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7 EXAMPLES7.1 Ballroom, Swing and Related Dances7.1.1 St. Louis Shag (basic step)By way of example, to the right is a score notating the basic St. Louis Shag step (for the man). A translation follows:
Prep: weight on right foot, left leg bent 90 deg., knee pointing forward and low (45 deg.). 1: kick left foot forward and low, knee straight. 2: step forward on left foot (small step). Prep right leg for kick, by bending knee. 3: bend right leg, 45 deg. from straight, knee forward and low 4: bend right leg to angle of 90 deg. 5: step back on right foot, small step. Left leg gesture, not formally defined, in prep for next move. 6: tap heel of left foot, leg straight forward, knee bent. 7: leaping step back on ball of left foot (small step). Free right leg thrust forward, low and straight. 8: step on right foot on place where right foot last took weight (see ct. 5). Left leg prepares to repeat move, as on "Prep" above. I have not notated in this score two styling aspects: the knee of the supporting leg is always bent, and the body is bent slightly forward, from the waist, over the legs. Since these features are constant throughout the figure, they are best shown in a "key" (stated in a note) at the beginning of the score. 7.2 Folk Dances7.2.1 Russian Folk Dance7.2.1.1 Russian leg slapping figureI learned this figure from a member of the Mandala Folk Ensemble in Boston.
Russian leg slapping step1: The legs do nothing. The right hand strikes, in a brushing manner, the left hand. The left hand is held so that it is directly in front of the chest. The left arm is bent. 1.5: The right hand strikes, in a brushing manner, the right thigh. 2: The dancer drops into a full plie, with the knees turned diagonally outward. The left hand strikes, in a brushing manner, the left thigh. 3: The dancer rises from the plie to a bent knee position, with a left leg only support. The free leg is bent 45 deg., and points low, forward, and left. As on count 1, the right hand strikes the left hand. 4: The free leg is straightened. The right hand strikes the right shin. 5: The right leg slaps the floor, flat-footed, about two foot lengths from "place". The supporting left leg is in demiplie. 6: The right leg takes weight where it slapped. The right hand slaps the right shin. The left leg is lifted up, still bent 90 deg., with the left knee pointing forward, left and down, and the thigh turned out. 7: The left foot strikes the floor as it takes weight, in place. The right leg is lifted, knee pointing forward, right and low, knee bent 90 deg. The right hand is in front of the chest, arm bent. 8: Weight remains on the left foot. The right leg is in the air. The left hand slaps the right hand. While not indicated on the score, this figure is then repeated with direction and footwork reversed. 7.2.2 Bulgarian Folk Dance7.2.2.1 Ludo Kopano This is a dance from
the Shope region in Western Bulgaria. The dance is a kopanitsa (digging
dance), with a characteristic 11/16 rhythm (2-2-3-2-2). A dancer will usually
count it as Q-Q-S-Q-Q, or 1-2-3-4-5, with the middle beat being
longer than the others.
Here, I have notated the first half of Fig. 5 of the sequence done conventionally at folk dance groups in the USA. The figure is repeated to the opposite side, i.e., it has the pattern AA|. It is repeated as many times as desired by the leader of the line. Please note the pelvis column beside the leg staff. In this column, the facing of the pelvis is shown. This is important, as the pelvis defines "front" for the leg staff unless otherwise indicated. 7.2.3.1 Alunelul This dance is done in shoulder hold. The version notated here is one taught to schoolchildren in Romania. A written description of this dance is available at http://inetwave.com/~folkdance/dancenotes/alunelul.htm The pattern is (AA|)2 B B| CC|.
7.2.3.2 Floricia Olteneasca A Romanian line dance, in shoulder hold, to 4/4 music, taught by Mhai
David to U.S. folk dancers. Part III is a spectacular
heel-clicking, foot-slapping figure, which I have notated below.
A written description of this dance is available on the Web
at
Therefore, I will merely describe how the score differs from that description: ct. 2: I did not learn it with a clockwise motion of the R foot.
I should also note that the score indicates the flexion and floor contact of the supporting foot, and shows (using the bird sign) that certain weight changes are leaps, not ordinary steps.
7.2.4.1 Kalotaszegi Legenyes This is the most intricate of the Hungarian men's dances. One dancer performs at a time, dancing 4-8 "points" (dance phrases), without repeating a figure, and then the next one takes his place. The points typically have the pattern ABBC, where A is an opening movement characteristic of all figures done in the village. Both the A and C movements are usually highly syncopated, while the B movement has an even rhythm. I have notated one of the most typical of the B steps. Note the partial weight on counts 2 and 6, and the sliding step behind on 3 and 7. A note could be used to emphasize that on counts 2 and 6, the knees are close together.
7.2.5 Scandinavian Folk Dances 7.2.5.1 Hambo (Polska) This is probably the most famous of Swedish couple dances. I have notated the basic three count turning step for this page. Note that only the leg staffs are shown, labeled as being for the man or for the woman. There are two notes, and there is a symbol indicating a special definition of front (as being in the "line of direction" (ccw) around the room). This score illustrates how direction of movement/facing issues can be handled. Note that the travel columns indicate that all movement is in LOD, but the action stroke columns show that the "feel" is of stepping forward on the right, and backward (or to the side) on the left. As you can see, there are both pivoting (sliding) turns (e.g., ct.3 for the M) and leaping turns (e.g., cts. 1 and 3 for the W) in this step. On ct.3 for the M, in the right leg gesture column, we see the reference point symbol for "close anatomical place". This is what a dancer would just call a "close". The special couple pin symbols show how the relative position of the dancers changes during the movement.
7.2.6 American Folk Dances7.2.6.1 Appalachian CloggingAppalachian clogging most likely developed out of Irish step dancing. Below we show four ways of notating the characteristic shuffle step, in which the toe brushes first forward, then back, and then the foot takes weight. In the first example, all we show is the brush, brush, step. In the second example, we add symbols for floor contact on the touch, and for the position of the foot at the completion of the brush. Note the use of a special reference point (indicating "place last touched with right foot") on the second brush. Thus, it shows that the second brush ends in the air with the foot rearward of where it touched. In the third example, we show the exact location of the touch (a small distance straight forward from place for the right foot) and the degree of flexion of the gesturing foot at the end of the brush. Because of the increased number of symbols, we have used more squares per count so we can fit everything in. In the final example, we return to the simplicity of the second option, but use an experimental direction symbol for the second brush. This symbol means "current position of pointer relative to last notated position of pointer".
Below I have notated four clogging steps. From left to right, they are: the Alamo (also known as the triple step or the Lone Ranger), the Nina, the Calypso, and the Bee. In general, I have not given much styling detail, because I find that cloggers tolerate considerable variation. I have not put direction signs in the Calypso because it can be done in place, turning, crossing in front then behind, traveling forward, traveling sideward, etc. The first three figures are notated so they start with the right, and the last with the left.
7.3 Ballet and Modern DanceSorry, no examples yet! |
