Today was a rather long day. Up at 05:30, bus to Umeå, run a workshop till 17:00, meet Torunn, enjoy a meal together, and then head to Björkstalaget’s Tuesday evening folk dance session from 19:30 to 21:00, followed by the bus home from 21:15 to 23:00 (I am typing whilst still on the bus).
I joined them for dance because Olle and Lollo had joined us for Höstdansen this weekend, and invited me to join their dance group. Olle says he’s been doing Swedish folk dance since 1973, so I asked, and yes, he knows many of my friends in Luleå Hembgdsgille.
I don’t know how often I will be able to join them, but it was so much fun! When I looked at their schedule yesterday, and saw that they were doing Menuette last week, this week, and next week, I decided it made sense to join them, since I had done (and performed), Menuette in Luleå, just not for about 4 or 5 years.
Sure enough, the version they are doing is one I learned, so while it took a bit to get it back, as the base step isn’t exactly easy, I did, eventually, manage. The base step is done in six counts:
- step forward on the right foot
- pause, with a slight dip/bounce at the knee, still standing on the right foot, left foot in the air
- put the left foot back on the ground, more or less where it started
- step back with the right foot
- put the left foot back on the ground, more or less where it started
- pause, with a slight dip, still standing on the left foot, right foot in the air
For some reason, every time I return to this dance after a break I want to put that second pause on the fifth count, so that both pauses are done standing on the left, and it takes a bit to convince myself to get that pause back to the sixth count. But, by the end of the evening, I had it.
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