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.

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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!

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!

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!

Jove Male Mome, Sadi Moma, Do Mar Ciften

It is hard to believe that November is almost over! 16 of my students and I did the demonstration/performance for the Rockfish Elementary School and it went very well.

We had 2 assemblies with the cafeteria full of students. My students performed Cimpoi. After performing my students went among the elementary students and I taught a Ugros(from Phyllis Weikart's book), Adjon Az Isten, and Zemer Atik. Fun was had by all!

On our regular Wednesday dance night we have been learning Jove Male Mome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjCDcU1pO44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thKw3n_3Jvc as you can see, Dunav spells and pronounces Malaj which is different from the US spelling and pronunciation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6yNuDgdazU&feature=related

Sadi Moma is another dance we learned last month. I couldn't find a video of the dance on line, but Yves Moreau has it in his collection. Here is the song being performed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGCT0GTzbs

Do mar ciften is the "mystery dance"! On line I can find some songs-- not the one to which we dance. http://www.tubehome.com/watch/do-mar-çiften-do-dal-për-gjah
http://www.tubehome.com/watch/laver-bariu-do-marr-çiften As you notice marr has 2 "r's" in this name.

Here are the lyrics in Albanian!

Do mar çiften do dal për gjah.
Kjo është kënga origjinale e kënduar nga Grupi i Përmetit.
Me gjithë riprodhimet dhe modernizimit që i është bërë kësaj kënge, kjo përsëri mbetet kënga Flamur!

All I know is that some part of the above means "Take the gun". This is one of my favorite dances.

Have a great time dancing!

Remember to forward this site to those you think might be interested and become a follower!

Another Day, Another Dance!

Dancing in Santa Fe

We had a great time dancing in Santa Fe. Very Friendly people and fantastic dancers. Any one visiting Santa Fe -- Join the Fun on Sunday at 6:30 and Tuesday evenings at 7:00 at the Odd Fellows building. Below is the link to other organizations in the area.
http://www.abqfolkdance.org/Othergroups.html



Another Day, Another Dance

Vlashko long version - teaching of steps

Vlasko - Long Version - description from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

The uploading is what takes the longest on our connection.

Vlashko Step 2

Vlashko Step 1 explanation from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Vlashko Long Version Step 2 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Vlashko long version steps 1 & 2 no music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Now for the music!

Vlashko long version steps 1 & 2 with music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Onto step 3!

Vlashko long version step 3 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Get the transition?

Vlashko long version - transition steps 2 & 3 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Now do it with music!

Vlashko long version steps 1- 3 with music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Are you ready for step 4?

Vlashko long version steps 4 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Can you transition from step 3 to step 4?

Vlashko long version steps 3 & 4 with music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Here we go with step 5!

Vlashko long version step 5 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Transition steps 4 & 5.

Vlashko long version steps 4 & 5 with music. from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Time for step 6.

Vlashko long version step 6 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Try step 6 with the music slowed.

Vlashko long version step 6 with slowed music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Let's see some styling of step 6!

Vlashko long version step 6 styling from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Finally the last step!

Vlashko long version step 7 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Try it slowed down a bit!

Vlashko long version step 7 with slowed music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Vlashko long version step 7 with music normal speed from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Next try the styling of step 7!

Vlashko long version - styling of step 7 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Practice the transition of steps 6 & 7 - it's tricky!

Vlashko long version steps 6 & 7 with slowed music from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Now let' put it all together!

Vlashko long version - The whole Dance! from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Long time no write

It's been a while since I wrote, but now I'm back! Sue Chase taught Opincuta from Romania,
I'm having trouble finding it online. I will post it as soon as I find it. I am also looking for the
DVD I purchased from Christian and Sonia about two years ago. My house is in disarray, that is one reason I haven't blogged recently and why the DVD is hiding!

We've been doing Mori Shej with Jay leading since we learned it at Makemie Woods,but Susan Oberman actually taught it this week. It is a great Hungarian- Rom tune. In fact the tune was in my head for a whole weekend a couple of weeks ago!

I am continuing "cleaning up" the videos that I took of Susan O. and hope to get Vlashko(long version) on before next Wednesday!

Continue the dance!
Another Day, Another Dance

Vlasko - Long Version - Description

It's been a while since I have blogged. We've been having a great time dancing and learning new dances!

On May 12, Irene Sarnelle brought some of her students from Mary Baldwin College. It was wonderful to have an infusion of young energy! Who would have thought that we could use a bigger room! There were a grand total of 30 people dancing!

Below begins the teaching videos of the long version of Vlasko that we taped at the home of Susan O.

Vlasko - Long Version - description from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

More to come!

Another Day, Another Dance

National Dance Week and New Logo

It's National Dance Week 2010(April 23 - May 2), So kick up your heels and dance! In observance of National Dance Week, I have added the BIRD logo to the site and will start emailing more contacts about the project. Up until now, only a few people from our group have viewed the blog and given me feed back.

I hope to see some old and new friends at our regular dancing time 6:30 Wednesday, April 28 at the Charlottesville Senior Center! Bring some goodies and we'll really celebrate!

Another Day, Another Dance!

Technical Difficulties and First Video Instruction

Yes, I've been having technical difficulties in that the email address for this blog always goes to spam and is sent right back to me! Please email me with comments on this blog at BIRDProject2010@gmail.com and please add it to your address book.



Now for the videos. They are password protected so that only the participants from Charlottesville International Folk Dancers and guests are permitted to view them. In the future we may open them up to the public. This week it is instruction for Dhivaratikos.

Dhivaratikos 1 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Dhivaratikos 2 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Dhivaratikos 3 from M B Shaw on Vimeo.

Contributors

Just received updated information from the MIT International Folk Dance Group ( http://web.mit.edu/fdc/international.html ). Thank you.

It is exciting to have others support our efforts. In the coming weeks, we will continue to contact other organizations for their input.

The last post was a little serious. I just wonder how we can decrease the frustration of beginners. We naturally want them to come back. Unfortunately, we have many who try it but don't return. The MIT site has a "Catechism for Beginners". Any other suggestions? Please let us know.

Another Day, Another Dance.

The Definition of International Recreational Dance

The definition of International Recreational Dance as used in the Barboursville International Recreational Dance (BIRD) Project is movement(dance):

• for the purpose of enjoyment, exercise, and creating community
• from various ethnic origins