episode 9 - the Opa Cupa conundrum (MySpace 5/10/2009)

Subject	Where's the kef? - episode 9 - the Opa Cupa conundrum
DateCreated	5/10/2009 2:29:00 AM
PostedDate	5/10/2009 2:23:00 AM
Body	Some time earlier this year, I find myself upstairs at the Friday folk dancing, and I hear a familiar piece of music on the audio system. I immediately feel "at home". Seeing my interest, a friend says, "that's Ciganko - very popular, everyone knows how to do it". "Do" it? To me it's a catchy song and instrumental arrangement from the Balkans (Serbia?) - but these people are folk dancers, and are in the habit of associating music with step sequences. Start to play the music, and folk dancers will want to do the familiar associated choreography. Another example is Opa Cupa (pronounced "opa tsupa"). I think it's a great song - they think it's a great dance. Last fall at the so-called Kolo Festival in Sausalito, the band is about to start Opa Cupa. I get into the dance line, and then reconsider. "Are we going to do 'U Shest' or the folk dance 'Opa Cupa'?" U Shest is a widely known Serbian step-pattern that fits this music well, and can acommodate a wide range of ability in the same dance line. "I'm doing the folk dance," says the line leader, so I drop out. She does a fine job. Not hard, but the steps change according to the parts of the musical arrangement. There are enough experienced people in the crowd to support the mis-steps of the newbies, and despite not looking particularly Serbian, the whole thing looks good and comes off pretty well. Fast forward to Herdeljez in Sebastopol last week. The Sonoma Academy high school opens the program with a mixed Bulgarian and Romani set - with Opa Cupa near the end. What is going to happen THIS time? I back out as I see the line is being formed by folk dancers. But this time they have trouble finding the right steps. Another line forms alongside, tries, but also can't seem to find the groove. Most of the Academy kids are in one of these lines - and they seem at a total loss for what to do. Then I notice several Voice of Roma stalwarts have started an U Shest line - yeah! But they back off, likely for the sake of diplomacy. The music sounded pretty good, though. No obvious problem, unless you were watching what was happening with the dancing up front. Later, I heard the back story. VoR had coached the band and the singers, and the rest of the students had been taught... U Shest. Next time you are at a festival, and you hear that the band is going to play Opa Cupa - which dance are YOU gonna do? Next: hopping at the Hopmonk Previous: episode 8 - a Devetorka lesson Start: episode 1 - the Peninsula