Orlovskaya

ORLOVSKAYA
Russian

PRONUNCIATION: ohr-lohv-SKAH-yah

TRANSLATION: Dance from Orel

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Anatol Joukowsky who taught this performance dance in California at both the 1960 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference and the 1960 College of the Pacific Folk Dance Camp (now the Stockton Folk Dance Camp). Having learned the dance on scholarship at Santa Barbara, Dick was asked to teach it at the Folk Dance Federation (South) Long Beach Workshop held in October of 1960, launching Dick's professional teaching avocation. John Hancock also has taught the dance.
This dance description is based on the Orlovskaya folk dance notes by Ruth Ruling in the 1960 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Camp syllabus. The dance was also described beginning on page 160 of Anatol Joukowsky's 1965 book The Teaching of Ethnic Dance, published by J. Lowell Pratt and Company, New York.

BACKGROUND: According to Mr. Joukowsky, Orlovskaya is a couple dance from the region of Orel (Oryol), or "eagle," in central Russia. Oryol is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River (meaning "eye"), approximately 360 kilometers south-southwest of Moscow. In 1779, the city was almost entirely rebuilt based on a new plan and the Oryol River was renamed Orlik ("little eagle").

MUSIC: Bruno (LP) BR 50046, side A, Band 1, "Polyanka;"
Epic (LP) LC 3459, side 1, band 5, "Polianka."

FORMATION: Lines of 6 to 10 cpls, W in one line, M in another, ptrs facing each other, backs of wrists on hips, palms out. Typically, M L shldrs are twd the head of the hall.

METER/RHYTHM: 4/4 and 2/4

STEPS/STYLE: WALK: Walking steps are danced with a small bend of the supporting knee.
TRAVELING-STEP (2 meas): Step L (ct 1); step R (ct 2); step L on flat of ft, bending L knee and lifting bent R knee (ct 1); step R on ball of ft (ct 2). This two-meas running motif always beg on L.
HEEL-PRYSIADKA (2 meas): M squat on balls of ft with hands down between knees, knees out and fwd, back straight (ct 1 of meas 1); jump to both heels astride with toes up, hands out low to sides for balance, palms up (ct 1 of meas 2).
BUZZ-STEP (1 meas): Turning CW with ptr, step R on flat of ft (c 1); step L on ball of ft around ptr (ct 2).
With arms akimbo, wrists are on hips with palms out, unless otherwise noted.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

4/4 time

INTRODUCTION - BOWS

1 Turn 1/4 to own R and bow.

2 With L hand still on hip, with the R hand make a sweeping gesture up, out, and back to hip.

3 Turn 1/2 to own L and bow.

4 With R hand on hip, with the L hand make a sweeping gesture up, out, and dn;

5 Turn 1/4 to own R to face ptr and bow;

6 Bring both hands from hips to make a sweeping gesture;

7-8 Return hands to hips, palms out, and stand facing ptr.

I. SLOW WALK

9 Facing to own R, step R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);

10 Step R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);

11-12 Turning to face own L, repeat action of meas 1-2;

13 Turning to face and walking twd ptr, step fwd R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);

14 Step fwd R so that ptrs are back to back, R shldrs adjacent (ct 1); stamp L next to R (ct 3);

15 Moving twd orig pos, step bwd L (ct 1); step bwd R (ct 3);

16 Step bwd L to orig pos (ct 1); close R to L without wt (ct 3);

2/4 time

II. BALANCE TO PTR; CIR

1 Step R twd ptr, turning R shldr twd ptr (ct 1); pause (ct 2);

2 Close R to L without wt (ct 1); pause (ct 2);

3 Step L back to place (ct 1); pause (ct 2);

4 Close R to L without wt (ct 1); pause (ct 2);

5-8 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-4;

9-15 With 7 steps (1 per meas) beg R, walk CW around ptr, keeping R shldr twd ptr;

16 Close L to R without wt.

17-24 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-8 with opp ftwk.

25-31 With 7 steps (1 per meas) beg L, walk CCW around ptr, keeping R shldr twd ptr;

32 Stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct&;) stamp R, taking wt (ct 2).

III. W CIR M

1-8 M: Stamp L on ct 1 of meas 1, 3, 5, 7;
W: With 16 small steps (2 to a meas) beg R, dance CW cir around ptr to end facing ptr;

9 M: step L (ct 1); stamp R heel next to L instep without wt, toe turned out (ct 2).
W: Small step R swd, moving R shldr slightly twd ptr (ct 1); close L to R without wt (ct 2);

10 Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9;

11-14 Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9-10, three more times;

15 Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9;

16 M: Stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct &); stamp R, taking wt (ct 2).
W: Repeat action of Fig III, meas 10.

IV. TAKING TURNS

1-3 While W watch, M stamp L without wt on ct 1 of each meas;

4 While W continue to watch, M stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct &); stamp R, taking wt (ct 2);

5-8 While M watch, W, moving to R and away from M, dance 1 CW cir with 8 small steps, beg R (2 steps per meas);

9-12 Repeat action of meas Fig IV, meas 1-4, except that M end with three stamps with R, no wt;

13-16 Repeat action of Fig IV, meas 5-8, except that W move to L and away from M to dance 1 CCW cir, beg L, and without taking wt on last step with R.

V. ARCHES

1-8 M joinhands in a line and W keep hands on hips. With 16 small steps, walk twd ptr, then W duck under arches of M raised hands (passing R sides to L of ptr), and all continue to ptrs pos and turn R to face ptr, with M dropping hands;

9-16 Repeat action of Fig V, meas 1-8, except that M duck under arches formed by W (passing R sides to L of ptr), ending in orig pos;

VI. M PRYSIADKAS

1-2 M: Keeping eyes on ptr, dance 1 Heel-Prysiadka.
W: Keeping eyes on ptr, step R swd (meas 1); step L in back of R, bending knees, with L shldr following L ft so that W almost face foot of set (meas 2);

3-4 M: Dance 1 Heel-Prysiadka;
W: Step R, turning R to face diag L of the head of hte set with L shldr diag twd ptr (ct 1); step L next to R (ct 2); step R in place (ct 1); pause (ct 2);

5-8 M: Dance 2 Heel-Prysiadkas;
W: Repeat action of Fig VI, meas 1-4, except beg with L, and step diag bwd twd orig pos; on step in back almost face head of set; on the three quick steps, face diag R of ft of set with R shldr twd ptr.

9-16 M: Dance 4 Heel-Prysiadkas;
W: Repeat action of Fig VI, meas 1-8.

VII. CPL TURN

1-14 Beg R, meet ptr and, hooking R arms (except that arms are straight and held stiffly with R hand at small of ptrs back and L hand low and out to side), turn CW with 28 small walking steps, 2 per meas, endingwith M facing head of set and W facing ft of set;

15-16 M: Bending L arm, dance 4 steps in place, ending facing head of hall.
W: Hooking L arm in M bent R arm, walk three steps and a touch to make 1/2 turn to R to end facing head of hall.

VIII. FWD AND BWD

1 Stamp inside ft (M R, W L) next to heel of outside ft with toe turned out, taking wt and bending knee (ct 1); step fwd on outside ft with toe pointing in LOD (ct 2);

2-8 Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 1, seven more times, finishing with wt on M L, W R;

9 Lowering hands slowly from hooked pos to inside hands joined, step bwd (M R, W L) on ball of ft (ct 1); step bwd (M L, W R) on ball of ft (ct &); fall onto flat of ft (M R, W L), extending free ft fwd with toe turned out and body turned twd dir toe is pointing (ct 2);

10 Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9, starting M L, W R;

11-14 Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9-10, two more times;

15 Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9;

1 Stamp (M L, W R), taking wt (ct 1); stamp (M R, W L), taking wt and ending facing ptr (ct 2).

IX. FLIP TURNS

1 With inside hands still joined, step swd (M L, W R), making a full pivot turn to M L, W R, to end facing ptr;

2 Dance three steps in place (beg M R, W L), facing ptr (cts 1,&,2);

3-8 Repeat action of Fig IX, meas 1-2, three more times, ending facing ptr;

9 M and W stamp R, M clapping hands and taking wt, W with hands on hips but without taking wt;

10 M stamp L, taking wt, with knees slightly bent and arms ready to help with the following turn, as W stamp R again;

11-12 M: Pivot to R on R one full turn on 2 cts, stoping turn with a step on L on first ct of meas 12;
W: With hands on hips and beg R, turn to R once around in 4 steps, 2 per meas;

13-16 Repeat action of Fig IX, meas 9-12.

X. BRIDGE

1-32 Form a bridge by joining inside hands (M R, W L) and facing the head of the hall. First cpl turns in and travels down under the the bridge formed by the raised hands of the second cpl. AS soon as the first cpl is started, the second cpl follows, and so on. Cpls forming the bridge move up as the ones ahead duck under the bridge. When the end of the bridge is reached, M turns to his R and W turns to her L, join inside hands with ptr, and move up the set in bridge formation. All cpls should be in orig pos by the end of the 32 meas.
NOTE 1: When cpls are a part of the bridge with inside hands joined, dance the same steps as in Fig VIII, meas 1-8. When cpls are going under the bridge, walk 2 small steps per meas, to end with cpls facing head of hall with inside hands joined.
NOTE 2: Cpl pos for going under bridge with M on W R, join R hands at M back, M put L hand on W L shldr, W put L hand on hip, both crouch down with heads together.

XI. FORM CIR

1-16 First M lead set into CW cir using 8 Traveling-Steps. Each W joins R hand with L of M behind. As soon as possible, first M and last W join hands to complete cir.

XII. PRYSIADKAS IN CIR

1-6 W: Repeat action of Fig VI for the full 16 meas.
M: Dropping hands and facing ctr of cir, dance 3 Heel-Prysiadkas (1 per 2 meas);

7-8 M: Beg R, walk 4 steps into cir and turn to face ptr with back to ctr;

9-16 M: Dance 4 Heel-Prysiadkas (1 per 2 meas).

XIII. FINALE

1-4 With R arm around ptr, L arm high, R hips adjacent, turn CW with ptr dancing 8 quick walking steps beg R (2 per meas);

5-8 Continuing cpl turn, dance 4 Buzz-Steps;

9-12 Repeat action of Fig XIII, meas 1-4;

13-14 Dance 2 Buzz-Steps, ending with W on outside of cir;

15-16 With lead from M, W turns to R 1 1/2 times with 4 stamps (taking wt) to end facing LOD with inside hands joined and outside hands raised, palm up (M may stamp on last ct).

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes

ORLOVSKAYA Russian

PRONUNCIATION:	ohr-lohv-SKAH-yah

TRANSLATION:	Dance from Orel

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Anatol Joukowsky who taught this performance dance in California at both the 1960 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Conference and the 1960 College of the Pacific Folk Dance Camp (now the Stockton Folk Dance Camp). Having learned the dance on scholarship at Santa Barbara, Dick was asked to teach it at the Folk Dance Federation (South) Long Beach Workshop held in October of 1960, launching Dick's professional teaching avocation. John Hancock also has taught the dance. This dance description is based on the Orlovskaya folk dance notes by Ruth Ruling in the 1960 Santa Barbara Folk Dance Camp syllabus. The dance was also described beginning on page 160 of Anatol Joukowsky's 1965 book The Teaching of Ethnic Dance, published by J. Lowell Pratt and Company, New York.
BACKGROUND:	According to Mr. Joukowsky, Orlovskaya is a couple dance from the region of Orel (Oryol), or "eagle," in central Russia. Oryol is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River (meaning "eye"), approximately 360 kilometers south-southwest of Moscow. In 1779, the city was almost entirely rebuilt based on a new plan and the Oryol River was renamed Orlik ("little eagle").

MUSIC:	Bruno (LP) BR 50046, side A, Band 1, "Polyanka;" Epic (LP) LC 3459, side 1, band 5, "Polianka."

FORMATION:	Lines of 6 to 10 cpls, W in one line, M in another, ptrs facing each other, backs of wrists on hips, palms out. Typically, M L shldrs are twd the head of the hall.

METER/RHYTHM:	4/4 and 2/4

STEPS/STYLE:	WALK: Walking steps are danced with a small bend of the supporting knee. TRAVELING-STEP (2 meas): Step L (ct 1); step R (ct 2); step L on flat of ft, bending L knee and lifting bent R knee (ct 1); step R on ball of ft (ct 2). This two-meas running motif always beg on L. HEEL-PRYSIADKA (2 meas): M squat on balls of ft with hands down between knees, knees out and fwd, back straight (ct 1 of meas 1); jump to both heels astride with toes up, hands out low to sides for balance, palms up (ct 1 of meas 2). BUZZ-STEP (1 meas): Turning CW with ptr, step R on flat of ft (c 1); step L on ball of ft around ptr (ct 2). With arms akimbo, wrists are on hips with palms out, unless otherwise noted.

MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

4/4 time
	INTRODUCTION - BOWS

1	Turn 1/4 to own R and bow.
2	With L hand still on hip, with the R hand make a sweeping gesture up, out, and back to hip.
3	Turn 1/2 to own L and bow.
4	With R hand on hip, with the L hand make a sweeping gesture up, out, and dn;
5	Turn 1/4 to own R to face ptr and bow;
6	Bring both hands from hips to make a sweeping gesture;
7-8	Return hands to hips, palms out, and stand facing ptr.

I.	SLOW WALK

9	Facing to own R, step R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);
10	Step R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);
11-12	Turning to face own L, repeat action of meas 1-2;
13	Turning to face and walking twd ptr, step fwd R (ct 1); step L (ct 3);
14	Step fwd R so that ptrs are back to back, R shldrs adjacent (ct 1); stamp L next to R (ct 3);
15	Moving twd orig pos, step bwd L (ct 1); step bwd R (ct 3);
16	Step bwd L to orig pos (ct 1); close R to L without wt (ct 3);


2/4 time
II.	BALANCE TO PTR; CIR

1	Step R twd ptr, turning R shldr twd ptr (ct 1); pause (ct 2);
2	Close R to L without wt (ct 1); pause (ct 2);
3	Step L back to place (ct 1); pause (ct 2);
4	Close R to L without wt (ct 1); pause (ct 2);
5-8	Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-4;
9-15	With 7 steps (1 per meas) beg R, walk CW around ptr, keeping R shldr twd ptr;
16	Close L to R without wt.
17-24	Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-8 with opp ftwk.
25-31	With 7 steps (1 per meas) beg L, walk CCW around ptr, keeping R shldr twd ptr;
32	Stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct&;) stamp R, taking wt (ct 2).

III.	W CIR M

1-8	M: Stamp L on ct 1 of meas 1, 3, 5, 7; W: With 16 small steps (2 to a meas) beg R, dance CW cir around ptr to end facing ptr;
9	M: step L (ct 1); stamp R heel next to L instep without wt, toe turned out (ct 2). W: Small step R swd, moving R shldr slightly twd ptr (ct 1); close L to R without wt (ct 2);
10	Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9;
11-14	Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9-10, three more times;
15	Repeat action of Fig III, meas 9;
16	M: Stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct &); stamp R, taking wt (ct 2). W: Repeat action of Fig III, meas 10.

IV.	TAKING TURNS

1-3	While W watch, M stamp L without wt on ct 1 of each meas;
4	While W continue to watch, M stamp R, taking wt (ct 1); stamp L, taking wt (ct &); stamp R, taking wt (ct 2);
5-8	While M watch, W, moving to R and away from M, dance 1 CW cir with 8 small steps, beg R (2 steps per meas);
9-12	Repeat action of meas Fig IV, meas 1-4, except that M end with three stamps with R, no wt;
13-16	Repeat action of Fig IV, meas 5-8, except that W move to L and away from M to dance 1 CCW cir, beg L, and without taking wt on last step with R.

V.	ARCHES

1-8	M joinhands in a line and W keep hands on hips. With 16 small steps, walk twd ptr, then W duck under arches of M raised hands (passing R sides to L of ptr), and all continue to ptrs pos and turn R to face ptr, with M dropping hands;
9-16	Repeat action of Fig V, meas 1-8, except that M duck under arches formed by W (passing R sides to L of ptr), ending in orig pos;

VI.	M PRYSIADKAS

1-2	M: Keeping eyes on ptr, dance 1 Heel-Prysiadka. W: Keeping eyes on ptr, step R swd (meas 1); step L in back of R, bending knees, with L shldr following L ft so that W almost face foot of set (meas 2);
3-4	M: Dance 1 Heel-Prysiadka; W: Step R, turning R to face diag L of the head of hte set with L shldr diag twd ptr (ct 1); step L next to R (ct 2); step R in place (ct 1); pause (ct 2);
5-8	M: Dance 2 Heel-Prysiadkas; W: Repeat action of Fig VI, meas 1-4, except beg with L, and step diag bwd twd orig pos; on step in back almost face head of set; on the three quick steps, face diag R of ft of set with R shldr twd ptr.
9-16	M: Dance 4 Heel-Prysiadkas; W: Repeat action of Fig VI, meas 1-8.

VII.	CPL TURN

1-14	Beg R, meet ptr and, hooking R arms (except that arms are straight and held stiffly with R hand at small of ptrs back and L hand low and out to side), turn CW with 28 small walking steps, 2 per meas, endingwith M facing head of set and W facing ft of set;
15-16	M: Bending L arm, dance 4 steps in place, ending facing head of hall. W: Hooking L arm in M bent R arm, walk three steps and a touch to make 1/2 turn to R to end facing head of hall.

VIII.	FWD AND BWD

1	Stamp inside ft (M R, W L) next to heel of outside ft with toe turned out, taking wt and bending knee (ct 1); step fwd on outside ft with toe pointing in LOD (ct 2);
2-8	Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 1, seven more times, finishing with wt on M L, W R;
9	Lowering hands slowly from hooked pos to inside hands joined, step bwd (M R, W L) on ball of ft (ct 1); step bwd (M L, W R) on ball of ft (ct &); fall onto flat of ft (M R, W L), extending free ft fwd with toe turned out and body turned twd dir toe is pointing (ct 2);
10	Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9, starting M L, W R;
11-14	Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9-10, two more times;
15	Repeat action of Fig VIII, meas 9;
1	Stamp (M L, W R), taking wt (ct 1); stamp (M R, W L), taking wt and ending facing ptr (ct 2).

IX.	FLIP TURNS

1	With inside hands still joined, step swd (M L, W R), making a full pivot turn to M L, W R, to end facing ptr;
2	Dance three steps in place (beg M R, W L), facing ptr (cts 1,&,2);
3-8	Repeat action of Fig IX, meas 1-2, three more times, ending facing ptr;
9	M and W stamp R, M clapping hands and taking wt, W with hands on hips but without taking wt;
10	M stamp L, taking wt, with knees slightly bent and arms ready to help with the following turn, as W stamp R again;
11-12	M: Pivot to R on R one full turn on 2 cts, stoping turn with a step on L on first ct of meas 12; W: With hands on hips and beg R, turn to R once around in 4 steps, 2 per meas;
13-16	Repeat action of Fig IX, meas 9-12.

X.	BRIDGE

1-32	Form a bridge by joining inside hands (M R, W L) and facing the head of the hall. First cpl turns in and travels down under the the bridge formed by the raised hands of the second cpl. AS soon as the first cpl is started, the second cpl follows, and so on. Cpls forming the bridge move up as the ones ahead duck under the bridge. When the end of the bridge is reached, M turns to his R and W turns to her L, join inside hands with ptr, and move up the set in bridge formation. All cpls should be in orig pos by the end of the 32 meas. NOTE 1: When cpls are a part of the bridge with inside hands joined, dance the same steps as in Fig VIII, meas 1-8. When cpls are going under the bridge, walk 2 small steps per meas, to end with cpls facing head of hall with inside hands joined. NOTE 2: Cpl pos for going under bridge with M on W R, join R hands at M back, M put L hand on W L shldr, W put L hand on hip, both crouch down with heads together.

XI.	FORM CIR

1-16	First M lead set into CW cir using 8 Traveling-Steps. Each W joins R hand with L of M behind. As soon as possible, first M and last W join hands to complete cir.

XII.	PRYSIADKAS IN CIR

1-6	W: Repeat action of Fig VI for the full 16 meas. M: Dropping hands and facing ctr of cir, dance 3 Heel-Prysiadkas (1 per 2 meas);
7-8	M: Beg R, walk 4 steps into cir and turn to face ptr with back to ctr;
9-16	M: Dance 4 Heel-Prysiadkas (1 per 2 meas).

XIII.	FINALE

1-4	With R arm around ptr, L arm high, R hips adjacent, turn CW with ptr dancing 8 quick walking steps beg R (2 per meas);
5-8	Continuing cpl turn, dance 4 Buzz-Steps;
9-12	Repeat action of Fig XIII, meas 1-4;
13-14	Dance 2 Buzz-Steps, ending with W on outside of cir;
15-16	With lead from M, W turns to R 1 1/2 times with 4 stamps (taking wt) to end facing LOD with inside hands joined and outside hands raised, palm up (M may stamp on last ct).
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes