DANCE MIXER

MISIRLOU MIXER
(me-zir-loo) = my unhappy one [according to the author, who probably
knew better but didn't want to confuse the listening public]

Other Names Cuando alegre tu sonries mujer – Spanish lyrics for Misirlou
Desert shadows creep across purple sands – English lyrics for Misirlou
Miserlou – prevalent misspelling of Misirlou
Misery Lou – prevalent misspelling Misirlou

In the year 1945, the Duquesne University Folk Dancers, a group of girls who shared my
enthusiasm for dancing, were asked to participate in a music-and-dance program to honor
America's allies of World War II. The program was titled: "Music and Dance of Poland, Greece,
Czechoslovakia and Jugoslavia" and was arranged by the Tuesday Musical Club of Pittsburgh. I
knew no Greek dances, but the girls in their quick and enterprising way discovered two girls on
the campus who were of Greek background: Patricia Mandros and Mercine Nesotas. Both knew
something about Greek folk dances and Pat could play the piano (we had no records at that time).
Before long we had learned the Hasapikos and Kritikos.1 However, Pat had no piano music for
the Kritikos, apparently it was not as popular in Pittsburgh as other Greek dances. In desperation
one day, she brought with her and gave to me a copy of "Misirlou" – an Arabian Serenade by
Roubanis.2 She suggested that this music would come as close to the right kind of music as
anything she could find, and so we adapted the dance to this tune.

When we first performed this dance as "Kritikos" on the above mentioned program at Stephen
Foster Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh on March 6, 1945, I carefully explained to the audience that
the dance had been adapted. After the program the girls, who had learned to like the dance very
much, suggested using it as a "theme dance" on other programs and demonstrations, and thus it
began to move off-campus and into the larger folk dance world. Monty Mayo, leader of the
Community Folk Dance Group of Pittsburgh at that time, introduced it in New York. Michael
Herman first listed it in his catalogue, Standard F-9044, a "Pittsburgh Greek," and eventually
suggested calling it "Misirlou" to avoid confusion with the genuine Kritikos. The dance was first
notated by Mimi Kirkell and Irma Schaffnit in their book: "Partners All, Places All," E.P. Dutton
and Company, 1949. I introduced this dance at Oglebay Park camp during the Labor Day
weekend of 1948. I was delighted to find this dance enjoyed by the Oglebayites and by the folk
dancers elsewhere.

As the dance has gone its way, interesting "folk lore" has attached itself. For example, the Girl
Scouts in this area call it the "Snake Dance." A student at Duquesne, who had never seen the title
of this dance in print, once wrote me for information concerning the availability of this record
and referred to this dance as "Misery Lou." We still get a good laugh out of that and at times
refer to it that way ourselves.

1.) Holding hands in a circle – arms raised.

2.) Point with L foot in front, sweep L foot around behind and step on it, step with R foot,
L foot goes over in front.

3.) Pivot on L foot, turn in opposite direction, step with R foot, bring L foot together with
R. Step again with R foot.

4.) Bring L foot up as if to skip almost, but then place back down.

5.) Step with R foot and turning to centre, L foot over in front, R foot around from behind
and bring L together with R.
 DANCE MIXER

HORA MIXER
also known as horo and oro, is a type of circle dance originating in
the Balkans but also found in other countries.

Hora (pl. hore) is a traditional Romanian folk dance where the dancers hold each other's hands
and the circle spins, usually counterclockwise, as each participant follows a sequence of three
steps forward and one step back. The dance is usually accompanied by musical instruments such
as the cymbalom, accordion, violin, viola, double bass, saxophone, trumpet or the pan pipes.

The hora is popular during wedding celebrations and festivals, and is an essential part of the
social entertainment in rural areas. One of the most famous hore is the Hora Unirii (Hora of the
Union), which became a Romanian patriotic song as a result of being the hymn
when Wallachia and Moldavia united to form the Principality of Romania in 1859. During the
2006/2007 New Year's Eve celebration, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union,
people were dancing Hora Bucuriei (Hora of Joy) over the boulevards of Bucharest as a tribute
to the EU anthem, Ode to Joy (Odă bucuriei). Some of the biggest hora circles can be found on
early 20th century movies filmed by the Manakis brothers in Pindus, Greece and performed by
local Aromanians.

1.) Step the left foot across to the right.

2.) Let the right foot follow.

3.) Step the left foot in back of the right.

4.) Follow again with the right.

 DANCE MIXER

CHA-CHA-CHA MIXER

1. Group yourselves into four pairs each.

2. Be in a square formation as illustrated below:

(X-males, O-Females) Reminder:
X OX
O

O
X O X

3. Distance between partners shall be about 3-4 meters.

Be reminded that the sequence of combinations is the same as how it was
introduced in Activity 2, number 6. Do combinations 1 and 2 for two repetitions.
91 Social Dance and Dance Mixers

4. Upon finishing 2 repetitions of combinations 1 and 2, Males raise L arm for females to
turn inward. Females end up with the next partner. Do this for 8 counts. Bow to
partner and assume closed ballroom position for another 8 counts.

5. As soon as new partners meet each other, repeat combinations 1 and 2 twice.

6. Do the same with the rest of the remaining corners. Males stay, females travel around
counterclockwise. Two rounds may do.

7. Gather in columns, by group.

 DANCE MIXER

CIRCLE WALTZ MIXER

1) Have all children get adult partners, all adults get child partners (as much as possible).
At a minimum, make sure all younger children are with either and adult or an
older (say, 4th grade or older) child.

2) Have them all promenade in a circle. Adult/older person promenade on the inside and
say “I am a rock”. Child promenade on outside and say “I am a twirler”.

3) Have them face the center so the “rock/adult” is on left and “twirler/child” is on right.

4) At this point I say “All the rocks do this” and I demonstrate putting my hands together
up above my head (like you are going to dive upwards). Everyone can look around and
make sure every other person is a rock.

5) Demonstrate how to twirl (I always teach this while dancing with them with a wireless
headset microphone) with the dancer to your left (I am assuming you are a “rock”): both
facing the center, the Rock takes the handy hand of the Twirler to the Rock’s left
(Twirler’s right hand in Rock’s left hand) and gives the Twirler’s hand a light tug. The
Twirler moves to their right while turning so that they end up facing the Rock. The
Twirler and Rock change hands (Twirler’s left in Rock’s right) and the Twirler keeps
turning and moving to their right, ending up on the Rock’s right.

6) Have everyone point to their own right and say “That is the direction the twirlers go”

7) Tell the “Rocks” to glue their feet to the floor (do not move their feet at all during the
twirl).
8) Have everyone practice one twirl. If it doesn’t work perfectly, have everyone go back
and practice again.

9) Add the forward and back between the twirl and practice a few twirls (Twirlers keep
moving to the right past successive Rocks).

10) Demonstrate how to twirl someone into the partner-facing-partner-holding-two-hands

position that you twirl into to prepare for the next figure.

11) Have everyone twirl into that position.

12) Have everyone drop hands and watch you and your partner demonstrate the “in, out,
spin in, out, in, spin out” figure.

13) Have everyone practice that figure.

14) THIS IS THE KICKER: Instead of a two hand turn here, I demonstrate with my
partner a verrrrrrry sllllooooow bow to partner followed by “Open like a book and face
the center”. This slow-bow-open-like-a-book replaces the two hand turn (which can be
disorienting and likely get some dancers on the wrong sides of their partners).

15) Have everyone practice the slow-bow-open like a book.

16) During the dance if you see a section of the circle get hopelessly confused it is OK,
with the music still playing, to stop the dance, have all the “Rocks” put their hands up in
the air, and then figure out where there are, say, two “Twirlers” next to each other and put
one of them into the part of the circle where there are two Rocks next to each other.
 DANCE MIXER

WALTZ MIXER

1. Group yourselves into four pairs each.

2. Be in a square formation as illustrated below:

(X-males, O-Females)

X OX
O

O
X O X

3. Distance between partners shall be about 3-4 meters.

Be reminded that the sequence of combinations is the same as how it was
introduced in Activity 2b, number 12. Do the 8 combinations given.

4. Upon finishing the combinations, partners step R sideward, do bow (males) and curtsy
(females) respectively for two measures.

5. Males stand still and wait. Females move counterclockwise and meet the next partner
on the next corner of the square. Partners do the bow and curtsy simultaneously.

6. As soon as new partners meet each other, repeat the same combinations.

7. Do the same with the rest of the remaining corners. Males stay, females travel around
counterclockwise. Two rounds may do in this activity.

8. Gather in columns, by group.