Ya da kalinushku lomala [Hennie Konings] • Circle Folk Dance • Russia/Cossack

Dancing Demo w/ Hennie Konings

Choreography drift in IFD groups

I learned the dance at least 4^th hand. I didn’t think much about the “right” way until I was confirming whether a step started with the left or right foot. After reading Radboud Koop’s notes from Stockton 2008 and then surveying, at first, a couple dance videos, and then, all I could find, I noticed some groups doing steps like we do and others doing steps the original way that Konings and Koop had taught. I don’t have documentation from other teachers, but it might be the case of the dance being taught “not as written” or a teacher that “enhanced” the original choreography for whatever reasons.

Keys to dancing YDKL the Konings way

Fortunately, we have a video of the dance from a Hennie Konings workshop. In addition, we have notes from Radboud Koop, a protégé of Konnings who regularly teaches workshops on Konnings’ behalf, and an American IDF-ified version from Let’s Dance. The notes don’t give extensive detail, but the steps are simple, and the video solidifies the motions.

Key Step, not Chicken Step: Part 1, Meas 5-8

As written, just a step to the right, touch softly w/ L next to R, then step down on that foot. There is no waddling back and forth like a chicken or other fowl with L to the L and then a R touch next to L. I added a “Pause” to the notation for the & of count 2 to emphasize this point.

Bonus 1: Note how the hands are placed on the waist in Parts 2 & 3. Fingers are curled and thumbs point back. Let’s Dance attempts to clarify the original text “fingers closed” by adding “and pointed fwd,” but it’s knuckles (MCP) pointing forward (as much as you can point a knuckle).

Bonus 2: When rejoining hands, present them to neighbors in opening, upward and outward arcs from the elbows.

Slightly incline head (bow) and bend upper body:
Part 1, Meas 10

Add some style by doing this when making the heavy stamps RLR in the center.

3 walking steps in 4 beats (QQS), not Step-Together-Step:
Part 2, Meas 1-8

The notes give no indication of how seductive this step really is: “Moving in LOD, three-step fwd R, L, R (cts 1, &, 2).” [Let’s Dance has an error and says “two-step.”] What’s not emphasized in the notes is that the third step, which gets a full count instead of the half each of the first two, is just like the first in stride, but takes twice as long. Everyone in the circle is moving in harmony in a continuous walking motion with a funky time warp factor on the third step. The upper body flows while the feet march QQS, QQS…

Walking Heel-Touch steps, not Stand-In-Place:
Part 3, Meas 1-8

The heel touches are out in front, further than the distance of a step, but then the foot comes back about half a foot-length and is placed down at a normal step stride. The notes say the “slightly heavy” steps RLR of meas 4 are “in place,” but Konnings does a small amount of travel on these as well, albeit with smaller steps. It’s not in the notes, but, in the video, the back and head are aligned and somewhat reclined while the chest is forward.