What's the name of the dance that goes like this?(Person then does a few steps, maybe hums a few bars, or waves arms in a meaningful way, or all of the above) Has this question ever come up in your dance circle?

How can one request a dance if they don't know the name? This was a topic of discussion at our last meeting. The only way a person learns a new language is repetition. The teachers need to have the people learning the dance repeat it several times during the teaching of the dance. Also, if it is written down, repeat the name while showing the spelling. It also helps to break the name of the dance down by syllables if the name is very long. This sounds a little elementary; but it is the best way to help newcomers(and us seasoned vets) remember the names of the dances.

The dances taught were: Hora Mare, Romanian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX8SZzcJd6o this video is the way it was taught last night, but I have also danced it similar to the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_2fiJ6LsY&feature=related

Hora Batraneasc, Romanian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o77NPEx7afA&feature=email
and Oh! a novelty dance from the USA. I couldn't find a video or music for this one.
Did you know that there is a town(city) called Novelty? There is at least one in Ohio!

Well keep on dancing!
Another Day, Another Dance!

Happy New Year and Still Dancing!

We welcomed the New Year with two new additions to our group -- David and Virginia!

Even though I've been a slacker the last two months, we have continued to dance every Wednesday. Some of the dances that we have learned are Koledarsko Horo and Sadi Moma. No videos have been found of them on the internet.

Bill spoiled us at the end of the year with all of the goodies he made--gibanica, baklava, Romanian chocolate nut bread, and last but not least bagels. Rumor has it that he has been made an honorary Jew due to his bagel making skills!

Keep on Dancing!

Another Day, Another Dance!