POVRATENO Macedonia A "turning," "repeating," or "forward and back" dance from the Vardar Valley, central Macedonia. Source: Researched and taught many years ago by Dick Crum. Pronounced: poh-VRAH-ten-no Rhythm: 2/4 Recording: Folkdancer MH 3040 Folkraft LP-15 Formation: Originally danced by men only, with hands on shoulders. When danced in mixed lines, hold hands at shoulder height until the music speeds up, then the hands are lowered. The leader is on the right and can signal the step changes, although Povrateno is most commonly done repeating the three variations twice each. ======================================================================= ....5....1....5....1....5....2....5....3....5....4....5....6....5....7.. Meas Ct VARIATION I - BASIC DANCE ----- ---- ------------------------------------------------------------ Start with weight on L, R leg raised 1 1 Facing slightly and moving R, Lift on L keeping R leg raised 2 Step forward (LOD) onto R, bringing L leg through 2 1 Lift on R keeping L leg raised 2 Step forward onto L, bringing R leg through 3 1 Lift on L keeping R leg raised 2 Step forward onto R 4 1 Turning to face center, Step slightly forward onto L Step back into place onto R, beginning to raise L leg in front 5-8 REPEAT measures 1-4 with opposite footwork and direction VARIATION II - TWO-STEPS 1 1 Facing slightly and moving R, Lift on L keeping R leg raised 2& Two-step (R, L) forward (LOD) 2 1 Step forward onto R 2& Two-step (L, R) forward 3 1 Step forward onto L 2 Step forward onto R 4 1 Turning to face center, Step slightly forward onto L Step back into place onto R, beginning to raise L leg in front 5-8 REPEAT measures 1-4 with opposite footwork and direction VARIATION III - TURNS Repeat Variation II, releasing hands and turning one full turn clockwise throughout measures 2 and 3, starting with the two-step in measure 1. When hands or shoulders are released, the hands should stay up, above shoulder level. Note: As the music speeds up you can add energy by changing the lifts to small hops. Alternatively, you can continue doing the same step variations, just making the steps smaller (this is how old or tired dancers can also enjoy the fast music). Dance description by Tom Deering