Chindia

CHINDIA
Romanian

PRONUNCIATION: KEEN-dya

TRANSLATION: Sunset; festival

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who taught it at the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in California.

BACKGROUND: Chindia is an archaic word that refers to "the time and place that the sun sets;" the period of the day in which the guard had an obligation to give the curfew signal, before closing the city's gates -- after this time, he was prohibited from entering or leaving the city throughout the night, and residents were required not to pass through the streets and not to maintain outdoor fires that would have made the town visible from a distance. A newer meaning is "festivals." The Chindia Tower, the most important tourist attraction in the city of Târgovişte, is considered the city's symbol; the tower elements are present in the city's emblem, at the top and also at the bottom. As a monument, the tower now houses an exhibition of documents, weapons, and objects which belonged to Vlad the Impaler.

MUSIC: Monitor (LP) MF 377 "Rhapsodia Romina," side 2, band 5.

FORMATION: Closed cir or line of mixed M and W with hands grasping neighbors' shldrs in "T" pos.

METER/RHYTHM: 4/4

STEPS/STYLE: SIDE-STEP: Raise R, as if preparing to step over a furrow in a field (ct & of previous meas);
Step R swd (ct 1); raise L, as if stepping over a furrow in a field (ct &); step L next to R (ct 2); raise R, as if preparing to step over a furrow in a field (ct &).
Chindia is danced energetically.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

None.

I. SIDE-STEPS

1 Dance 2 Side-Steps R (cts 1,2,3,4);

2 Step R swd (ct 1); hop R, raising L in front of R with bent knee (ct 2); step L swd (ct 3); hop L, raising R in front of L with bent knee (ct 4).

3-8 Repeat action of meas 1-2 three more times.

II. PRANCES

1 Step R swd (ct 1); step L across in front of R without turning body (ct 2); step R back in place (ct 3); hop L, raising R in front of R with bent knee (ct 4);

2 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1, with opp ftwk.

3-8 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-2, three more times.

Repeat entire dance from beg.

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes

CHINDIA Romanian

PRONUNCIATION:	KEEN-dya

TRANSLATION:	Sunset; festival

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who taught it at the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in California.

BACKGROUND:	Chindia is an archaic word that refers to "the time and place that the sun sets;" the period of the day in which the guard had an obligation to give the curfew signal, before closing the city's gates -- after this time, he was prohibited from entering or leaving the city throughout the night, and residents were required not to pass through the streets and not to maintain outdoor fires that would have made the town visible from a distance. A newer meaning is "festivals." The Chindia Tower, the most important tourist attraction in the city of Târgovişte, is considered the city's symbol; the tower elements are present in the city's emblem, at the top and also at the bottom. As a monument, the tower now houses an exhibition of documents, weapons, and objects which belonged to Vlad the Impaler.

MUSIC:	Monitor (LP) MF 377 "Rhapsodia Romina," side 2, band 5.

FORMATION:	Closed cir or line of mixed M and W with hands grasping neighbors' shldrs in "T" pos.

METER/RHYTHM:	4/4

STEPS/STYLE:	SIDE-STEP: Raise R, as if preparing to step over a furrow in a field (ct & of previous meas); Step R swd (ct 1); raise L, as if stepping over a furrow in a field (ct &); step L next to R (ct 2); raise R, as if preparing to step over a furrow in a field (ct &). Chindia is danced energetically.

MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION


	INTRODUCTION

	None.

I.	SIDE-STEPS

1	Dance 2 Side-Steps R (cts 1,2,3,4);
2	Step R swd (ct 1); hop R, raising L in front of R with bent knee (ct 2); step L swd (ct 3); hop L, raising R in front of L with bent knee (ct 4).

3-8	Repeat action of meas 1-2 three more times.

II.	PRANCES

1	Step R swd (ct 1); step L across in front of R without turning body (ct 2); step R back in place (ct 3); hop L, raising R in front of R with bent knee (ct 4);
2	Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1, with opp ftwk.

3-8	Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-2, three more times.

	Repeat entire dance from beg.
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes