Soviet Ballroom dances
Encyclopedia
Competitions in Ballroom dancing in the former Soviet Union
were held in three dance categories:
Standard dances, Latin dances, and Soviet dances ("Советская программа").
With the exception of Polka, these dances were choreographed basing on some folk dance
s of Soviet republic
s.
The former three are "fast" or "rhythmic" dances, the latter two are "slow" or "lyrical" ones.
All of them had distinctive basic techniques. The meter was 2/4 or 4/4 for all of them. The hold was either open or loose, without body contact. Polka had the tightest hold. Polka, Sudarushka and Russian Lyrical were progressive dances, i.e., moving along the line of dance. Rylio and Varu-Varu were of "stationary" type.
Soviet ballroom dances were a relatively new creation. This dance category was introduced with the stated agenda to counterbalance the influence of Western culture (i.e., Ballroom dancing, rock music
, the Beatles
, etc.). During the relatively short existence of Soviet Ballroom, only the first three had a chance of becoming true Ballroom/Social dances, judging by the flexibility and spontaneity of choreography, willingness of dancers to dance them during practice hours, etc. Rylio had all chances to repeat the evolution of Swing dances: it was danced quite differently in Baltic republics (smoothly), in Belarus (jumpy), and in Moscow. On the contrary, a heat of Sudarushka during a ballroom competition often looked like a performance of a formation team, all competitors dancing almost the same routine.
At the peak of popularity some huge ball rooms of Moscow
Palaces of Culture
crowded parties of several hundred of ballroom couples in 4-5 concentric circles of Sudarushka.
Today the category is obsolete, but the dances themselves survived, moved back to the category of folk dance
s. At some dance events, such as "Neva Cup" (Невский кубок) in St. Petersburg, balls of Esta-Mephi club, Moscow
, or "Russian Formation Cup-2007" held in Tyumen
these dances comprise the competition category of "Homeland Dances" (Отечественные танцы).
All steps/taps are in place, with slight one-foot skipping action. Author - choreographer - Adomas Gineitis
music.
dances. the dance is of vivid and light character, of medium to faster tempo in 2/4 time.
The recommended tunes are "Русский лирический" (Russian Lyrical) or "Подмосковные вечера" (Moscow Nights
)
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
were held in three dance categories:
Standard dances, Latin dances, and Soviet dances ("Советская программа").
Soviet category
The Soviet category comprised- - PolkaPolkaThe polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
- Rylio - Varu-Varu - Sudarushka - Russian Lyrical
With the exception of Polka, these dances were choreographed basing on some 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....
s of Soviet republic
Republics of the Soviet Union
The Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically-based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...
s.
- - Rylio is of LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n origin, created by Skaistė Idzelevičienė, the leader of the Lithuanian ballroom formation team ŽuvėdraŽuvedraŽuvėdra is a dancesport formation dance team currently affiliated with Klaipėda University, Klaipėda, Lithuania. It was founded in 1965 by the veterans of Lithuanian ballroom dance Skaistė Idzelevičienė and Romaldas Idzelevičius....
. - - Varu-Varu (translated as "I can, I can") is of LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n origin. - - Sudarushka (loosely translated as "sweetheart") and Russian Lyrical are RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n.
The former three are "fast" or "rhythmic" dances, the latter two are "slow" or "lyrical" ones.
All of them had distinctive basic techniques. The meter was 2/4 or 4/4 for all of them. The hold was either open or loose, without body contact. Polka had the tightest hold. Polka, Sudarushka and Russian Lyrical were progressive dances, i.e., moving along the line of dance. Rylio and Varu-Varu were of "stationary" type.
Soviet ballroom dances were a relatively new creation. This dance category was introduced with the stated agenda to counterbalance the influence of Western culture (i.e., Ballroom dancing, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, etc.). During the relatively short existence of Soviet Ballroom, only the first three had a chance of becoming true Ballroom/Social dances, judging by the flexibility and spontaneity of choreography, willingness of dancers to dance them during practice hours, etc. Rylio had all chances to repeat the evolution of Swing dances: it was danced quite differently in Baltic republics (smoothly), in Belarus (jumpy), and in Moscow. On the contrary, a heat of Sudarushka during a ballroom competition often looked like a performance of a formation team, all competitors dancing almost the same routine.
At the peak of popularity some huge ball rooms of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Palaces of Culture
Palace of Culture
Palace of Culture or House of Culture was the name for major club-houses in the former Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern bloc. It was an establishment for all kinds of recreational activities and hobbies: sports, collecting, arts, etc., and the Palace of Culture was designed to have room...
crowded parties of several hundred of ballroom couples in 4-5 concentric circles of Sudarushka.
Today the category is obsolete, but the dances themselves survived, moved back to the category of 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....
s. At some dance events, such as "Neva Cup" (Невский кубок) in St. Petersburg, balls of Esta-Mephi club, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, or "Russian Formation Cup-2007" held in Tyumen
Tyumen
Tyumen is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Population: Tyumen is the oldest Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 16th century to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most...
these dances comprise the competition category of "Homeland Dances" (Отечественные танцы).
Some basic step-rhythm patterns
The count cues could be any of 12345678, 12341234, 1&2&3&4& or 1&2&1&2&.Rylio
- In-place basic:
- Double hand hold in various positions, e.g., sidewise-forward on the shoulder level, elbows bent down.
- Steps of partners are mirrored.
- 1-2, 3-4, 5-6-7-8: tap-step, tap-step, step-step-step-step.
All steps/taps are in place, with slight one-foot skipping action. Author - choreographer - Adomas Gineitis
Varu-Varu
The dance is based on simple steps and jumpy movements created in 1950s in Latvia. It may be danced with any in 4/4 time discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music.
- In-place basic:
- Double hand hold, waist level.
- Partners start with the same foot and go in a small circle, first in one direction, then in the opposite one.
- 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8: side-together-side-heel, side-together-side-heel
- Skips: (12),(34),5,6,(78) (or slow-slow-quick-quick-slow): skip...skip...skip-skip-skip. A skip is from one foot to another, the freed foot pointing forward, toe on the floor.
Sudaruska
The dance is based on Russian khorovodKhorovod
Khorovod is a Slavic art form, a combination of a circle dance and chorus singing, similar to Chorea of ancient Greece.- External links :*...
dances. the dance is of vivid and light character, of medium to faster tempo in 2/4 time.
- Triple-Step Basic Walks:
- Right-to-left handhold, Free hands are on the waist.
- Steps are mirrored, along the line of dance.
- 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8: step-step-step-tap, step-step-step-tap.
- Tap is toe beside the support foot.
- Initially the partners face each other. During the first triple step they "fan out" away from each other, free arms fanning sidewise. During the second triple partners "fan in", back to facing each other, free hands back on the waist.
Russian Lyrical
The dance is based on Russian folk tunes. It has a soft and smooth character, danced at medium tempo in 2/4 or 4/4 time.- Starts in shadow position, man's right hand on lady's waist, left arms linked pointing left diagonal.
- Most walks are based on "Russian triple step": step-step-step-hold. It can be performed forward, backward, with turn on any step.
The recommended tunes are "Русский лирический" (Russian Lyrical) or "Подмосковные вечера" (Moscow Nights
Moscow Nights
"Moscow Nights" or "Midnight in Moscow" is a Russian song, and one of those best known outside its homeland.The song was originally created as "Leningradskie Vechera" by composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhail Matusovsky in 1955 , but at the request of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, the...
)
Other Soviet ballroom
Ballroom dance manuals of Soviet times list quite a few other Soviet dances promoted to counter the influence of the "Western way of life", created basing on folk dances of the peoples of the Soviet Union and Soviet Bloc:- Tuyana / туяна (BuryatBuryatsThe Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
origin) - Yatranochka / ятраночка (Ukrainian, "A Girl from the Yatran River")
- Slavutyanochka / славутянка(Ukrainian, "A Girl from SlavutychSlavutychSlavutych is a new city in northern Ukraine, named after the Old Slavic name of the nearby Dnieper River. As of 2007, its population was 24,549.-Geography:...
") - Gutsulka / гуцулка(Ukrainian, "Hutsul Woman")
- Jooksupolka / йоксу-полька (Estonian))
- Transcarpathian Ballroom / закарпатский бальный(Ukrainian)
- Kazakh Ballroom /казахский бальный (Kazakh)
- Figure Waltz / Фигурный вальс
- Vesyalaya Hora / веселая хора (Moldavian)
- "Разрешите пригласить"
- "Skaters" /"Конькобежцы"
- etc.
Further reading
- Nina Kosheverova "My Life in Dance", Moscow, 2004 (Кошеверова, Нина Николаевна, "Моя жизнь в танце")
- Modern Ballroom Dance (Современный бальный танец), a textbook for students of Institutes of CultureInstitute of CultureInstitute of Culture was an institution of vocational education established in the Soviet Union and still existing in some post-Soviet states, aimed at training of workers in various areas of culture and organization of leisure activities....
, culture-educational schools and heads of ballroom dance collectives, ed. V.M. Striganov (В.М. Стриганов) and V.I.Uralskaya (В.И.Уральская), Moscow, ProsveshcheniyeProsveshcheniyeProsveshcheniye was a legal Bolshevik socio-political and literary monthly magazine in Russia. It began publication in St. Petersburg in December 1911. Maxim Gorky was editor of the fiction section. The magazine was banned by the tsarist government on the eve of the First World War, in June 1914....
(1977) — the only book in ballroom dancing in the pre-perestroikaPerestroikaPerestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
Soviet Union.