Tunisian Women's Dance - Women's dance from Siliana (Tunesia)

Tunisian Women's Dance

Girls' dance from Siliana

Tunesia

These notes ©2016, Andrew Carnie. This is a dance from the town of Siliana in northern Tunisia, The music was recorded in Monastir in 1974. The Dance was researched and taught in the US by Mardi Rollow.

Music: Girls Dance from Siliana, Music of the Shikhat and Dance Music of Tunesia. Disques Maghrebins 1976
Meter: 3/4
Formation: Pairs of women facing each other, hands out to sides
Introduction: Start with the wail of the mijwiz (after one bar of drumming)

Part 1:

Bar 1: Moving in LOD, step forward on L, left hip goes forward (1,2), Step back in place on R, left hip goes back (3)
Bar 2: Step forward on L, Left hip goes forward (1,2), kick R forward low with R hip going forward (3)
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork
Bars 5-16: repeat bars 1-4, three more times

Part 2:

Bar 1; Facing center, cross L over R, pushing L hip forward, left arm swings in front (1,2) step back in place on R (3)
Bar 2: Swing L back behind and step on it, L arms swings backwards (1,2), step back in place on R (3)
Bars 3-6: repeat bars 1-2, two more times
Bar 7: Repeat bar 1
Bar 8: Step on L in place (1,2,3)
Bars 9-16: repeat Bars 1-8 with opposite footwork moving to the L

Part 3

This step is very similar to step 1 but with a slightly different timing. The step moves forward towards partner
Bar 1: Moving in LOD, step forward on L, left hip goes forward (1), Step back in place on R, left hip goes back (2,3)
Bar 2: Step forward on L, Left hip goes forward (1,2), kick R forward low with R hip going forward (3)
Bars 3-4: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork
Bars 5-8: repeat bars 1-4

Part 4

Bars 1-16: Take hands with partner, and repeat the footwork of part 2. On bar 1, pull R elbow back, on bar 2 pull L elbow back.

Part 5

Bars 1-8: Drop hands, bend over at the waist and repeat Bars 1-8 of part 2 (traveling to the R, crossing L in front)
Bar 9: Starting to turn CW, step on L in place, lifting R in front (1), step on R next to L (2,3)
Bars 10-16: continuing to turn CW repeat the footwork of Bar 9.
Bars 17-32: repeat bars 1-16 with opposite footwork and direction (turn CCW)

Parts 6-8

repeat parts 3-5

Part 9: (Music is accelerating)

Bar 1: Facing center and traveling in RLOD, step L to L (1), Step on R next to L, hooking L in front of R shin (2,3). [Note, I've notated this as QS (1)(2,3), but Rollow's notes have it as SQ (1,2)(3)]
Bars 2-11: repeat Bar 1 ten more times
Bar 12: Step on L to L (1,2,3)
Bars 13-24: repeat bars 1-2 with opposite footwork and direction (in LOD)

Part 10: 

Repeat the footwork of Part 1, traveling in LOD

Part 11

Repeat the footwork of Part 3, facing center and dancing in place

Parts 12-13

repeat parts 10-11

Part 14

Bars 1-8: repeat the footwork of Bar 1 of part 9
Bar 9: Step on L to L (1,2,3)
Bars 10-17: repeat bars 2-9 with the opposite footwork and direction (facing center to the right)
Bars 18-25: repeat bars 2-9

Part 15: "Tchou-Tchou Tunisien"

Bars 1-24: using the footwork of bar 1 of part 9, keep dancing to the L, quickly speeding up. When the music starts speeding up shimmy your shoulders as well as your hips. On the last chord, step on R foot backwards and lean back.

Bill and Karen Faust's Fayetteville Video

Other Sources

• Rollow, Mardi (1976) unpublished typewritten dance notes
• Anonymous hand-written dance notes (probably written by Karen Faust)