ZAJKO KOKORAJKO Macedonian
PRONUNCIATION:	ZAI-koh koh-koh-RAI-koh
TRANSLATION:	"Rabbit dance," from the Macedonian word Zajak, which means rabbit. "Zajko Kokorajko" is a humorous song about a young rabbit who dresses up in the finery of a young bachelor and goes off to Thessalonika to find a bride.
SOURCE:	Rubi Vučeta taught this dance at classes in Los Angeles in 1968 where both Yves Moreau and Dick Oakes learned it. Yves subsequently taught the dance at a workshop in May of 1969 as "Skopska Zaramo" and Dick taught it as "Zajko Kokorajko" on his teaching tours in the 1970s.
BACKGROUND:	In Macedonia, a dance game is performed to "Zajko Kokorajko" in which a bumbling "hunter" with a toy gun tries with comic antics to bag a couple of "rabbits."
MUSIC:	Festival (45rpm) F-4001 Jugoton (10" LP) EPY 3009 Jugoton (LP) LPY-64 Mediterranean (45rpm) M-4001
FORMATION:	Lines of mixed M and W either with joined hands held down at sides ("V" pos), or grasping neighbors' belts in "X" pos with R arm under and end dancers' thumbs tucked into own belts.
METER/RHYTHM:	2/4. The rhythm is in 3 accented dancer's beats of SLOW (cts 1&), quick (ct 2), quick (ct &).
STEPS/STYLE:	LIFT: A low hop in which the heel does not leave the floor.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
1-16	INTRODUCTION - (Instrumental) - No action. Begin dance with vocal.
	BASIC MOTIF
1	Facing ctr, step R swd (ct 1); rise on R (ct 2); step L across in front of R (ct &);
2	Step R slightly swd (ct 1); step L next to R (ct 2); step R next to L (ct &);
3	Step L slightly swd, bending L knee slightly and quickly bringing R heel to L ankle (ct 1); rise on L, bringing R in back of L ankle (ct 2); step R across in back of L (ct &);
4	Step L swd (ct 1); low leap R across in front of L, bending slightly at hips (ct 2); pause (ct &).
	Repeat action of the basic motif (except that dancers hold pos on ct 1 of meas 1 that was assumed at end of meas 4) until leader signals for a change.
	Variation I -- (SIDE-SIDE)
1-3	Repeat action of meas 1-3 of the basic motif (with the slightly bent pos hold only on the first time through);
4	Low leap L swd, bringing R twd L (ct 1); low leap R swd, bringing L twd R (ct 2);
5	Countering the basic rhythm, step L swd (ct 1); step R across in back of L (ct &); step L swd (ct 2).
	Repeat action of Var I until leader signals for a change.
	NOTE: Some dancers like to add a quick low pickup hop on L after ct & of the previous meas and before ct 1 of meas 1 on repetitions of this var.
	Variation II: -- (SIDE-SIDE/HEEL-TOE)
1-5	Repeat action of Var I, meas 1-5;
6	Rise on L, touching R heel fwd in front of L (ct 1); rise on L, touching R toe next to outside of L instep (ct 2).
	Repeat action of Var II until leader signals for a change.
	NOTE: Other variations are probable.
Copyright © 2004 by Dick Oakes