PLOVDIVSKA RÂČENICA Bulgarian
PRONUNCIATION:	PLOHV-deev-skah RUH-cheh-nee-tsah
TRANSLATION:	Dance from Plovdiv
SOURCE:	Marcus (Holt) Moskoff learned this dance while attending several village weddings in the Plovdiv region of West-central Thrace during the summer of 1972.
BACKGROUND:	Plovdiv is located near the edge of the Thracian plain. This history-rich area is between Greece and Turkey on the south and the Danube River with Romania on the north. Plovdiv, like Rome, was built around and upon seven ancient hills rising from the plain. Today Plovdiv spreads along both sides of the Martisa River. The dance also has been notated as "Plovdivska Rŭčenica."
MUSIC:	XOPO (LP) X-LP-5, side B, band
FORMATION:	Long line of mixed M and W with hands joined and held at shldr level in "W" pos.
METER/RHYTHM:	7/8. The rhythm is quick-quick-slow (2-2-3) and shown below in three dancer's counts.
STEPS/STYLE:	THRACIAN RÂČENICA STEP: Facing diag R, Step R fwd, retaining some wt on L in place and bending both knees (cts 1-2); lift heel of supporting R ft, raising L up and slightly outward in back (ct 3). Continuing in same dir, reverse ftwk for next meas. BASIC RÂČENICA STEP: Step R,L,R (cts 1,2,3). Reverse ftwk for next meas. These two figures are interchanged at will. The typical Thracian style is "heavy," with knees bent and ft somewhat apart. There is a slight flexing of the knees on the first and third beats of each meas.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
	INTRODUCTION - None (or wait 8 meas).
	NOTE: The following Figs are interchanged at will.
I.	THRACIAN RÂČENICA
1-2	Facing diag R and moving CW in LOD, dance two Thracian Râčenica Steps;
3	Turning to face diag L and moving diag bwd R, step R (ct 1); step L (ct 2); pause (ct 3);
4	Step R (ct 1); step L (ct 2); pause (ct 3).
II.	BASIC RÂČENICA
1-2	Facing diag R and moving CW in LOD, dance two Basic Râčenica Steps;
3-4	Repeat action of Fig I, meas 3-4.
Copyright © 2004 by Dick Oakes