VRANJANKA

Serbian

 
PRONUNCIATION: VRAHN-yahn-kah
 
TRANSLATION: A woman from the town of Vranje
 
SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Dick Crum who taught it to folk dancers in the United States in 1955. Dennis Boxell, Anatol Joukowsky, and Atanas Kolarovski also introduced dances by the same name.
 
BACKGROUND: The dance comes from Vranje, a town in southern Serbia. The most popular tune for the dance is Šano Dušo, meaning "Shana, dear." It is also danced to the tunes Belo Lenče and Oj Ti Pile. The White bridge in Vranje is a symbol of the city and is called "most ljubavi" (lovers bridge) after the tale about the forbidden love between the Muslim girl Ajša and Christian Stojan that resulted in the father killing the couple. After that, he built the bridge where he had killed her and had the story written as an inscription in Ottoman Arabic.
 
MUSIC: Folkdancer (45rpm) MH 45-3020 (Šano Dušo);
Folkraft (45rpm) 1493x45 (Šano Dušo);

XOPO (45rpm) X-314 (Šano Dušo);
Monitor (LP) MF 356, side 1, band 1 (Šano Dušo);
Festival (LP) FLP-1505 (Belo Lenče);
Festival (45rpm) FEP-101 (Belo Lenče);

Crum, Dick. "Vranjanka" (sheet music), Vranjanka and Other Jugoslav Songs and Dances, Hargail Music Press, New York, 1954.

Geisler, Richard. "Vranjanka" (sheet music), The Yugoslav Collection, The Village & Early Music Society, 15181 Ballantree Lane, Grass Valley, CA 95949-7633.

FORMATION: Open cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held up in modified "W" pos: hands extended fwd at shldr level with arms gently curved.
 
METER/RHYTHM: 7/8, sometimes played strangely in 3/4), the slow-quick-quick rhythm (3-2-2=7) noted in dancer's counts below as 1,2,3.
 
STEPS/STYLE: The body, leaning bwd slightly to conteract the extended arms, is relaxed, the flexing of the knees giving a languorous feeling to the shldrs and arms.
 
MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
 
  INTRODUCTION
 
  None.
 
  THE DANCE
 
1 Step R swd (ct 1), rise slightly on R as L is brought in front of R (ct 2); step L across in front of R (ct 3);
2 Step R swd with heel slightly turned out to R, body facing slightly L, and at same time flex R knee (ct 1); touch L ft slightly fwd to L and flex knees twice (cts 2,3);
3 Repeat action of meas 2 to L with opp ftwk;
4 Repeat action of meas 2;
5 Step L in place (ct 1); step on ball of R in back of L (ct 2); step L in place (ct 3).
 
  Repeat entire dance from beg.

VRANJANKA
Šano Dušo
Serbia

/ Šano dušo, Šano mori, otvori mi vrata. /
Otvori mi, Šano, vrata, da ti dam dukata.
 
        Chorus:
        Oj le le le le le, izgore za tebe,
        Izgore mi, Šano, srce za tebe.
 
/ Noć li hodi, divna Šano, ja si tuga vijem. /
Ubavinja tvoja, Šano, ne da mi da spijem.
 
Chorus
 
/ Tvoje lice belo, Šano, sneg je sa planino. /
Tvoje čelo gidi, Šano, kako mesešine.
 
Chorus
 
/ Ona usta tvoje, Šano, kako rujne zore. /
Ono oko, dušo moja, mene me izgore.
 
   Šana, dear Šana, open the door for me.
Open for me, Šana and I will give you coins (engagement money).
 
        Chorus:
        Oh, la la la la, burning for you.
        Burning, Šana, is my heart.
 
When night comes, marvelous Šana, I twist in sadness.
Your beauty, Šana, will not let me sleep.
 
Chorus
 
Your fair face, Šana, is snow from the mountains.
Your forehead, Šana, is like moonlight.

Chorus
 
That mouth of yours, Šana, like a deep red sunset.
That eye, my darling makes me burn
 
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes