This dance….
is called:Веснянка (Spring Song)
This dance is part of the Vesnianky-hahilky culture. Vesnianky-hahilky are ritual folk songs sung by girls in conjunction with ritual dances and games from early spring until the Feast of the Holy Trinity, particularly at Easter.
Societal relevance
Vesnianky-hahilky were performed in the village street, churchyard, cemetery, or pasture. Originally their purpose was to persuade the mysterious forces of nature to provide the people with a bountiful harvest and a happy life. The magical function of the songs was eventually forgotten, and they became entertainment.
The Vesnianky season opened as a rule with a farewell to winter, which took place on Candlemas, the day marking the meeting of winter and summer or at the first sighting of migratory birds. A straw or wooden image of winter called Smert (Death), Mara (Specter), or Kostrub (Slob) was burned or drowned to the singing of vesnianky, and then spring, personified by a young girl crowned with a wreath and holding a green branch in her hand , was welcomed with ritual dances, games, and folk songs . In some localities bird-shaped bread was baked and tossed by children into the air to represent birds in flight. Many Vesnianky were addressed to birds, groves and woods, trees and flowers, asking them to assist the coming of spring
The Ukrainian folk dances have been highly instrumentalized during the period of the Soviet Union. The folk dances allowed the local population and different ethnic groups of the different countries such as the Ukraine a space to follow their traditional culture within the heavily imposed ideologist culture of the Soviet Union. The folk dances thus served as identification for the different ethnicities that were part of the Soviet Union. Many folk dances have been composed into stage pieces. Nevertheless, those stage pieces link back to the dance steps and music of the former folk dances.
Costume
The dancers wear a traditional Ukrainian hairdress, a white embroidered blouse, checked colorful skirts with an embroidered apron, red boots and a red necklace. The costumes in the video are merely a stylistic copy of traditional Ukrainian clothing.
For further detail of traditional clothing and its implications click here.
[1] Talks with MAVKA (Artist Collective from Ukraine)
[2] Encyclopediaofukraine, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CV%5CE%5CVesnianky6hahilkyIT.htm
[3] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesnianky
[4] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_in_Ukraine
How to dance the dance
The dance consists of gests, slow and to up-scale fast movements in which traditional step pattern are arranged in various constellation. During the dance piece the dancers arrange themselves into ever new group constellations ranging from circles formations, lines, smaller group formations and solos. The dramaturgy consists of slow phases, narrative elements and virtuosic dance steps.
Excerpt from minute 02:15- 03:00
Dancers- Starting position
8 female dancers
Repeat 4x (right/left/ right/left):
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front. The right leg is stretched out to the front performing a jump, with the left leg subsequently closing the two legs together again and a third little jump with the right leg on place to shift the weight onto the right so that the left leg is free to perform the Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump starting with the left leg.
The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x
Passé with the right leg from the front closing in the back on demie-point, Pas de Borré triple on place.
Passé with the left leg from the front closing in the back on demie-point, Pas de Borré triple on place
4 x Passé jumping backwards starting with the right leg.
The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x (right/left)
2 Assemblée jumped to the right with flexed feet hitting each other in the air. There while the left arm performs a circle in front of the body, the right arm is bend and placed on the right hip. The dancers look diagonal upwards to the right. Then Pas de Borré on place with parallel feet to change direction.
Performing a small circle around themselves clockwise the dancers perform Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front. They end up at the same place they started off. The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x (right/left)
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the left foot. On the third jump the left leg is stretched out to the side with flexed foot. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
1x
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the left foot. On the third jump the left leg is stretched out to the side with flexed foot, with the right leg closing towards the left leg to perform an Assemblé in the air with flexed feet hitting each other. The dancers land on the left foot with right leg in the air which is then pendulum-like closing to the shift the weight to lift up the leg left parallel with flexed foot, closing in again to once more lift the right leg left parallel with flexed foot. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
1x
1 Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the right foot with on the third jump the left leg stretched out to the side with flexed foot.
Skip-step: Quick small jump, jumping left, right to place both feet back on the floor.
Tripple Jump around the axis of the dancer: The right leg jumps around the left leg performing a half circle, the dancers look to the back. While landing the left foot tips on the floor with the toes while the knee is bend outwards. With another half-turn jump the dancers face again to the front standing on their right leg with the left leg stretched out with the heel tipping on the floor. Skip-step: Quick small jump, jumping left, right to place both feet back on the floor. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
Repeat 2x (left/right)
Diagonally stamping to the left side front. 3 steps starting with the right leg stamping on the floor with the whole foot and the left foot coming in to close. The arms open wide to the front, the to the side while holding the strings of their head ornament.
Diagonally stamping the same ways backwards 3 steps starting with the left leg stamping on the floor with only the fore foot while the knee is bent and the right foot coming in to close with the whole sole of the foot on the floor. The arms also perform the movement backwards, closing widely over the front ending in a bend positions with the hands placed on the hips. On the way back the head slightly shakes from side to side.
Perform to the other side diagonally right.
Repeat 2x (left/right)
3 small quick tipple steps stamping left, right with the left foot stamping with the entire sole of the foot and the right foot with only the toes, with the knee bend outwards. The body thereby turns in to the left with the right arm bending in a long line over to the left. The other arm is bend and placed on the hip. The dancers look over the left shoulder downwards.
Small jump onto the left leg to stretch out the right leg with the heel placed on the floor, diagonally to the right. Turning clockwise around their own axis the dancers jump Right, left.
The dancers now split up into 4 groups of 3 dancers holding each other’s hands and jumping 2 groups anti-clockwise, 2 groups clockwise - 8 x Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front in a circle. From this pattern the whole group arranges in a big half circle facing to the front.
Standing in a half circle
Repeat 4 x (right/left/right/left)
Standing in a half circle they open the right leg to the side to step on it while the left leg follows- the left leg being turned out and bent with only the toes tipping on the floor.
Repeat 2 x (right/left)
While jumping on the left leg, the right leg bends, turns in and the toes are tipping on the floor. With the next jump on the left leg, the right leg stretches, turns out in and the heel is tipping on the floor. With the next jump on the left leg, the right leg is still turned out but bends in in front of the left leg so that the right heel touches the left knee.
The dance consists of gests, slow and to up-scale fast movements in which traditional step pattern are arranged in various constellation. During the dance piece the dancers arrange themselves into ever new group constellations ranging from circles formations, lines, smaller group formations and solos. The dramaturgy consists of slow phases, narrative elements and virtuosic dance steps.
Excerpt from minute 02:15- 03:00
Dancers- Starting position
8 female dancers
Repeat 4x (right/left/ right/left):
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front. The right leg is stretched out to the front performing a jump, with the left leg subsequently closing the two legs together again and a third little jump with the right leg on place to shift the weight onto the right so that the left leg is free to perform the Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump starting with the left leg.
The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x
Passé with the right leg from the front closing in the back on demie-point, Pas de Borré triple on place.
Passé with the left leg from the front closing in the back on demie-point, Pas de Borré triple on place
4 x Passé jumping backwards starting with the right leg.
The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x (right/left)
2 Assemblée jumped to the right with flexed feet hitting each other in the air. There while the left arm performs a circle in front of the body, the right arm is bend and placed on the right hip. The dancers look diagonal upwards to the right. Then Pas de Borré on place with parallel feet to change direction.
Performing a small circle around themselves clockwise the dancers perform Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front. They end up at the same place they started off. The arms are bend with the elbows facing down and the hands holding the strings of their head ornament.
Repeat2x (right/left)
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the left foot. On the third jump the left leg is stretched out to the side with flexed foot. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
1x
Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the left foot. On the third jump the left leg is stretched out to the side with flexed foot, with the right leg closing towards the left leg to perform an Assemblé in the air with flexed feet hitting each other. The dancers land on the left foot with right leg in the air which is then pendulum-like closing to the shift the weight to lift up the leg left parallel with flexed foot, closing in again to once more lift the right leg left parallel with flexed foot. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
1x
1 Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump with parallel feet facing the front starting with the right foot with on the third jump the left leg stretched out to the side with flexed foot.
Skip-step: Quick small jump, jumping left, right to place both feet back on the floor.
Tripple Jump around the axis of the dancer: The right leg jumps around the left leg performing a half circle, the dancers look to the back. While landing the left foot tips on the floor with the toes while the knee is bend outwards. With another half-turn jump the dancers face again to the front standing on their right leg with the left leg stretched out with the heel tipping on the floor. Skip-step: Quick small jump, jumping left, right to place both feet back on the floor. The arms are bend and placed on the hip.
Repeat 2x (left/right)
Diagonally stamping to the left side front. 3 steps starting with the right leg stamping on the floor with the whole foot and the left foot coming in to close. The arms open wide to the front, the to the side while holding the strings of their head ornament.
Diagonally stamping the same ways backwards 3 steps starting with the left leg stamping on the floor with only the fore foot while the knee is bent and the right foot coming in to close with the whole sole of the foot on the floor. The arms also perform the movement backwards, closing widely over the front ending in a bend positions with the hands placed on the hips. On the way back the head slightly shakes from side to side.
Perform to the other side diagonally right.
Repeat 2x (left/right)
3 small quick tipple steps stamping left, right with the left foot stamping with the entire sole of the foot and the right foot with only the toes, with the knee bend outwards. The body thereby turns in to the left with the right arm bending in a long line over to the left. The other arm is bend and placed on the hip. The dancers look over the left shoulder downwards.
Small jump onto the left leg to stretch out the right leg with the heel placed on the floor, diagonally to the right. Turning clockwise around their own axis the dancers jump Right, left.
The dancers now split up into 4 groups of 3 dancers holding each other’s hands and jumping 2 groups anti-clockwise, 2 groups clockwise - 8 x Tripplet-Pas de Borré Jump to the front in a circle. From this pattern the whole group arranges in a big half circle facing to the front.
Standing in a half circle
Repeat 4 x (right/left/right/left)
Standing in a half circle they open the right leg to the side to step on it while the left leg follows- the left leg being turned out and bent with only the toes tipping on the floor.
Repeat 2 x (right/left)
While jumping on the left leg, the right leg bends, turns in and the toes are tipping on the floor. With the next jump on the left leg, the right leg stretches, turns out in and the heel is tipping on the floor. With the next jump on the left leg, the right leg is still turned out but bends in in front of the left leg so that the right heel touches the left knee.