Kate-Kate
(Bulgaria)

[Full notes] [Summary notes] [Other dances & the source code]

Region detail Trakia.
Dance Structure (A1 x 4) + (A2 x 2) + (A1 x 9) + A2. I.e. single sequence but sometimes trunctated to fit music.
Formation Open circle. Shoulder-hold.
Music Structure 2 counts/bar, 10 bar main verses, 8 bar intermission verses.
Music Speed 55 counts/min.
Translation 'Kate' is the name 'Katie'.
Pronunciation "KAR-tay KAR-tay".
Source Dimitar ("Mikto") Petrov in the Dobursko in Bulgaria during the 2013 British-Bulgarian Society dance tour. New part from Mikto at his course for Balkanplus in London, 2018.

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 Dimitar ("Mikto") Petrov.

A relatively simple & slow but macho dance of leg lifts & posturing to a macho emotional song.

The song is of the singer appealing to a woman whom he loves, Kate, not to go with by the man she is going with explaining that that man is a teacher so she will have a hard life not settling down with friends (teachers in that era & region were itinerant, serving multiple villages). (Of course one is supposed to feel sympathy for the character represented by the singer but I can't help also feeling "Good that the intellectual got the girl in a folk song for once!" :-) ).

Rather than counting verses, one can identify the shorter intermission verses for Parts A2 by sound. The main melody is the one used at the start instrumentally & then used for the sung verses. The intermission verses start with a different (lighter & more "diddly" motif). Alternatively one could simply not try to predict it and simply do the long version of the sequence but cut it short whenever the phrase ends early. The resulting steps would be the same.

The version detailed here is the one he taught in 2013 with traditional steps. When I experienced it being taught again by Mitko, in 2018, he had replaced the shortened Part A1 with a totally new & stylistically somewhat different Part B which he had choreographed. I have not added that here.

The song 'Kate Kate' is a very popular one to choreograph Bulgarian dances to. I have been taught at least 5 different dances from different teachers/choreographers to it! All of those dances were simply called 'Kate Kate'. Hence it is likely this won't be the particular dance you want. I chose this one because it had (before the 2018 addition) the right degree of complexity (one of the others was simpler & less distinctive, the others with longer sequences requiring more instruction before dancing) for where I was going to use it.

Style: Strong. Upright. Posturing. Big lifts. Flicks are staccato but with speed tempered with rural labourer strength macho style (rather than fiery flamenco macho style). Even the steps across behind have a pronounced deliberate strong lifts rather than a slide.

Introduction

Summary: Start with the melody.

The tune has an introduction with drumming. Start immediately the melody starts or (easier) one whole verse (10 bars) after that.

Part A1

Summary: (R side, L across behind) x 2. Touch R side infront, infront, side infront, flick behind. R forwards, L lift infront. L back, R lift hook infront. (R sway & rise) & mirror. (R sway & L flick across behind) & mirror.

Start Facing the centre of the circle. Weight on L foot. Shoulder-hold.
1
1 R to the side.
2 L across behind.
2 Repeat bar 1 (R side, L across behind).
3
1 Touch ball of R foot side infront without weight transfer.
& Pause.
2 Touch ball of R foot infront without weight transfer.
& Pause.
4
1-& Repeat bar 3 counts 1-1& (touch R foot side infront, pause).
2 Flick R foot up behind. This lift is done by flexing the knee with the upper leg vertically down. The lower leg goes up to about 135 deg from vertically down.
& Pause.
5
1 R forwards.
2 Lift L high infront. This with a partial backwards bicycling motion. The leg moves forwards by flexing at the hip with knee also flexing but lagging behind in time so after the upper leg reaches its maximum elevation, approximately horizontal, while the lower leg is still infront of vertical. The knee continues flexing bringing the lower leg about 15 deg behind the downward vertical. This is all completed slightly before the end of the count to do give a brief dramatic pause in the final position.
6
1 L backwards.
2 Lift R lift infront across. This is into a hook legged position with the R foot infront of the upper shin of the left leg. As with the previous lift, complete it slightly ahead of the end of the count for a dramatic pause.
7
1 R to the side (so the legs are about 40 to 50 cm apart) swaying to the R whilst turning the torso about 15 deg acw and with a slight sitting-like dip by flexing the knees (upper body remains vertical).
2 Rise up out of the dip returning torso to face the centre of the circle.
8 Repeat bar 7 in mirror image (sway L (foot is already in place) with a slight dip & turning torso cw, rise out of dip returning torso to face the centre).
9
1 Repeat bar 7 count 1 (sway right with dip).
2 Rise up out of dip (a little more briskly than in bar 7 count 2) flicking the L leg up across behind. The foot lifts up to behind the R knee with the L knee out to the side.
10 Repeat bar 9 in mirror image (sway L (needs L step to the side) with a slight dip, rise out of dip flicking R leg up across behind).

Part A2

Summary: Omit last 2 bars.

The instrumental verses are 2 bars shorter so miss off the last 2 bars of the sequence (the sways with flicks behind).

Women's version

Summary: V-hold. Replace flicks with touch-closes.

Done in V-hold. Not macho exaggerated lifts. No flicks behind, they are replaced by simple touch closing of the active foot.

Notes by Andrew Hardwick.
Written 2013-9-8. Mention of additional part 2018-4-15. Order sequence lengths 2018-6-2.
Contact (email:info@duramecho.com).
Available on-line at http://duramecho.com.