KOLO KALENDARA

Croatian

 
PRONUNCIATION: KOH-loh kah-lehn-DAR-ah
 
TRANSLATION: Dance of the calendar
 
SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from John Filcich who learned it from Zdenka Politeo, a member of the LADO, the Croatian Song and Dance Ensemble. John introduced the dance to folk dancers in the United States in 1952. Dick Crum also taught the dance; he learned it in 1952 and taught it in 1956.
 
BACKGROUND: Kolo Kalendara, from Slavonia, is also known as Kalendara Kolo and simply Kalendara. LADO was founded in Zagreb, Croatia, to preserve and further the folk culture of Croatian and other Yugoslav peoples. Slavonia is a historical region of Croatia between the Drava and Sava rivers. Originally part of the Roman province of Pannonia, it became a Slavic state in the seventh century and has long been allied with Croatia. Part of Yugoslavia after 1918, Slavonia was invaded by Serbia in 1991 following Croatia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. Croatia regained control of western Slavonia in 1995 and eastern Slavonia in 1998.
 
MUSIC: Festival Records "Kolo Party" (LP) FLP-1505
Festival Records "Kolo iz Beograda" (LP) FLP-2
Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH 3024
Folkraft (45rpm) 1499x45
 
FORMATION: Closed cir of mixed M and W in a front-basket hold, joining middle fingers with the second dancer on either side, with the L arm under and body bent slightly fwd.
 
METER/RHYTHM: 2/4
 
STEPS/STYLE: This dance is one of the "drmeš" or "shaking" type of Croatian dances. In the second figure, on cts 2&, the straight knees transmit a vibration throughout the body to produce the shaking.
 

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

 
  INTRODUCTION
 
  None.
 
I.  STEP-SWING
 
1 Facing ctr, small step L swd (ct 1); swing R leg across in front of L with R knee slightly bent as L heel slightly raises and lowers (ct 2).
2 Repeat action of meas 1 to R with opp fwtk.
3 Repeat action of meas 1.
4 Step R across in front of L (ct 1); pause (ct 2).
5-8 Repeat action of meas 1-4.
 
  NOTE: Instead of a hold on ct 2 of meas 4 and 8, the L leg may swing across in front of R with L knee slightly bent as R heel slightly raises and lowers. This variant should be done by the entire cir; otherwise it makes the dance look "ragged."
 
II.  STEP-BOUNCE-BOUNCE (DRMEŠ)
 
1 Facing ctr, step on full L ft with heel slightly out (ct 1); with knees straight, step R next to L in place (ct 2); with knees straight, step L next to R in place (ct &).
2 Repeat action of meas 1 with opp ftwk (cts 1, 2&).
3-8 Repeat action of meas 1-2 three more times.
 
  Repeat entire dance from beg.


 

KOLO KALENDARA
Croatia

// Meni kažu kalendari,
da s'u kolo svi bećari. //
 
// Meni kažu stare knjige,
Da s'u kolu sve nebridge. //
 
// Meni kažu star ljudi,
Da s'u kolu dobo sudi. //
 
// Meni kažu stare babe,
Da s'u kolu sve barabe. //
 
// Meni kažu mlade snaše,
Da s'u kola šuše plaše. ///
 
  Calendars tell me
That in the kolo all men are cocky young fellows.
 
Old books tell me
That in the kolo everyone is carefree.
 
Old men tell me
That in the kolo one can judge well.
 
Old women tell me
That in the kolo all are scoundrels.
 
Young wives tell me
That nerds are afraid of the kolo.
 

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes