| MAYIM
Israeli
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| PRONUNCIATION: |
MAH-yeem |
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| TRANSLATION: |
Water |
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| SOURCE: |
Dick Oakes learned this dance
from folk dance groups around the Los Angeles, California, area. Dvora
Lapson published piano music for Mayim in her book, Dances of the
Jewish People. |
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| BACKGROUND: |
Mayim is said to have
originated on a "Kibbutz" on the shores of Galilee. According to Jane A.
Harris, Anne Pittman, and Marlys S. Waller, in their book Dance A
While, wrote that the movements in the dance "express the joy of
finding water in arid land and emulate the motion of waves as they break
upon the shore." The choreographer is Dov Seltzer, the lyrics are by
Isaiah, the music is by E. Amiran. |
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| MUSIC: |
Folkraft (45rpm)
1108-A
Folkraft (45rpm) 1475
Elektra (LP) EKS-7186
Israel Music
Foundation (LP) LP 5/6
Tikva (LP) 106
Folkraft (LP) 12;
World
of Fun (LP) MH 119
Israel Music Foundation (45rpm) 114 |
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| FORMATION: |
Cir of mixed M and W with hands
joined and held down in "V" pos. |
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| METER/RHYTHM: |
4/4 |
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| STEPS/STYLE: |
Style is happy and lively, as
would be expected upon finding water in the desert. |
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| MEAS |
MOVEMENT
DESCRIPTION |
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INTRODUCTION |
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Varies from recording to
recording. No action. |
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| I. |
GRAPEVINE |
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This step is also referred to
as the "Mayim Step" or "Tscherkessia Step" in some Israeli dance
notations. |
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| 1 |
Moving CW around the cir, step
R across in frnt of L (ct 1); step L swd (ct 2); step R across in back
of L (ct 3); low leap L swd, accenting the step (ct 4); |
| 2-4 |
Repeat action of the meas 1
three more times. |
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| II. |
CENTER AND BACK |
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| 1 |
Low leap R twd ctr, bending
knee slightly (ct 1); run L twd ctr, beg to raise nearly straight arms
fwd and up (ct 2); run R twd ctr , continuing to raise arms upward (ct
3); run fwd twd ctr, ending with hands raised high overhead (ct
4); |
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NOTE: In many areas of the
United States, dancers clap hands on ct & at the end of the first
meas. |
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| 2 |
Run bwd 4 steps, gradually
lowering hands to orig formation pos. |
| 3-4 |
Repeat action of meas
1-2. |
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| III. |
INTERLUDE |
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| 1 |
Beg R, move CW in RLOD with 4
running steps. |
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| IV. |
TOE TOUCH, CLAP |
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| 1 |
Facing ctr, leap onto R,
touching L across in front with straight leg (ct 1); hop R, touching L
diag fwd to L with straight leg (ct 2); hop R, touching L across in
front of L with straight leg (ct 3); hop R, touching R diag to L with
straight leg (ct 4); |
| 2 |
Repeat action of meas
1; |
| 3-4 |
Repeat action of meas 1-2,
clapping hands in front with straight arms on uneven cts and swinging
arms out to sides at shldr height on even cts. |
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Repeat entire dance from
beg. |
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