Ţărancuţa

ŢĂRĂNCUŢA
Romanian

PRONUNCIATION: tsuh-ruhn-KOO-tsah

TRANSLATION: Little peasant girl

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who taught it at Michael and Mary Ann Herman's Folk Dance House in New York around 1954 and presented it at the 1955 Oblebay Institute in West Virginia and the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in California. Dick Crum learned the dance from Larisa at Folk Dance House and presented it in Chicago and at the 1956 Stockton Folk Dance Camp. Gordon Engler also presented it at the 1956 California Kolo Festival in San Francisco, California.

BACKGROUND: This dance may be found in Muntenia and Moldavia. Romanian dances cover a wide range of genres, both musical and choreographic. They are combined with music, poetry (chanted verse), costumes, gestures, and ornaments and can be classified into two large categories: entertaining and ritual. The most widely spread are: Sârba (Sîrba), Hora, Sâlcioara, Purtata, Învârtita (Învîrtita), Haţegana, Barbuncul, Fecioreasca, Ardeleana, Ghimpul, Areanul, Ursareasca, Rustemul, Ariciul, Chindia, Alunelul, and Oltenaşul.

MUSIC: Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH-1121-A

FORMATION: Dancers in a cir facing ctr with hands joined and held up at shldr level in "W" pos.

METER/RHYTHM: 2/4

STEPS/STYLE: CIOCÂLANUL STEP: ("the little lark," pronounced chyo-ker-LAH-nool) Step fwd R (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); step bwd R (ct 2); step L in place (ct &). Hands are extended quickly fwd on ct 1 and returned to shldrs on ct 2. In actual practice, the steps are so fast that very little wt is taken on the R ft making the step resemble two balance steps.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

1-8 No action.

THE DANCE

1-2 Facing ctr, dance two Ciocârlanul Steps in place;

3 Step fwd R (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); turning to face diag R and moving CW to R in LOD, step R (ct 2);

4 Step L (ct 1); run R (ct 2); run L (ct &);

5 Run R, stopping fwd movement in preparation to running bwd (ct 1); pause (ct &); still facing diag R, run L bwd in RLOD (ct 2); run bwd R (ct &);

6 Continuing bwd in RLOD, run bwd L (ct 1); run bwd R (ct &); run bwd L (ct 2); hop L, turning to face ctr (ct &).

Repeat entire dance from beg.

NOTE: The dance steps are not exactly phrased with the music.

Copyright © 2011 by Dick Oakes

ŢĂRĂNCUŢA Romanian

PRONUNCIATION:	tsuh-ruhn-KOO-tsah

TRANSLATION:	Little peasant girl

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Larisa Lucaci who taught it at Michael and Mary Ann Herman's Folk Dance House in New York around 1954 and presented it at the 1955 Oblebay Institute in West Virginia and the 1966 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference in California. Dick Crum learned the dance from Larisa at Folk Dance House and presented it in Chicago and at the 1956 Stockton Folk Dance Camp. Gordon Engler also presented it at the 1956 California Kolo Festival in San Francisco, California.

BACKGROUND:	This dance may be found in Muntenia and Moldavia. Romanian dances cover a wide range of genres, both musical and choreographic. They are combined with music, poetry (chanted verse), costumes, gestures, and ornaments and can be classified into two large categories: entertaining and ritual. The most widely spread are: Sârba (Sîrba), Hora, Sâlcioara, Purtata, Învârtita (Învîrtita), Haţegana, Barbuncul, Fecioreasca, Ardeleana, Ghimpul, Areanul, Ursareasca, Rustemul, Ariciul, Chindia, Alunelul, and Oltenaşul.

MUSIC:	Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH-1121-A

FORMATION:	Dancers in a cir facing ctr with hands joined and held up at shldr level in "W" pos.

METER/RHYTHM:	2/4

STEPS/STYLE:	CIOCÂLANUL STEP: ("the little lark," pronounced chyo-ker-LAH-nool) Step fwd R (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); step bwd R (ct 2); step L in place (ct &). Hands are extended quickly fwd on ct 1 and returned to shldrs on ct 2. In actual practice, the steps are so fast that very little wt is taken on the R ft making the step resemble two balance steps.


MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION


	INTRODUCTION

1-8	No action.

	THE DANCE

1-2	Facing ctr, dance two Ciocârlanul Steps in place;
3	Step fwd R (ct 1); step L in place (ct &); turning to face diag R and moving CW to R in LOD, step R (ct 2);
4	Step L (ct 1); run R (ct 2); run L (ct &);
5	Run R, stopping fwd movement in preparation to running bwd (ct 1); pause (ct &); still facing diag R, run L bwd in RLOD (ct 2); run bwd R (ct &);
6	Continuing bwd in RLOD, run bwd L (ct 1); run bwd R (ct &); run bwd L (ct 2); hop L, turning to face ctr (ct &).

	Repeat entire dance from beg.

	NOTE: The dance steps are not exactly phrased with the music.
Copyright © 2011 by Dick Oakes