KATIA Russian
PRONUNCIATION:	KAH-tyah
TRANSLATION:	Katia is a woman's name
SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Anatol Joukowsky, who learned it in Russia and taught it to folk dancers in California in 1964. Vince Evanchuk later also taught the dance in California. It is described in Anatol's book The Teaching of Ethnic Dance, J. Lowell Pratt and Company, New York, New York, 1965.
BACKGROUND:	Katia is a "horovodnaya pliaska" (circle dance). It is also called "Nashey Kate" ("Our Katia").
MUSIC:	National (45rpm) N-4520-B
FORMATION:	Closed cir of mixed M and W, hands joined and held down in "V" pos, facing to the L (CW) in RLOD.
METER/RHYTHM:	2/4
STEPS/STYLE:	RUSSIAN POLKA: A polka step without the hop (resembles a two-step) that leads with the heel. Leaning swd to the L, step L fwd on heel (ct 1); step R with toe of R at L heel (ct &); step L fwd on heel (ct 2). Katia has a lively quality.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
	INTRODUCTION
1-20	No action.
	THE DANCE
1	Hold (ct 1); (Note: on repeat of dance, this becomes a step R in RLOD.) Leaning swd to the L, dance a Russian Polka step: Step L fwd in RLOD on heel (ct 2); step R with toe of R at L heel (ct &);
2	Step L fwd on heel (ct 1); Leaning swd to the R, dance a Russian Polka step: Step R fwd on heel (ct 2); step L with toe of L at R heel (ct &);
3	Step R fwd on heel (ct 1); Run L (ct 2);
4	Run R (ct 1); Run L (ct 2);
5	Run R (ct 1). Leaning swd to the L, dance a Russian Polka step: Step L fwd on heel in RLOD (ct 2); step R with toe of R at L heel (ct &);
6	Step L fwd on heel (ct 1); Leaning swd to the R, dance a Russian Polka step: Step R fwd on heel (ct 2); step L with toe of L at R heel (ct &);
7	Step R fwd on heel (ct 1); Run L (ct 2);
8	Run R (ct 1); Run L, turning to face ctr to stop motion in RLOD (ct 2).
9	Step R twd ctr, bringing hands up fwd (ct 1); stamp L next to R without wt (ct 2);
10	Step L twd ctr (ct 1); stamp R next to L without wt (ct 2);
11	Step R bwd, bringing hands down slowly (ct 1); step L bwd (ct 2);
12	Step R bwd (ct 1); step L bwd, hands ending in "V" pos (ct 2).
13-16	Repeat action of meas 9-12.
17-18	Repeat action of meas 9-10.
19	Releasing handhold, extend arms to sides with L hand high and R hand low, elbows straight, and beg a 3/4 individual 4-step CW cir, step R (ct 1); step L (ct 2);
20	Step R, starting to bring hands down (ct 1); step L, bending L knee while extending R leg on the last ct of meas 20 in preparation for the first step of the Russian Polka and joining hands in "V" pos (ct 2).
	Repeat entire dance from beg by stepping R on ct 1 of meas 1.
	VARIATIONS
	Variations I, II, and III are danced at the whim of each dancer without disturbing other dancers.
	VARIATION I (Meas 9-10, 13-14, or 17-18)
9	Small leap onto R twd ctr (ct 1); stamp L next to R without wt (ct &); small leap onto L twd ctr (ct 2); stamp R next to L without wt (ct &);
10	Step fwd R (ct 1); step fwd L (ct &); stamp R next to L without wt (ct 2); pause (ct &).
	VARIATION II (Meas 11-12 or 15-16)
11-12	Same action as in Var I except moving bwd.
	VARIATION III (Meas 11-12 or 15-16)
11	Step bwd R (ct 1); step bwd L (ct &); step bwd R (ct 2); step bwd L (ct &);
12	Step bwd R (ct 1); step bwd L (ct &); stamp R next to L without wt (ct 2); pause (ct &).
	VARIATION IV
	Upon the command "Pashol" (pah-SHOL) by anyone in the cir who wishes to lead this var, the line breaks in front of this leader who then procedes to snake the line all over the dance floor in a serpentine, never a spiral, using meas 1 (ct 2) through meas 5 (ct 1) over and over continuously until the end of the music.
Copyright © 2004 by Dick Oakes