JOC DE LEAGANE Romanian
PRONUNCIATION: zhok deh LEH-gah-neh TRANSLATION: Dance of the cradle SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Nicolaas Hilferink who learned it from Theodor Vasilescu. BACKGROUND: This dance honors the midwife on her birthday. MUSIC: Electrocord (LP) ST-CS 0185, side A, band 9. (NOTE: The label on the first pressing of this record was incorrect, however, the album cover is correct.) FORMATION: Cir of W facing diag to R, L hand on own L shldr, R arm extended neighbor to the R with R hand grasping neighbor's L hand. METER/RHYTHM: 2/4 STEPS/STYLE: Mr. Hilferink writes, "If men insist on dancing [Joc de Leagane], they should dance on the outside of the women's circle." MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION INTRODUCTION 1-16 No action. I. FIGURE ONE 1 Facing to R and moving in LOD, touch R next to L (ct 1); step R fwd (ct 2); 2 Touch L next to R (ct 1); step L fwd (ct 2); 3 Step R fwd (ct 1); step L fwd (ct 2); 4 Step R fwd (ct 1); step L next to R (ct &); step R fwd (ct 2). 5-8 Continuing in LOD, repeat action of meas 1-4 with opp ftwk. II. FIGURE TWO 1 Turning to face ctr and raising hands above head height, step R swd, leaving L in place (ct 1); lean over R (ct 2); 2 Transfer wt to L (ct 1); lean over L (ct 2); 3 Transfer wt to R with slight lean to R (ct 1); step L next to R, straightening body (ct 2); 4 Step R swd (ct 1); lean over R (ct 2); 5-7 Repeat action of Fig II, meas 1-3, with opp ftwk; 8 Step L swd (ct 1); close R to L without wt (ct 2). III. FIGURE THREE 1 Facing ctr, step R bwd, beginning to slowly lower hands twd "W" pos (ct 1); step L bwd, continuing to slowly lower hands (ct 2); 2 Small step R bwd, leaving L in place and continuing to slowly lower hands (ct 1); transfer wt fwd onto L (ct &); transfer wt bwd to R, ending with hands in "W" pos (ct 2); 3-4 Repeat action of Fig III, meas 1-2, fwd with opp ftwk, raising hands high; 5 Turning to face R and moving to R in LOD, step R fwd (ct 1); step L fwd (ct 2) step R next to L (ct &) 6 Continuing in LOD, step L fwd (ct 1); step R fwd (ct 2); 7 Continuing in LOD, step L fwd (ct 1); step R fwd (ct 2); step L next to R (ct &); 8 Continuing in LOD, step R fwd (ct 1); step L fwd (ct 2). IV. FIGURE FOUR 1 Continuing in LOD, step R(ct 1); step L (ct &); step R (ct 2); lightly stamp L next to R without wt (ct &); 2 Turning to face L in RLOD, step L (ct 1); step R fwd (ct 2); 3-4 Turning to face L and moving in RLOD, repeat action of Fig IV, meas 1-2, with opp ftwk; 5 Turning to face R and moving in LOD, step R fwd, swaying arms slightly away from ctr (ct 1); step L fwd, swaying arms slightly twd ctr (ct 2); 6-8 Repeat action of Fig IV, meas 5, three more times, slowly lowering arms to "W" pos on final meas. Turning to face R in LOD and placing hands in Formation pos, repeat entire dance from beg. Copyright © 2004 by Dick Oakes