Daskalica

This dance is new to Fort Collins, but it’s introduction to RIFD in 1978 by Bora Gajicki just makes my magical 1980 Oldies vs Modern cut. Everyone should be able to get at least half this dance on the first try. Sallie discovered the dance on Folk Dance Musings, taught herself, then taught us several times, but no one practiced at home enough to remember to hop at the correct times…sorry.

I can only find one dancing video example and no music examples, but we were fortunate enough to get the music from another group’s collection. The recording comes from the folk dance LP, Borino Kolo Folk Ensemble BK-678. Bora learned the dance (a slightly different version) while he was a member of Kolo.

There are two dance notes documents, both reportedly from a Bora Gajicki workshop, but the Figure II in Dorothy Daw’s notes describe a simpler version, yet the movement is more seesaw-like, while the other document is more similar to Tucson FD, but still has more seesaw than Tucson.

Practice Tips:

Figure II: The rhythm is as it was in Figure I, SQQ, but now it’s double time. You get along just fine with the first SQQ, and then the next S, but then you have to remember to wait it out on the foot that’s down before hopping on that same foot, with the other off the floor, for a Q and then down on the foot that was up for the other Q. When you are just learning, skip the part about a quick lift crossing in front of the shin while hopping. This comes fast, and you have to anticipate it with an “and” before the Q hop (S +QQ). This “and”-anticipation happens on the first step of the figure too. You have to get your foot around in front and crossed on the “and,” so you could put it down on the beat.

In the second part of Figure II, now this hop and lift to shin business gets a full S to happen, so that will confuse you, if your treating it like the former. Just remember that the first time through the second half of Figure II your R foot will be involved in each S of the SQQ, and it will be the L on the way back. Finally, remember that you can slow down the video playback in YouTube. Just hit the Settings gear icon, select Playback speed and then 0.75 or slower. -David