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!