Voronezhkye khorovodniye chastushky (Russia)

Alternative Names	'Воронежкые хороводные частушки' is the original spelling given in the course by Hennie. 'Voronezhkye khorovodniye chastushky' is that transcribed into English. 'Woronezhkiye chastushky' is a shortened version used on the course transcribed into German by Hennie. 'Хороводные частушки' is an alternative shortened version used on the course CD & DVD by Hennie. 'Chorowodnije tschastuschki' is that transcribed into German by Hennie. 'Chorovodniye chastushki' is that transcribed into English by Hennie. 'Tschastuschki' is a German transcription of even shorter version used when Hennie taught it in Britain, beforehand. 'Chatushki' is an English transcription of that by Sally Fletcher.
Formation	Circle. V-hold.
Dance Structure	(A + B + C + D + E + F) x 3 + A.
Music Structure	4 counts per bar, alternating 2 bar & 4 bar phrases.
Music Speed	140 counts/min.
Choreographer	Hennie Konings.
Source	Hennie Konings on his Russian dance course at Shatski Ozera, Ukraine, 2007.

Disclaimer: Mistakes are quite likely in the notes and no guarantees are made as to accuracy. They are based on notes I wrote down during the dance course & from the course video afterwards. 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 Hennie Konings.

A Russian dance that has a feeling of perpetual motion because it is of small bustling steps, doesn't rest and is to music that keeps feeling that it will resolve but does not. The steps are mostly common Russian ones but include ones like Russian Glides & Pripaddaniyas that are typically done in slow graceful dances but danced here faster adding to the feeling of hurry.

The reason for the high number of different names is that it is a Russian dance taught by a Dutch teacher in Ukraine to German & British dancers and has an impractically long name. The languages & contractions involved gives thirty five combinations, excluding translations and alternative transcriptions, so it is quite lucky we only got it eight different ways :-) .

Style: Steps are low and medium small with toe leads. A feeling of bustling continuous movement with no respite.

Introduction

Summary: 4 bars.

Wait through 4 bars then start. Note that this is 2 bars before the singing starts so the first Part A is done before the singing starts and the first Part B starts with the singing.

Part A

Summary: Walk in R L R & stamp L. Walk out L R L & touch R.

Start

Facing towards the centre of the circle. Weight on L foot. V-hold.

1	Walk R forwards.
2	Walk L forwards.
3	Walk R forwards.
4	Close L foot to R foot with a flat footed stamp without weight transfer.

1-3	Repeat bar 1 on the opposite feet reversing out (L backwards, R backwards, L backwards).
4	Close R foot to L foot (no stamp) without weight transfer and whilst turning 90 deg cw to face acw around the circle.

Part B

Summary: 6 Russian Glides (shortened) acw around the circle, 2 turning 270 deg cw.

Start

Facing acw around the circle. Weight on L foot. V-hold.

1	R forwards.
&	Close L to right foot onto ball of foot.
2	R forwards (Together with the previous 2 steps this forms a R Russian Glide albeit at faster pace than the usual gentle Russian Glide motion and with the second step of it cut short by ending on the ball of the foot beside the other foot rather than flat ahead of it. Strangely cutting the step short actually makes it feel and look more bustling than doing it full.).
3&4	Repeat counts 1&2 on the opposite feet (L shortened Russian Glide, i.e. L forwards, R close onto ball, L forwards).

2-3

Repeat bar 1 (R & L shortened Russian Glides forwards acw around the circle) twice more (making 6 shortened Russian Glides in total).

Release hand hold (but keep them in V-hold position with respect to the body) and turn 270 deg solo cw in the same rhythm of stepping as bar 1 (R L R in quick-quick-slow, ditto on opposite feet) progressing around the circle a bit as is natural for the previously forward momentum. Ending up facing the centre of the circle regaining V-hold.

Part C

Summary: As Part A but no stamp, raise arms going in & hands to hips going out.

Start

Facing the centre of the circle. Weight on L foot. V-hold.

Feet	As Part A bar 1 but just touch not stamp at the end (walk R L R in forwards, L close without weight transfer).
Arms	Raise up infront with straight elbows into V-hold with arms in a horizontal plane infront.

Feet	As Part A bar 2 (walk L R L out backwards, R close without weight transfer).
Arms	Release hold and move down to hands on hips. The motion down is done smoothly and powerful looking by the hands moving on a curved path in & down starting with moving inwards and the elbow staying up as long as it can before the necessity of following the hands brings them downwards.

Part D

Summary: Diagonally in R in (R heel, L close) x 2, R, L close, R in place. Ditto in L. Ditto original. 4 steps out backwards.

Start

Facing the centre of the circle. Weight on L foot. Hands on hips.

1	With torso facing 45 deg acw of the direction to the centre of the circle and the head facing over the right shoulder, R to the side (which is diagonally R into the circle in this body orientation) onto heel with toes directed towards the centre of the circle (i.e. foot turned out the R with respect to the body).
&	L close onto flat foot with toes directed perpendicular to the sagittal plane of the body (i.e. the normal orientation).
2-2&	Repeat counts 1-1& (R to the side onto heel, L close).
3	R to the side onto flat foot.
&	L close onto flat foot.
4	R in place on flat foot.
&	Pause.

Repeat bar 1 in L R mirror image (torso facing 45 cw of the direction to the centre of the circle, looking over L shoulder, (side L onto heel, R close) x 2, side L, R close, L in place).

Repeat bar 1 (torso facing 45 acw of the direction to the centre of the circle, looking over R shoulder, (side R onto heel, L close) x 2, side R, L close, R place).

1	Facing the centre of the circle, L walk backwards away from the centre.
2	Repeat count 1 in mirror image (R back).
3-4	Repeat counts 1-2 (L back, R back).

Part E

Summary: L side turning 90 deg cw, R close touch. Ditto on opposite feet. Repeat all. Regain V-hold at the end.

Start

Facing the centre of the circle. Weight on L foot. Hands on hips.

1	L to the side whilst turning 90 deg cw (so the L foot actually steps in towards the centre of the circle) to face acw around the circle and leaning slightly to the R with the upper body (equivalently this can be visualised as the hips moving sideways with the step but the upper body slightly lagging behind).
2	R close to the L foot without weight transfer.
3-4	Repeat counts 1-2 on the opposite feet from the current position (R to the side turning 90 deg cw to face out of the circle whilst leaning slightly to the L, L close without weight transfer).

Feet	Repeat bar 1 from the current position (L to the side turning 90 deg to face cw around the circle whilst leaning R, R close without weight transfer, R to the side turning 90 deg to face the centre of the circle the circle whilst leaning L, L close without weight transfer) to end facing the centre of the circle.
Hands	Return to V-hold during count 3 (can finish off grabbing hands etc. during the first count of Part F rather than being untidy in rushing to do it all in one beat).

Part F

Summary: 8 Pripaddaniyas to the L starting with L to the side & ending with R close stamp.

Start

Facing the centre of the circle. Weight on R foot. V-hold.

1	L to the side onto flat foot (restraightening knees if dipped).
2	R across behind onto ball of foot and dipping slightly by bending the knees in a somewhat limping fashion. (Combined with the previous step, this forms a Pripaddaniya (literally meaning 'limping') step.)
3-4	Repeat counts 1-2 (a Pripaddaniya step (L to the side raising, R across behind dipping).

2-4

Repeat bar 1 3 more times (making 8 Pripaddaniya steps in total) but replace the last step (bar 4 count 4 R across behind with dip) with a stamp R close without either dip or weight transfer ready for the next Part A.

Ending

Summary: Exhale.

After 4 complete times through the main dance sequence it has one more Part A and finishes. Bow with an imitated exhausted flopping style and exhale with a relieved sounding "ahhhh" or exhausted sounding "hhhhh".