Kak u Klyuchika (By a Spring) is a circle folk dance from (or in the style of) Russia introduced in USA by Anatol Joukowsky in 1960 at Stockton Folk Dance Camp. The dance is women’s wedding circle dance (Horovodnaya Pliaska = “circle dance”) from Yaroslavl, Velikarussia (Great Russia, a geographical location in Central Russia).
| Dance Name: | Kak u Klyuchika |
| Original Script: | Как у ключика |
| Pronunciation: | KAH koo KLEE-yoo-chi-kah |
| Translation: | By a Spring |
| Aliases: | By a Spring; Kak u kluchika; Kak u kliutchyka |
| Country of Origin: | Russia |
| Region: | Yaroslavl |
| Presented in USA: | Anatol Joukowsky |
| Year: | 1960 @ Stockton Folk Dance Camp |
| Dance Type: | Non-Partner | Circle/Chain Horovodnaya Pliaska = “circle dance” |
| Dance Category: | Oldies RIFD & Living Village |
| Folk Status: | Village Traditional, Living |
| Holiday: | Women’s wedding circle dance |
| Skill Level: | Easy |
| Energy Intensity: | Gentle or Moderate |
| Song: | Kak u klyuchika (By a Spring) |
| Time Signature: | 2/4 or 6/4 IFD docs list as 3/4 or 6/8, however, the IFD music is 2/4; Live YouTube posts are in 6/4; All are 12-beat phrasing |
| Dancer Formation: | Closed Circle, heads bowed |
| Hand Hold: | V-pos |
| Leads to: | R w/ R-extend |
| Date Taught: | 10/22/2024 |
| Teacher: | Sallie & Deryl |
| Published: | November 8, 2024 |
| Updated: | April 7, 2025 |
There’s not much on the web about this dance—one of the few Russian entries in the American international folk dance (IFD) repertoire. Don at Folkdance Footnotes has a little background on Anatol Joukowsky and speculates that he is probably the choreographer and not just the presenter. However, I happened across a present-day village version of the dance on the Russian version of YouTube, VK Video (unless they are an IFD group in Russia???) This version of the song, “Как у ключика, у текучего” (By the flowing spring) is a patriotic, polyphonic folk song that seems to require much gesticulation on the part of the singers. It is much different (and more pleasant) than the 1940s touring Russian chorus artifact paired with the dance by Joukowsky. What’s more is that the “patriotic” version is in fact in 6/4 time (2 * 3), so Joukowsky’s notes about the song being in 3/4 time lead me to postulate that he couldn’t find an appropriate recording at the time. What he found was something still called “Kak u Klyuchika” but, as it happened, it was in 2/4 with a different melody, but similar lyrics. I like the patriotic version, but it’s fast with little time for all the of ballet styling Joukowsky describes, so perhaps he preferred the slower version?
Dance Counting
The dance notes from Anatol Joukowsky assert that the supplied music meter is triple (3/4) when it is in fact duple (2/4). The author torments the reader to wrap phrasing counts between measures for no benefit over straightforward 1, 2, 1, 2 duple counting. For dancer counting, you can also use 4 for the 1st part, but the 2nd is weird any way you count, because it’s three steps of 2-beat length meter =(1.5 * 2) * 2, so you have to break a bar. If you want to avoid all that confusion, just count to 12; regardless of the time signature, the phrasing is 12 counts in the scratchy choral version and the patriotic folk versions.
- All steps are on the balls of the feet; gentle and smooth.
- Head is bowed.
- Head and body are inclined toward extended foot in Fig. 1
- The 2nd step of Fig 1. (not counting the point) calls for a close of one foot to the instep of the other. This isn’t a “natural” step, so it takes pre-thought. The video example shows a natural step instead.
- The Joukowsky notes don’t call for a foot arc on the mirror image half of Figure 2, but it’s in all of the video examples and in Don’s notes, and I don’t see why you wouldn’t add it for symmetry.
Each figure borrows a starting count from the other, i.e. the figure starts on the very last count of the other figure. To begin Figure 1, you extend your R foot on count 2 of bar 24 in Figure 2 and step on the foot on count 1 of bar 1.
| Bar (2/4 Time): 4-Beat Step Counting: 12-Beat Phrase Count: | Beat: 1 Step: 1 Step: 1, 5, 9 | 2 2 2, 6, 10 | 1 3 3, 7, 11 | 2 4 4, 8, 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *24 | – | – | – | R-extend |
| FIGURE 1 | ||||
| 1-2 | R | L close | R | L-extend |
| 3-4 | L | R close | L | R-extend |
| 5-6 | R | L close | R | Turn to ctr; L-extend + arc to L (start of Fig 2) |
| FIGURE 2 | ||||
| 7-8 | L | R-behind L | ||
| 9-10 | L close | R to R (w/ or w/o arc) | ||
| 11-12 | L-behind R | R close | L-extend (start of Fig 1, opposite) | |
| 13-24 | (Repeat w/ | opposite | footwork | & direction) |
Dancing Examples: RIFD
Dancing & Music Example: Living village dancing to the “patriotic” version of Kak u klyuchika by Мотивы Дивы (Motivy Divy “Motives of the Diva”) Entho-Folk Ensemble
Мотивы Дива (Motives of the Diva ensemble) sings «Как у ключика» “patriotic” version in 6/4 (triple duple = 2+2+2) on “Russian YouTube” VK Video (you may have to disable all privacy blockers and click the Russian “I’m not a robot” popup to get this embed to play). The audio is good for a phone recording, and you too could dance this one! It doesn’t take much to be better quality than the standard IFD recording.
Music for Dancing: Kak u klyuchika (By a Spring)
Izmailovskaya Sloboda Folklore Association
A cappella singers from the folklore association “Izmailovskaya Sloboda” in Moscow sing the “Patriotic Version.” I love this! Very well done!
Don has the only recording I can find on the web of the music used for the dance. The audio quality makes it not a such great listening experience, but it’s probably the best you can get from something from the 1940s. If you have old folk dance records, maybe they are in better shape, or maybe that’s just how it sounds. It appears on an LP pressed in the 1950s from 78s of a decade or two before that. The Internet Archive has a scan of the CRLPX 013 LP jacket and LP, but no audio available; the same goes for the Stinson SLP 1003 LP.
- Folk Daces-Songs, Colosseum CRLPX #013, Side A, Band 10
- “By a Spring (Kak u Klyuchika),” sung by the Rudneva Russian Folk Song Chorus, under A. Rudneva
- “By a spring the lover is awaiting his secret love, but Dunia does not come.”
- Russian Folk Songs, Stinson SLP #1003, Vol 4, Side A, Band 6
- “By a Spring,” sung by the Piatnitsky (Pyatnitsky, Пятницкого) Chorus
- “In this song several girls are describing what the man of their dreams should be like. Each has her own ideas so as to what he should look like and what his talents should be.”
Patriotic Song Version: Как у ключика, у текучего
Bonus: Love song version by Разноцветье (Multi-Colors) (sort of like IFD version)
Lyrics to Kak u klyuchika
Lyrics: IFD version
Kak u klyuchika, u kipucheva,Folk Dance Problem Solver, 2013/Folkdance Footnotes
Oi, luli, luli, u kipucheva.
U kolodet-sa da, u glubokovo,
Oi luli, luli, u glubokovo.
Tam poidyot kupatsia, tarn sedoy pleskalsia,
Oi, luli, luli, tam sedoy pleskalsia.
Stanem vorovite, stanem shubu shite,
Oi, Luli, luli, stanem shubu shite.
Shubushka bobrova, vipushka gotova,
Oi, luli,luli, vipushka gotova.
Vipushka gotova, devka chernobrova,
Oi, luli,luli, devka chernobrova.
Devka chernobrova, liubit neputova,
Oi, luli,luli, liubit neputova.
Liubit neputova, parnia molodovo,
Oi, luli,luli, parnia molodovo.
Liubit, da ne liubit, tolko dushi krushit,
Oi, luli, luli, tolko dushi krushit.
Tolko dushi krushit, rumianets vivodit,
Oi, luli, luli, rumianets vivodit.
Here we are by a spring, a bubbling spring,
Oi, luli, luli, by a bubbling spring.
Here we are at the well, by the very deep well,
Oi, luli, luli, by the very deep well.
There is a greybeard man and he was splashing,
Oi, luli, luli...
We will steal, we will sew a fur coat,
Oi, luli, luli...
The fur coat from a beaver, the fur coat is ready,
Oi, luli, luli...
The fur coat is ready, the girl with the black brows,
Oi, luli, luli...
The girl with the black brows, she loves a good-for-nothing,
Oi, luli, luli...
She loves a good-for-nothing, one young man,
Oi, luli, luli...
To love or not to love, only to destroy the soul,
Oi, luli, luli...
Only to destroy the soul, her blush she readjusts,
Oi, luli, luli, her blush she readjusts.
Lyrics: Patriotic versions (with poor translations via Google Translate)
Pesni.guruКак у ключика у текучего
Там сидело два, два голубчика
Там сидело два, два голубчика
Целовалися миловалися
Целовалися миловалися
Сизыми крылами обнималися
Что ж ты селезень не весел сидишь
Не весел не весел голову повесил
Как мне селезню веселому быть
Вчера у меня утица была
Утица была не подстреленна
А нынче она подстреленная
Не досадно было б кабы на воде
А то на бугре в шелковой траве
Что ж ты паренек не весел сидишь
Не весел не весел голову повесил
Как мне пареньку веселому быть
Вчера у меня девушка была
Девушка была не просватанна
А нынче она просватанная
Не досадно было б кабы за кого
А то за того товарища мово.Like a spring at a flowing one
There sat two, two little doves
There sat two, two little doves
Kissing and making love
Kissing and making love
Embracing with gray wings
Why are you sitting, drake, not happy
Not happy, not happy, you hung your head
How can I be a happy drake
Yesterday I had a duck
The duck was not shot
And today he was shot
It would not be a shame if on the water
But on the hillock in the silky grass
Why are you sitting, lad, not happy
Not happy, not happy, you hung your head
How can I be a happy lad
Yesterday I had a girl
The girl was not betrothed
And today she is betrothed
It would not be a shame if for someone
But for that comrade of mine.
shansonprofi.ruКак у ключика было у текучего,
У колодца-то было у студёного,
Молодой казак-душечка спочив имел,
Он спочив имел — он коня кормил,
Он кормил-то, поил, всё выглаживал:
«Уж ты, конь ли мой, конёчек вороненький,
Что не ешь-то ты, мой конь, шелковой травы?
Не пьёшь ты, мой конь, ключевой воды
И не ешь-то, не пьёшь, невесел стоишь?
Ты повесил, мой конь, свою буйну головушку.
Иль ты чуешь, мой конь, над собой невзгодушку,
Ты невзгодушку чуешь, несчастье великое?
Тяжела ли тебе моя сбруя ратная?
Иль я-то на тебе, хозяин, тяжело сижу?»
«Ты, хозяин ты мой, ты, хозяинушко,
Не тяжела мне твоя сбруя ратная,
Да сам-то ты, хозяин, не тяжело сидишь,
Как тебе-то, хозяину, быть убитому,
Как а мне-то, твоему конечку, быть подстреленному»As it was by the flowing spring,
By the cold well,
A young Cossack, my dear, had a rest,
He had a rest - he fed his horse,
He fed, watered, ironed everything:
"Oh, my horse, my little raven horse,
Why don't you eat, my horse, the silky grass?
You don't drink, my horse, the spring water
And you don't eat, you don't drink, you stand there sad?
You've hung your wild little head, my horse.
Or do you sense, my horse, misfortune above you,
Do you sense misfortune, great misfortune?
Is my military harness heavy for you?
Or do I sit heavily on you, master?"
“You, my master, you, my little master,
Your military harness is not heavy for me,
And you yourself, master, are not heavy to sit,
How can you, the master, be killed,
How can I, your little horse, be shot down”
Lyrics: Разноцветье, the singing & balalaika duet in the video above
Как у ключика, ключика,From the website of duet in the video above: Разноцветье. This is closer to the version used for the international folk dance than the “patriotic” version, but it is still something different.
У камушка у горючего,
Ой, лели, ой, лели, лели,
У камушка у горючего.
У колодезя студеная вода,
Филин – сударь выводил свово коня,
Ой, лели, ой, лели, лели, ох,
Егорович слово воронова.
Уж как Марья воду черпала,
Почерпнула ды поставила,
Ой, лели, ой, лели, лели,
Почерпнула ды поставила.
Почерпнула ды поставила,
Со Филином речи баила,
Ой, лели, ой, лели, лели,
Со Егорычем гутарила.
Она баила – гутарила, ой,
Про сторонушку выспрашивала,
Ой, лели, ой, лели, лели,
Про сторонушку выспрашивала
Like a key, a key,poor translation via Google Translate
At the stone of the fuel,
Oh, leli, oh, leli, leli,
At the stone of the fuel.
At the well the cold water,
The owl - the lord led out his horse,
Oh, leli, oh, leli, leli, oh,
Yegorovich the word of the raven.
How Marya scooped up the water,
She scooped up and put it down,
Oh, leli, oh, leli, leli,
She scooped up and put it down.
She scooped up and put it down,
She was talking with the owl,
Oh, leli, oh, leli, leli,
She was talking with Yegorych.
She was talking - talking, oh,
She was asking about the side,
Oh, leli, oh, leli, leli,
She was asking about the side