22.-Lesnoto-Oro

LESNOTO ORO: Macedonian
PRONUNCIATION:	LEHS-noh-toh OH-roh
TRANSLATION:	Light, easy dance
BACKGROUND:	Most native Macedonians, upon hearing the music for this particular dance, would dance the more traditional Lesnoto having a pattern of “three steps right and one step left,” the most popular dance done in Macedonia. This description below is the more stylized one preferred by some American folk dancers.
MUSIC:	Any of the thousands available
FORMATION:	Open cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held at shldr height in “W” pos, hands slightly fwd. When danced only by M, hands often are placed on neighbor’s shldrs in “T” pos.
METER/RHYTHM:	7/8. The rhythm is slow-quick-quick (3 + 2 + 2 = 7) and is counted here in three dancer’s beats with the first being the longest. The tempo gradually accelerates to 7/16.
STEPS/STYLE:	As the music increases in tempo, the steps become low leaps and the bounces become low hops. Some dancers hold the pos of ct 1 in meas 3 for the additional two cts, imitating the hold of the one note in the music.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
	INTRODUCTION
	None. Begin with any musical phrase.
	THE DANCE
1	Facing slightly R, step R swd with a slight flexion of the R knee (ct 1); flexing R knee, bring L across in front of R with bent knee (ct 2); step L across in front of R (ct 3);
2	Facing ctr, step R swd with a slight flexion of the R knee (ct 1); flex R knee, bringing bent L knee up an across in front of R (ct 2); remaining in this pos, flex R knee again (ct 3);
3	Repeat action of meas 2 to L with opp ftwk;
4	Swing R around in back of L calf (or knee), rising slightly on ball of L ft (ct 1); step R slightly bwd (ct 2); step L next to R (ct 3).
	Repeat entire dance from beg.
Copyright © 2004 by Dick Oakes
	(with minor modifications by John Pappas)