Letkajenkka
Encyclopedia
Letkajenkka, also known as Letkajenka in English and many other languages, and Letkis is a Finnish
dance
, a music genre
, and both Letkajenkka and Letkis are also proper names, or titles, of songs.
Letkajenkka / Letkis is has been translated, renamed, and misheard and misspelled as Letkiss, Le Letkiss, Let's Kiss to name a few.
music using non-traditional instruments. Traditional instruments for playing the Jenkka, a Finnish traditional music genre and dance, also described as folk dance
, are instruments such as the violin
and accordion
. In the early sixties some composers thought of writing Jenkka tunes for more contemporary bands with instruments like winds
(more swing-like Jenkka) and amplified instruments like electric guitars, bases, and drums (a more Rock'n'Roll or Boogie Woogie-like sound). The form of the letkajenkka songs is consistent with traditional Jenkka, but where the music is distinctively Jenkka, the dance steps are not.
The first to introduce his Letkajenkka song was :fi:Erik Lindström with his song Letkajenkka. A Swedish band called the Adventurers recorded it, and it immediately made the charts in Finland. Later Jan Rohde, a Norwegian artist born in the United States recorded it with lyrics together with the bands the Adventurers and the Wild Ones. The Wild Ones made the charts in Holland, where the letkis craze had lifted four letkis songs to the charts simultaneously.
A half a year later :fi:Rauno Lehtinen followed with his song Letkis. This has become by far the most popular of all songs in the Letkajekka genre. It was first recorded by his studio orchestra Rautalanka Oy in August 1963, but was made popular in October the same year by a group called Ronnie Krank's Orchestra. His chart topper has been rerecorded approximately a hundred times, and at least 60 of the rights to his song are owned by Swedish publisher Stig Anderson. One well known recording of the song is by German musician Roberto Delgado
.
Rauno Lehtinen's song Letkis was then renamed Letkiss, Let's Kiss, Lasst uns Kûssen etc., for easier pronunciation in different languages. The name Letkis has nothing to do with kissing. The idea of kissing has been introduced by non-Finnish speakers, who heard the homophony
and thought that the title of the song sounded like "Kissing." In Finnish Letkis is short for Letkajenkka, a diminutive
or common name, formed by the beginning of the word and adding "is" in the end.
Lehtinen's Letkis made the charts in many European countries, in Latin America, and even in Japan. There are numerous translations including Russian, Swedish, and Japanese. In 1965, four instrumental versions of the tune reached number one in the Netherlands simultaneously. These were by Stig Rauno, Gudrun Jankis, a group called The Wild Ones and the Dutch Swing College Band. All four versions had the English title, Letkiss rather than the original Finnish title. It remained the only Dutch number one to have originated from Finland until 2000, when Freestyler by the Bomfunk MC's
reached number one.
's Poupée de cire, poupée de son (performed at the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest by France Gall
), Gemelle Kessler's Lasciati Baciare Col Letkis, and Ploem Ploem Jenka by :nl:Pieter Goemans.
Also Erik Lindström's Letkajenkka was translated and rerecorded in other languages than Finnish, for example in Italian.
, a novelty dance from the 1950s. It has been proposed that exchange students returning from the United States to Finland would have imported the steps of the Bunny Hop to Finland, as they had seen them on the TV show Bandstand. Where as the Bunny Hop starts with a right foot lead, the Letkajenkka transformed into a dance based on the same step, but starting with a left leg lead. This can be seen from the early recordings for TV and in some movies made during the hottest craze. Also many translated lyrics include advice on the steps: "left kick, left kick, right kick, right kick, forward jump, backward jump, hop, hop, hop."
In Finland the dancers place their hands on the previous dancers shoulders, but Letkis can also be danced by holding the other person's waist.
so that everyone holds the person in front of her/him by the waist or shoulders. The steps go as follows (everybody does the same thing):
(repeat)
1-4 may be enhanced by jumping a bit with the leg opposite to the kicking side.
There are at least two Letkajenkkas by Mimis Plessas
that appear in the Greek movie Mia Trelli, Trelli Oikogeneia (Crazy, crazy family) that is directed by Dinos Dinopoulos :el:Ντίνος Δημόπουλος. There is a scene with people dancing around the pool. The steps are not strictly Jenkka, but the music is in the style of letkis. In another scene, Katerina Gogou ja Alekos Tzanetakos are dancing a Letkajenkka variation as a couple to Letkis music. The choreography is John Flery's.
In the Hungarian movie Patyolat akció (1965), there is Letkajenkka dancing and singing by Mari Törőcsi and Gyula Bodrogi.
A performance of Bunny Hop, the predecessor of the Letkajenkka dance can be seen in the movie Cry-Baby
(1990) with Johnny Depp
.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, a music genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
, and both Letkajenkka and Letkis are also proper names, or titles, of songs.
Letkajenkka / Letkis is has been translated, renamed, and misheard and misspelled as Letkiss, Le Letkiss, Let's Kiss to name a few.
History of the music genre Letkajenkka / Letkis
The music genre that became popular and the dance craze was at its hottest during 1963-1965. The music genre is based on the idea of performing JenkkaJenkka
Jenkka [/jeˈŋkːɑ/] is a fast Finnish partner dance originated in Finnish folk dance. It is danced to the music in 2/4 or 4/4 time signature of about 140 beats per minute....
music using non-traditional instruments. Traditional instruments for playing the Jenkka, a Finnish traditional music genre and dance, also described as folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
, are instruments such as the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. In the early sixties some composers thought of writing Jenkka tunes for more contemporary bands with instruments like winds
WINDS
WINDS , is a Japanese communication satellite. Launch was originally scheduled for 2007. The launch date was eventually set for 15 February 2008, however a problem detected in a second stage manoeuvring thruster delayed it to 23 February...
(more swing-like Jenkka) and amplified instruments like electric guitars, bases, and drums (a more Rock'n'Roll or Boogie Woogie-like sound). The form of the letkajenkka songs is consistent with traditional Jenkka, but where the music is distinctively Jenkka, the dance steps are not.
The first to introduce his Letkajenkka song was :fi:Erik Lindström with his song Letkajenkka. A Swedish band called the Adventurers recorded it, and it immediately made the charts in Finland. Later Jan Rohde, a Norwegian artist born in the United States recorded it with lyrics together with the bands the Adventurers and the Wild Ones. The Wild Ones made the charts in Holland, where the letkis craze had lifted four letkis songs to the charts simultaneously.
A half a year later :fi:Rauno Lehtinen followed with his song Letkis. This has become by far the most popular of all songs in the Letkajekka genre. It was first recorded by his studio orchestra Rautalanka Oy in August 1963, but was made popular in October the same year by a group called Ronnie Krank's Orchestra. His chart topper has been rerecorded approximately a hundred times, and at least 60 of the rights to his song are owned by Swedish publisher Stig Anderson. One well known recording of the song is by German musician Roberto Delgado
Horst Wende
Horst Wende was a German bandleader, arranger and composer. He made easy-listening records under his own name as well as under the name Roberto Delgado...
.
Rauno Lehtinen's song Letkis was then renamed Letkiss, Let's Kiss, Lasst uns Kûssen etc., for easier pronunciation in different languages. The name Letkis has nothing to do with kissing. The idea of kissing has been introduced by non-Finnish speakers, who heard the homophony
Homophony
In music, homophony is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords. This is distinct from polyphony, in which parts move with rhythmic independence, and monophony, in which all parts move in parallel rhythm and pitch. A homophonic...
and thought that the title of the song sounded like "Kissing." In Finnish Letkis is short for Letkajenkka, a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
or common name, formed by the beginning of the word and adding "is" in the end.
Lehtinen's Letkis made the charts in many European countries, in Latin America, and even in Japan. There are numerous translations including Russian, Swedish, and Japanese. In 1965, four instrumental versions of the tune reached number one in the Netherlands simultaneously. These were by Stig Rauno, Gudrun Jankis, a group called The Wild Ones and the Dutch Swing College Band. All four versions had the English title, Letkiss rather than the original Finnish title. It remained the only Dutch number one to have originated from Finland until 2000, when Freestyler by the Bomfunk MC's
Bomfunk MC's
The Bomfunk MC's are a Breakbeat, hip hop and electro group formed in 1998 in Finland. The group's front man is the Finnish rapper B.O. Dubb and the main producer is Jaakko "JS16" Salovaara.-History:...
reached number one.
International Letkajekka songs
The music genre became popular and many composers around the world started writing letkis music. Examples of non-Finnish letkis music include 'La Yenka' (performed by Johnny & Charley Kurt, 1965), GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
's Poupée de cire, poupée de son (performed at the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest by France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
), Gemelle Kessler's Lasciati Baciare Col Letkis, and Ploem Ploem Jenka by :nl:Pieter Goemans.
Also Erik Lindström's Letkajenkka was translated and rerecorded in other languages than Finnish, for example in Italian.
Original Finnish songs
In Finland, among the more known letkis songs are for example- Letkajenkka by Erik Lindström
- Letkis by Rauno Lehtinen
- Doin' the Jenka (trad.)
- At the Jenka Show :fi:Georg Malmstén
- Helsinki-letkis :fi:Toivo Kärki
- :fi:Minne tuuli kuljettaa :fi:Toivo Kärki
- Puhelinlangat laulaa
History of the dance
The steps of Letkajenkka are like the steps of Bunny HopBunny hop
Bunny hop can refer to:*Bunny hop , a novelty dance from the 1950s*Bunny hopping, in video games, a technique used to increase movement speed and control...
, a novelty dance from the 1950s. It has been proposed that exchange students returning from the United States to Finland would have imported the steps of the Bunny Hop to Finland, as they had seen them on the TV show Bandstand. Where as the Bunny Hop starts with a right foot lead, the Letkajenkka transformed into a dance based on the same step, but starting with a left leg lead. This can be seen from the early recordings for TV and in some movies made during the hottest craze. Also many translated lyrics include advice on the steps: "left kick, left kick, right kick, right kick, forward jump, backward jump, hop, hop, hop."
In Finland the dancers place their hands on the previous dancers shoulders, but Letkis can also be danced by holding the other person's waist.
Steps
The people participating in the dance form a Conga-like lineConga Line
The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat...
so that everyone holds the person in front of her/him by the waist or shoulders. The steps go as follows (everybody does the same thing):
- 1 kick to the left with your left foot & step back to the middle
- 2 kick to the left with your left foot & step back to the middle
- 3 kick to the right with your right foot & step back to the middle
- 4 kick to the right with your right foot & step back to the middle
- 5 jump forward with both feet (just a few inches, or the following persons will soon fall behind)
- 6 jump backward with both feet
- 7 & 8 jump forward three times with both feet
(repeat)
1-4 may be enhanced by jumping a bit with the leg opposite to the kicking side.
Letkajenkka in the movies
The movie Jamboree66 (Sampaguita Pictures, Philippines, 1966, directed by Luciano B. Carlos) features a scene where the song Letkis is being played at a club.There are at least two Letkajenkkas by Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas is one of the most significant modern Greek composers. He was born in Athens. In 1952 he started composing music and since then he has written music for over 100 Greek movies, Greek radio, theatre and TV...
that appear in the Greek movie Mia Trelli, Trelli Oikogeneia (Crazy, crazy family) that is directed by Dinos Dinopoulos :el:Ντίνος Δημόπουλος. There is a scene with people dancing around the pool. The steps are not strictly Jenkka, but the music is in the style of letkis. In another scene, Katerina Gogou ja Alekos Tzanetakos are dancing a Letkajenkka variation as a couple to Letkis music. The choreography is John Flery's.
In the Hungarian movie Patyolat akció (1965), there is Letkajenkka dancing and singing by Mari Törőcsi and Gyula Bodrogi.
A performance of Bunny Hop, the predecessor of the Letkajenkka dance can be seen in the movie Cry-Baby
Cry-Baby
Cry-Baby is a 1990 American teen musical film written and directed by John Waters. It stars Johnny Depp as 1950s teen rebel "Cry-Baby" Wade Walker, and also features an expansive ensemble cast that includes Amy Locane, Iggy Pop, Traci Lords, Ricki Lake, Kim McGuire, David Nelson, Susan Tyrrell, and...
(1990) with Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
.