To Ting

TO TING
Danish

PRONUNCIATION: toh TING

TRANSLATION: Two things

SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Gordon E. Tracie who described it in English. He taught it at the 1973 International Folk Dance Symposium in Eugene, Oregon.

BACKGROUND: To Ting is from the Himmerland region of Denmark. Himmerland, situated in the northern part on the Danish peninsula, Jutland, stretches from Kattegat in the east, Limfjorden in the west and north, and to Mariager Fjord in the south. Soft green slopes, forests, and deep blue shining waters of the fjords characterize this lovely spot in the heart of the Danish Kingdom, where both nature and culture always played an important role. Rold Skov, the largest wooded area in the country, Lille Vildmose, the biggest raised bog in Europe on the banks of Kattegat, and the 7000 year old kitchen midden at Ertebølle are places of interest.

MUSIC: Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH 1018
Sonart (45rpm) 303
RCA (45rpm) FAS-664
RCA Scandia (LP) LPM-9910

FORMATION: Cpls in a cir facing CDW (in LOD) around the dance area in Couple Pos: W to M R, inside hands joined and held at shldr height, outside hands on own hips with fingers fwd and thumb back. Directions are for M; W use opp ftwk.

METER/RHYTHM: 3/4 and 2/4. The basic melody quite obviously has the same ancestor as the Varsouvianna (Put Your Little Foot), a dance long known throughout the United States.

STEPS/STYLE: WALTZ (3/4): Step L (ct 1); Step R (ct 2); close R to L, taking wt (ct 3).
WALK (2/4): Step L, with a normal heel-first action (ct 1); step R, with a normal heel-first action (ct 2).
PIVOT (2/4): Step L next to the outside of ptr R as M steps R twd him and between his ft (ct 1); W step L next to the outside of ptr R as M steps R twd her and between her ft (ct 2). As a general rule, the R ft is directly fwd on that imaginary cir each cpl is dancing on aroung the dance area, while each ptrs L ft is almost 180 degrees in the opp dir on the outside of ptrs R ft. The pivot is called svejtrit in Danish and is similar to the German dreher.
Style is smooth and flowing without bounces.

MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

4 chords No action.

I. OPEN AND CLOSED WALTZ

1-4 Beg M L, W R, dance 4 open Waltz steps (somewhat back-to-back, face-to-face, etc.) moving fwd in LOD;

5-8 In Closed (or Ballroom) Pos, dance 4 closed Waltz steps turning CW and moving in LOD.

9-16 Repeat action of meas 1-8.

II. WALK AND PIVOT

1-4 In Couple Pos and beg M L, W R, walk 4 steps fwd in LOD;

5-8 In Shoulder-Waist Pos, dance 4 Pivot steps turning CW and moving in LOD.

9-16 Repeat action of meas 1-8.

Repeat entire dance from beg.

Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes

TO TING Danish

PRONUNCIATION:	toh TING

TRANSLATION:	Two things

SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Gordon E. Tracie who described it in English. He taught it at the 1973 International Folk Dance Symposium in Eugene, Oregon.

BACKGROUND:	To Ting is from the Himmerland region of Denmark. Himmerland, situated in the northern part on the Danish peninsula, Jutland, stretches from Kattegat in the east, Limfjorden in the west and north, and to Mariager Fjord in the south. Soft green slopes, forests, and deep blue shining waters of the fjords characterize this lovely spot in the heart of the Danish Kingdom, where both nature and culture always played an important role. Rold Skov, the largest wooded area in the country, Lille Vildmose, the biggest raised bog in Europe on the banks of Kattegat, and the 7000 year old kitchen midden at Ertebølle are places of interest.

MUSIC:	Folk Dancer (45rpm) MH 1018 Sonart (45rpm) 303 RCA (45rpm) FAS-664 RCA Scandia (LP) LPM-9910

FORMATION:	Cpls in a cir facing CDW (in LOD) around the dance area in Couple Pos: W to M R, inside hands joined and held at shldr height, outside hands on own hips with fingers fwd and thumb back. Directions are for M; W use opp ftwk.

METER/RHYTHM:	3/4 and 2/4. The basic melody quite obviously has the same ancestor as the Varsouvianna (Put Your Little Foot), a dance long known throughout the United States.

STEPS/STYLE:	WALTZ (3/4): Step L (ct 1); Step R (ct 2); close R to L, taking wt (ct 3). WALK (2/4): Step L, with a normal heel-first action (ct 1); step R, with a normal heel-first action (ct 2). PIVOT (2/4): Step L next to the outside of ptr R as M steps R twd him and between his ft (ct 1); W step L next to the outside of ptr R as M steps R twd her and between her ft (ct 2). As a general rule, the R ft is directly fwd on that imaginary cir each cpl is dancing on aroung the dance area, while each ptrs L ft is almost 180 degrees in the opp dir on the outside of ptrs R ft. The pivot is called svejtrit in Danish and is similar to the German dreher. Style is smooth and flowing without bounces.

MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION


	INTRODUCTION

4 chords	No action.

I.	OPEN AND CLOSED WALTZ

1-4	Beg M L, W R, dance 4 open Waltz steps (somewhat back-to-back, face-to-face, etc.) moving fwd in LOD;

5-8	In Closed (or Ballroom) Pos, dance 4 closed Waltz steps turning CW and moving in LOD.

9-16	Repeat action of meas 1-8.

II.	WALK AND PIVOT

1-4	In Couple Pos and beg M L, W R, walk 4 steps fwd in LOD;

5-8	In Shoulder-Waist Pos, dance 4 Pivot steps turning CW and moving in LOD.

9-16	Repeat action of meas 1-8.

	Repeat entire dance from beg.
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes