Ca la Uşa Cortului

CA LA UŞA CORTULUI
Romanian

PRONUNCIATION: ka lah OO-shah kor-too-LOO

TRANSLATION: As in the door of the Gypsy tent. Also an idiom meaning "in the crudest, most uncouth way."

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who introduced it to folk dancers in the early 1950s at Michael and Mary Ann Herman's Folk Dance House in New York City. Dick Crum and Larisa taught it around the country for the next 10 or 15 years. She also presented it at the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in Santa Barbara, California. Eugenia Popescu-Judetz presented it at the 1971 Stockton Folk Dance Camp in Stockton, California.

BACKGROUND: The first mention of Gypsies in Romania was in 16th century Vlachia (Valahia). From there they migrated to Transylvania as well as toward Germany. Little has been written about the Gypsies. Their culture, traditions, way of life, values, strong ties to family, lack of education, one-time slave status, and non-acceptance by the indigenous Romanian population have kept them in poverty and at the lowest rung on the ladder of social hierarchy.

MUSIC: Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH 1123-A.

FORMATION: Closed cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held up high, elbows straight.

METER/RHYTHM: 2/4

STEPS/STYLE: SCUFF: A light stamp where the ft comes from in back and brushes the floor as it is kicked fwd slightly.
STAMP: The stamps are with the full ft.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

1-4 No action.

THE DANCE

1 With hands held high, elbows straight, very small step R swd (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); step R in place (ct 2); Scuff L heel next to R (ct &);

2 Repeat action of meas 1 to L with opp ftwk;

3 Repeat action of meas 1 to R;

4 Pause (ct 1); Scuff L heel next to R (ct &); stamp L diag fwd to L, taking wt (ct 2); pause (ct &);

5 Leap R swd, bringing hands down to "W" pos, leaning fwd slightly with L thrust out in back (ct 1); leap R across in back of R straightening up (ct 2).

Repeat entire dance from beg.

COUNTING CUES

As an aid to counting, try the following cues (where "-" means "pause"). As you voice the cues, say nothing on the "pause" but mark the time.
R L R Kick L R L Kick R L R Kick - Kick Stamp - R - L -

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes

CA LA UŞA CORTULUI Romanian

PRONUNCIATION:	ka lah OO-shah kor-too-LOO

TRANSLATION:	As in the door of the Gypsy tent. Also an idiom meaning "in the crudest, most uncouth way."

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who introduced it to folk dancers in the early 1950s at Michael and Mary Ann Herman's Folk Dance House in New York City. Dick Crum and Larisa taught it around the country for the next 10 or 15 years. She also presented it at the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in Santa Barbara, California. Eugenia Popescu-Judetz presented it at the 1971 Stockton Folk Dance Camp in Stockton, California.

BACKGROUND:	The first mention of Gypsies in Romania was in 16th century Vlachia (Valahia). From there they migrated to Transylvania as well as toward Germany. Little has been written about the Gypsies. Their culture, traditions, way of life, values, strong ties to family, lack of education, one-time slave status, and non-acceptance by the indigenous Romanian population have kept them in poverty and at the lowest rung on the ladder of social hierarchy.

MUSIC:	Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH 1123-A.

FORMATION:	Closed cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held up high, elbows straight.

METER/RHYTHM:	2/4

STEPS/STYLE:	SCUFF: A light stamp where the ft comes from in back and brushes the floor as it is kicked fwd slightly. STAMP: The stamps are with the full ft.

MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION


	INTRODUCTION

1-4	No action.

	THE DANCE

1	With hands held high, elbows straight, very small step R swd (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); step R in place (ct 2); Scuff L heel next to R (ct &);

2	Repeat action of meas 1 to L with opp ftwk;

3	Repeat action of meas 1 to R;

4	Pause (ct 1); Scuff L heel next to R (ct &); stamp L diag fwd to L, taking wt (ct 2); pause (ct &);

5	Leap R swd, bringing hands down to "W" pos, leaning fwd slightly with L thrust out in back (ct 1); leap R across in back of R straightening up (ct 2).

	Repeat entire dance from beg.



	COUNTING CUES

	As an aid to counting, try the following cues (where "-" means "pause"). As you voice the cues, say nothing on the "pause" but mark the time. R L R Kick L R L Kick R L R Kick - Kick Stamp - R - L -
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes