Beseda

Beseda is a Czechoslovakian dance.  It was choreographed in the 1860’s to show off what good dancers the Czechoslovakians were.  They tried to include a little bit of everything, and I think they managed to do it.

The dance is very regal and refined.  Everyone must dance as pompously (but accurately) as they can.  This means stick-straight, very upright posture and no fidgeting.

The dance was created with heavy influence from ballet.  This means that at ALL times the dancers should be in a turned-out position[1].  Also, toes need to be pointed whenever they aren’t flat on the floor.  It’s safe to assume that dancing flat-footed is out, too.  So work on those calf muscles so you can stay off your heels (and delicately and beautifully on your toes) when we dance.

General dance/performance things:

·        Always dance like you mean it.  I know it’s tiring to run the same thing over and over, but it’s good for you to get it in your brain and in your body.  So since your body is remembering what you’re doing, you may as well do it 100% and remember it right.  ALWAYS dance like you mean it.

·        Look at your partner.  Folk and Ballroom dancers don’t get much action because they’re always too busy dancing.  So they’ve gotta get some action while they’re dancing.  So they look at each other.  Look at your partner whenever you get the chance.  What a nice face!  Not only is it good because it’s nice to be paid attention to, but it also looks good to the audience.  They’ll never know that she’s stepping all over your feet if you keep smiling at her, and everyone in the audience will think you’re both fantastic dancers.

·        Don’t fidget.  This is really important with Beseda because it was choreographed in an era when fidgeting was practically a felony.  But always don’t fidget.  It looks unpolished.  Why look unpolished when you can look polished?  So stand still.  It’s regal… it commands attention!

·        Don’t screw up.  Well, everybody screws up, so the real secret here is not to advertise that you’ve screwed up.  If a mistake occurs just ignore it.  Smile and look at your partner and keep dancing.  Afterwards you can kick yourself.  (If you’re the perfectionist type who kicks oneself because of mistakes.) (I’m not.)  But during the dance you need to keep your cool.

I think that’s all my tips.  Here’s the dance:

 

Beseda happens in four parts.  Each part has a beginning, middle, and end.  The beginning is always an introduction and a waltz, the middle is always the chorus, and the end is always a polka.

The dance style is very smooth.  Your movements should flow, but always be precise.  I promise it’s possible!

For the men, arms will always be down by the sides, unless otherwise noted.  For the women, always hold your skirts in your hands, at more of a down angle than an out angle.  If you’re holding hands then your arms should be up and out – very spread – with your elbows only slightly bent.

All of the steps that are notated as something like “step together step” are polka steps.  That means that they’re bouncy.  Not jumpy, but bouncy.  Do a little lift to get started and dance on your toes and be sure to get that lift in at the end.  Bouncy!

Key to terms tog: together LOD: line of direction RLOD: reverse line of direction L: left foot R: right foot M: man W: woman

 

 

Part One

Intro:    4/4

1-2                       wait

3-4                       bow to partner

5-6                       take hands, step forward on right, left, to smaller set

7-8                       wait, hold hands in a circle

Waltz:   3/4

1                               slide right foot to right

2                               bring left foot to right, stand on tiptoes

3                               lower heels

4-6                       repeat 1-3

7          (men                     women step into the circle with L

8          continue                bring R to L, on toes, take both hands

9          counts                   lower heels

10         1                          women step out of the circle with R

11         through                  bring L to R, on toes, hands in single circle

12         6)                         lower heels

13-48             all repeat counts 1-12.  The men will travel around the circle while women return EXACTLY to home with each repeat.

EXCEPT on counts 46-48:

46         (men keep              women slide R to R, toward first partner

47         doing the               bring L to R, on toes, R hand with partner

            same                     and L hand with corner

48         thing)                    lower heels

49-51    balance right, look at your partner

52-54             balance left, look at your corner

55-60             repeat 49-54

when you balance toward someone, lead with your hips and torso.  Remember to keep your arms wide.  Be very  careful to keep your set in a circle, and to keep the women in their home positions.

61-72             hold R hands with partner, walk 1.5 times around back to home and land facing each other, women with backs to LOD, for chorus

Chorus:

Begin with outside foot (M’s R and W’s L) pointed.  This is to a fast waltz tempo

1          men cross R in front women cross L behind

2          men L in front         women R behind

3          men R in front,       women L behind,

            point L to side        point R to side

4-6                       repeat on other feet

7-24                  repeat 1-6 (total of 8: 4 on each side)

lean slightly with your body when you point your toes to the sides.  Keep your steps precise but let them be smooth

25-48             waltz through, begin with women stepping back on L and men stepping through with R, stop at home

the waltz is very light.  Rather than step-step-step it’s almost a step-leap-leap with very (VERY!) small leaps.  It’s up on the toes and graceful and light.  As you waltz, scoop your body with your movements and be sure to keep your arms wide

Polka:

1-4        head women move forward with L tog L lift

5-8        head women face partner with R tog R lift, take both hands

9-12      head men lead couples to the side couple on HIS RIGHT, step tog step lift, beginning on his R and her L

13-16    keep step tog step lifting toward the side couples, sides step apart from their partners

17-20    keep going!

21-24    heads split sides, they shouldn’t be holding hands, keep up the step while separating

25-28    heads move to hold hands with the sides, same gender together, sides hold hands again with your partner

29-32    complete the formation of two lines facing each other

33-40    all move forward R tog R lift, L tog L lift: lifts are big!

41-48    all move backward R tog R lift, L tog L lift

49-56    men on the ends lead their lines to form a circle of 4, circle RLOD with step tog step lift until mens’ backs are facing out of the set.  Everyone should be holding hands only with his or her partner, right in right and left in left, with right hands crossing over the left.  the four couples will be in four-track with each other:

            original setup         before circling,    after circling,

                   head              in lines              in four-track

                    one               hm1  hw2           hm1hw1

            side          side       sm1  sw2                           sw2sm2

            one           two       sw1   sm2          sm1sw1

                    head             hw1   hm2                          hw2hm2

                     two

57-68    men move forward with R, women back with L, to pass through the other couples.  active couples (heads, this time) will pass on the insides first.  still use the step tog step lift step

69-72    chasset to man’s right, woman’s left, to pass the other couples on the other side

73-88    repeat 57-72 moving the other direction, to return to four-track position.  This time the actives will pass on the outside.  Doing those chassets will require some fancy planning-ahead footwork because you won’t necessarily be on the easy foot when you need to chasset.  So think ahead and plan to adjust

89-90    all point right toe forward on the ground

91-92    all point left toe forward on the ground

93         all point right

94         all point left. Your shoulders and arms should be moving comfortably with this step

95-96    bring feet together and wait

97-104   hold your partner’s right hand (pigeon-wing) and step tog step lift 1.5 times around to get back to home

**repeat all of that with the side couples!!  the sets written above will

switch to look like this:

            before circling,        after circling,

            in lines                  in four-track

            sw2hw1hm1sm2      sm2     hm1

                                        sw2      hw1

                                             hw2      sm1 

            sm1hm2hw2sw1           hm2     sw1

 

So to review, here’s what happens in Part one:

For Part One A get in a circle and do the sliding step to progress the men all the way around the circle while the women stay about at home.  Get to your partner and balance back and forth, then hold right hands to get back to home.  Do the chorus.  In Part One B the head women stand in front of their partners.  The men lead them to their right to split the sides and make lines.  Forward and back, make a circle, land in four-track.  Switch sides, go back, hold right hands to walk around back to home.  And the B part repeats with the sides.

 

        Part Two

Intro:

1-12      wait

15-20    bow to partner

Waltz:

1          head men step diagonally right and forward on R, look at sides on his right

2          bring L to R, on toes

3          heels down

4          step diagonally left on left, look at other head man

5          bring R to L, on toes

6          heels down

7-9        head men and sides balance right, sides holding hands

10-12    head men and sides balance left, take hands in circles of 3

13-24    circle RLOD, stop with women facing out, begin with R tog R lift

25-27    all walk forward: men toward center and opposite men, keep holding hands, women ducking under mens’ joined hands, all step first with the R foot

28-30    all active continue in same direction, L tog down

31-33    all active turn to the right

34-36    all active balance to the left: men toward nearest corner of the set, women toward her partner’s home place

37-48             take right hands with your partner and walk .5 times around to home

**repeat all of the waltz with side couples

Chorus

Polka:

1-4        heads move to the right with R tog R lift, cross a little behind on the “tog,” touch L to floor while lifting

5-8        repeat 1-4 to the left

9-12      heads walk forward RLRL, take both hands facing partner

13-20    repeat 1-8 moving toward and away from home

21-24    heads hold inside hands to face home, then release hands to turn once around to get home.  all 8 take hands in a single circle

25-28    all step L tog L big lift in RLOD

29-32    repeat 25-28 on other side, still RLOD

33-35    all walk slowly L R L

36         wait with feet together

37-48    repeat 25-36 on other feet in LOD, to home, face partner

49-64    grand right and left, all begin with R, use two polkas forward for each hand, step small and swing big so you take up lots of room. You get 4 counts for each hand, which means that you step tog step lift with each foot on each hand.  Keep your arms almost straight so you take up a lot of room, lean your head and body away from your partner but look at them

            get in quirl promenade position with your partner

65         right heel on the ground in front of you

66         cross right foot over left, right heel on the ground

67-68    polka forward (bouncy steps)

69-72    repeat 65-68 on the other feet

73-80    repeat 65-72 to get home

**repeat all of the polka with side couples

 

So to review, here’s what happens in Part two:

For Part Two A the men waltz to the sides, balance right and left, circle around.  The women duck under and the men go to the center, then everyone grabs right hands to circle to home.  Then in Part Two B the heads move right and left, then to the center and out and in, then turn to home.  Everybody circles RLOD, then does the same to get back home.  Grand rights-and-lefts halfway around the set then promenade and heel-toe-polka to get home.  Part B repeats with the sides.

 

        Ending

1-4        get into quirl promenade with your partner

5-8        walk LOD with outside, inside, outside, inside feet.  You’ll travel ¼ around the set

9-16      polka turns, still LOD, you’ll travel ½ around the set, to the position that was originally to your left.  You’ve now traveled a total of ¾ around the set.  Scoop your body with the polka turns the same way you did with the waltz turns.

13-32    polka turns, still LOD, rotating the opposite direction.  The circle should get smaller!  land at the home of your opposite (heads one will now be in the place of heads two, and vice versa, and the same for the sides).  face your partner

1-4        wait

5-7        stomp on each beat, R first

8          wait

9-16      repeat 1-8, clap own hands instead of stomping

17-19    shake right finger at your partner

20         wait

21-24    repeat 17-20 with left

25-30    all turn individually to the right to face partner again

31-32    face partner, get ready to polka

33-64             regular polka turns to leave the room

 

So to review, for the end you promenade, then polka 4 times, then polka reverse for 8.  Stop and play with you partner, stomp, clap, shake your finger, then polka 16 to end the dance.  The end!