Hora Ploii

HORA PLOII
Romanian

PRONUNCIATION: HAW-rah PLOY-ee

TRANSLATION: Dance of the rain

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Sunni Bloland who learned it during her 1967-68 research trip to Romania from Anca Guirchescu, dance ethnographer at the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore in Buccareşti (Bucharest). Sunni introduced the dance to folk dancers in the United States at the 1969 Balkan / Near-East Festival in Portland, Oregon.

BACKGROUND: This is an old hora from the village of Mitreni in southern part of the Romanian ethnographic area of Muntenia. Mitreni is close to the Bulgarian border and about eight kilometers north of the ethnographic region of Oltenia. Muntenia, also known in English as Greater Wallachia, is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper (Muntenia, Ţara Românească, and the seldom used Valahia are synonyms in Romanian). It is situated between the Danube (south and east), the Carpathian Mountains (the Transylvanian Alps branch) and Moldavia (both north), and the Olt River to the west. The Olt is the border between Muntenia and Oltenia (or Lesser Wallachia). Part of the traditional border between Wallachia/Muntenia and Moldavia was formed by the rivers Milcov and Siret.

MUSIC: Naroc Records (7"EP) NA 1054-EP, side B, band 1.

FORMATION: Closed cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held at shldr height, elbows bent, in "W" pos.

METER/RHYTHM: 2/4

STEPS/STYLE: The steps are rather flat-footed, with the arm movements providing the dynamic feeling. The dance has a rustic, earthy quality.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

None.

I. FIGURE ONE

1 Facing ctr, step L swd (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);

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

3 Facing and moving diag R in LOD, step L (ct 1); step R next to L (ct 2);

4 Step L (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);

5 Facing ctr and moving bwd out of cir, step R bwd (ct 1); step L bwd (ct 2);

6 Step R bwd (ct 1); swing L fwd with bent knee (ct 2).

7-24 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-6, three more times.

II. FIGURE TWO

Quickly facing diag L, step L (accented) in place, extending arms high overhead and somewhat bent at elbows (ct & of prev meas);

1 Stamp R heel next to L (ct 1); stamp R ft next to L (ct 2);

Quickly facing diag R, step R (accented) in place (ct &);

2 Stamp L heel next to R (ct 1); stamp L next to R (ct 2);

3 Moving diag fwd R, step L (accented) across in front of R (ct 1); low hop L, leaving toe on floor and extending arms even higher, elbows almost straight (ct 2); step R, beginning to bring hands down to sides (ct &);

4 Stamp L fwd (taking wt) as arms swing down and back (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);

5 Keeping hands down and moving bwd out of cir, step R bwd (ct 1); step L bwd (ct 2);

Quickly facing diag R and bringing hands to shldr height, step R (accented) in place (ct &);

6 Stamp L heel next to R (ct 1); stamp L ft next to R (ct 2).

Repeat only Fig II to end of music (Fig I is not repeated).

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes

HORA PLOII Romanian

PRONUNCIATION:	HAW-rah PLOY-ee

TRANSLATION:	Dance of the rain

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Sunni Bloland who learned it during her 1967-68 research trip to Romania from Anca Guirchescu, dance ethnographer at the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore in Buccareşti (Bucharest). Sunni introduced the dance to folk dancers in the United States at the 1969 Balkan / Near-East Festival in Portland, Oregon.

BACKGROUND:	This is an old hora from the village of Mitreni in southern part of the Romanian ethnographic area of Muntenia. Mitreni is close to the Bulgarian border and about eight kilometers north of the ethnographic region of Oltenia. Muntenia, also known in English as Greater Wallachia, is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper (Muntenia, Ţara Românească, and the seldom used Valahia are synonyms in Romanian). It is situated between the Danube (south and east), the Carpathian Mountains (the Transylvanian Alps branch) and Moldavia (both north), and the Olt River to the west. The Olt is the border between Muntenia and Oltenia (or Lesser Wallachia). Part of the traditional border between Wallachia/Muntenia and Moldavia was formed by the rivers Milcov and Siret.

MUSIC:	Naroc Records (7"EP) NA 1054-EP, side B, band 1.

FORMATION:	Closed cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held at shldr height, elbows bent, in "W" pos.

METER/RHYTHM:	2/4

STEPS/STYLE:	The steps are rather flat-footed, with the arm movements providing the dynamic feeling. The dance has a rustic, earthy quality.


MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION


	INTRODUCTION

	None.

I.	FIGURE ONE

1	Facing ctr, step L swd (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);
2	Repeat action of meas 1 to R with opp ftwk;

3	Facing and moving diag R in LOD, step L (ct 1); step R next to L (ct 2);
4	Step L (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);

5	Facing ctr and moving bwd out of cir, step R bwd (ct 1); step L bwd (ct 2);
6	Step R bwd (ct 1); swing L fwd with bent knee (ct 2).

7-24	Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-6, three more times.

II.	FIGURE TWO

	Quickly facing diag L, step L (accented) in place, extending arms high overhead and somewhat bent at elbows (ct & of prev meas);
1	Stamp R heel next to L (ct 1); stamp R ft next to L (ct 2);

	Quickly facing diag R, step R (accented) in place (ct &);
2	Stamp L heel next to R (ct 1); stamp L next to R (ct 2);

3	Moving diag fwd R, step L (accented) across in front of R (ct 1); low hop L, leaving toe on floor and extending arms even higher, elbows almost straight (ct 2); step R, beginning to bring hands down to sides (ct &);
4	Stamp L fwd (taking wt) as arms swing down and back (ct 1); swing R fwd with bent knee (ct 2);

5	Keeping hands down and moving bwd out of cir, step R bwd (ct 1); step L bwd (ct 2);

	Quickly facing diag R and bringing hands to shldr height, step R (accented) in place (ct &);
6	Stamp L heel next to R (ct 1); stamp L ft next to R (ct 2).

	Repeat only Fig II to end of music (Fig I is not repeated).
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes