Ali Bey (Turkey)

Formation	Open circle. V-hold.
Dance Structure	(A x 8) + (B x 4) + (C x 2) + (D x 2.5) + (E x 8).
Music Structure	4 counts/bar, 4 bar phrases.
Music Speed	Parts A to C 95 counts/min. Part D 120 counts/min. Part E 250 counts/min.
Translation	'Mr. Ali' with 'Mr.' in the upper class honorific sense like 'Gentleman' or 'Sir' in English.
Source	Ersin Seyhan at the 2002 Bognor Regis Turkish course.

Disclaimer: Mistakes are quite likely in the notes and no guarantees are made as to accuracy. There may be other versions of the same dance or other dances with the same name. Music may differ, particularly in speed, introduction and duration, between performers. The division into parts, bars & counts might not be standard. These notes of the dance are freely distributable (under GPL or CC-by-sa) in so much as the note's author's contribution but the choreography and/or collection were by other people and so their copyright might apply to the dance itself. Better than using notes, go to a dance class where it is taught by Ersin Seyhan.

It is a medley of 5 simple traditional central Anatolian dances (or maybe 4, I think I remember Ersin saying 4 but there are 5 distinct parts; maybe the similar Parts B & C are from the same dance). The dances start from simple, unenergetic & trivial to follow with no arm movements to lively with arm movements tricky to coordinate with the feet.

The name comes from music of the first one in which the words are calling out to a rich man, Ali, hoping for money.

Style: Heavy solid body feeling. Starting with gentle walking and getting progressively bouncier (but still in a heavy grounded sense).

Introduction

Summary: Start with first verse ("Ali Bey").

Waiting through the initial call of "Aaaay!" and starting at the start of the first verse (which begins with the singing of the words "Ali Bey") is how I find it easiest to start in sync with the music.

However the way Ersin taught it was to wait through an additional 4 bars and omit the first half of the first Part A (so one starts going to the L and does only 7.5 of 8 Part A).

Part A

Summary: Walk R starting R foot for 4 steps. Facing centre, sway R, L & R, flick L behind. Mirror all.

Start

Facing 45 cw of the centre. V-hold.

Walk 4 steps (R, L, R, L) forwards acw around the circle.

1	Facing the centre, step R to the side swaying R.
2	L in place swaying L.
3	R in place swaying R.
4	Sharply, but loosely, flick L lower leg up behind R knee (the motion is entirely from the L knee, the upper leg remains stationary, with the knee turned out so the lower leg raises close behind the R). This feels fractionally behind the beat.

3-4

Repeat bars 1-2 in mirror image (face 45 acw, walk L, R, L, R, sway L, sway R, sway L, flick R).

Part B

Summary: Walk starting R foot 3 steps in, touch. Ditto out.

Start

Facing the centre. V-hold.

1	R forwards.
2	L forwards.
3	R forwards.
4	L close without weight.

Repeat bar 1 but on opposite feet & travelling backwards (L back, R back, L back, R touch).

Part C

Summary: (Bounce facing R x 2, mirror) x 2. Repeat Part B.

Start

Facing the centre. V-hold.

1	Facing 45 cw of centre, bounce down by bending knees (keeping knees together & back vertical).
&	Straighten knees turning to face the centre again.
2-2&	Repeat counts 1-1& (facing 45 deg cw, bounce down & up).
3-4&	Repeat counts 1-2& in mirror image (facing 45 deg acw bounce down & up twice).

Repeat bar 1.

3-4

Repeat all of Part B (walk starting R foot 3 steps in, touch. Ditto out).

Part D

Summary: Bounce as Part C. In in (step R, L & R, touch; mirror) with arm thrusting on each count. Repeat all backing out.

Start

Facing the centre. Fortress-hold.

1-2

Repeat Part C bars 1-2 (bounce down & up twice facing 45 deg cw then facing acw twice).

Feet	Facing the centre, as Part B bar 1 (forwards R, L, R, touch L).
Hands	Thrust forearms horizontally forwards & back again on each beat including the one in which the feet only touch not step (so 4 thrusts in total in this bar).

Repeat bar 3 on opposite feet but still travelling in (forwards L, R, L, touch R with arm thrusting).

5-8

Repeat bars 1-4 but travelling out backwards instead of in forwards.

This part is the first one which feels energetic. Although there is not much travelling, it has Turkish bouncing throughout.

This part is done 2.5 times so it ends up in close in ready for the closer hold needed for Part E.

Part E

Summary: Starting R foot, 2 Triple Steps forwards R with swinging arms (start down in 1st, up in 2nd, end in W). 4 Slipbacks with windscreen-wiper arms.

Start

Facing the centre. Close W-hold.

Feet	R to the side travelling diagonally forwards R.
Hands	Arms swing down in V-hold and slightly backwards.

Feet	L forwards across continuing travel.
Hands	Arms, still in V-hold, slightly forwards.

Feet	R to the side (as count 1).
Hands	Arms, still in V-hold, slightly backwards.

L close without weight.

Repeat bar 1 travelling the same direction (diagonally forwards R) but on opposite feet (L across infront, R side, L across infront, R close without weight) and opposite arm motions (V-hold slightly forwards, V-hold slightly back, and end back in W-hold).

1-2

Feet	Facing the centre, R back turning L heel in (like a Cotswold Morris Slipback).
Hands	Forearms L in windscreen wiper motion (rotated about elbow position in vertical plane to about 45 deg acw of vertical).
3-4	Repeat counts 1-2 in mirror image (L Slipback with forearms R).

Repeat bar 3 (Slipbacks R & L with windscreen wiper arms).

This part is fast & energetic covering a lot of ground. The steps in bars 1-2 are virtually running.