Country: Finland
Type: set dance
Formation: open circle of 8 couples, M holding hands at shoulder height and facing out of circle, W facing partner, fists on hips. Couples are numbered CW around the circle, couples 1 and 8 are at the front.
Steps: valssi (waltz),
waltz-draw (forwards: L (1:1) close R (1:2) L (1:3) R (2:1) pause (2:2) close L (2:3) R (3:1) close L (3:2) R (3:3) L (4:1) pause (4:2) close R (4:3)).
Sheet music:
Recordings:
Iso Ilo "Iso Ilo Alkaa" Oulunsalosta (Oulunsalon Nuorisoseura ry - ONS LP-1) track B6.
[Also available on Spotify, Shazam, Wynk, etc]
| Bars | Part | Dance progression |
| 1-4 | 1 (a) | Advance,retire,dos-á-dos: All start with L foot, and dance 1 waltz-draw step towards partner,
and 1 waltz-draw step away from partner. M drop hold, place fists on hips. |
| 5-8 | All dance dos-á-dos CW with partner. 4 waltz steps. | |
| 1-8 | Repeat (1 (a)). Finish in open circle, M facing CCW, W facing CW, two-hand hold with partner. | |
| 9-16 | (b) | Promenade: Travelling in LOD,
W turns CW under MR/WL joined arms, and ends facing LOD at M's L side, 2 waltz steps W turns CCW under MR/WL joined arms, to face partner with back in LOD, 2 waltz steps W turns CCW under ML/WR joined arms, and ends facing LOD at M's R side, 2 waltz steps W turns CW under ML/WR joined arms, to face partner with back in LOD, 2 waltz steps |
| 9-16 | Repeat (1 (b)). Finish all facing in LOD holding inside hands with partner. | |
| 1-8 | 2 (a) | M L-hand star: M make L-hand star, placing L hand on L shoulder of the man in front. The star circles CCW one full turn, 8 waltz steps. |
| 1-8 | 2 circles: As couple 1 approaches front, W1 drops hold with partner and peels off to the R to start a women's circle moving CW beside men's star. Each W in turn joins women's circle, placing her R hand on R shoulder of the woman in front of her. 8 waltz steps. | |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | W R-hand star: As M1 and W1 approach front again, M1 breaks from men's star, takes MR/WL hand with his partner. Each M in turn joins partner in women's circle which turns one full turn CW. 16 waltz steps.
Finish with M forming outside circle, facing out, fists on hips, W making an open inside circle, each W standing behind her partner, facing out, holding shkirt. |
| |:1-8:| | 3 (a) | W search: M stand still. W dance waltz-draw step diagonally over to second M to her R in the circle. They peer at each other over his L shoulder, he shakes his head, and W dances a second waltz-draw step backwards to centre of circle.
Repeat to each second M CW around circle, until each W is back with her partner, who nods, W steps out into outer circle facing RLOD while M turn to face LOD. Take two-hand hold with partner. 8 waltz-draw steps. |
| 9-16 | (b) | Step-swing: Starting with standing on ML/WR foot, swing MR/WL foot towards centre of circle, then opposite foot (ML/WR) out of circle. Repeat. 4 step-swings. |
| 9-16 | Promenade: Repeat (1 (b)). | |
| 1-8 | 4 (a) | W R-hand star: Repeat (2 (a)), but: W make R-hand star, placing R hand on R shoulder of the woman in front. The star circles CW one full turn, 8 waltz steps. |
| 1-8 | 2 circles: As couple 1 approaches front, M1 drops hold with partner and peels off to the L to start a men's circle moving CCW beside women's star. Each M in turn joins men's circle, placing his L hand on L shoulder of the man in front of him. 8 waltz steps. | |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Form longways set: W1 and each following W in turn breaks away from the women's star to join inside hands with partner, and couples move in s straight double line diagonally towards the front, all couples following in turn. 4 waltz steps.
As each couple reaches the front, W and M separate, W turning CW and M turning CCW away from the front in a hairpin turn and move in parallel lines toward the back. Finish in parallel, W to the left and M to the right, as seen from the front. 12 waltz steps. |
| |:1-8:| | 5 (a) | Couples roll: When couple 1 meets at the back, they stop facing each other. Couple 2 stands towards the back beside them, with remaining couples in lines behind W2 and M2 respectively.
M1 and M2 roll CCW, moving forward diagonally towards front. Meanwhile W1 and W2 ditto, but turning CW. Couples swing joined inside hands to help roll, with 2 waltz steps for the roll. Couple 1 stands still, about 4 steps apart. Couple 2, followed by couple 3 roll between M1 and W1 towards front. Couple 2 stands still above and beside couple 1, while couple 3 followed by couple 4 roll through them, etc., untill all couples have rolled through the corridor and formed a lonways set diagonally towards front. 16 walts steps total. |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Couple 1 rolls through the set towards the front, followed after each 2 waltz steps by each couple in turn.
When couple 1 reaches the front it separates, M1 moving CCW in a hairpin turn towards the back, W1 ditto but CW. Each couple in turn follows, as it reaches the front. 16 walts steps. M finish in a diagonal line, from front R to back L as seen from the front. Women's line curves to meet men's line at the back. |
| |:1-8:| | 6 (a) | W roll: M stand still. W1, and each following W in turn (starting on every 2nd waltz measure), moves to M1's R side, and with 2 waltz steps, turning CCW, passes from his R side to his L side, changing from MR/WL hands joined to ML/WR hands, and continues on down the line turning past each M in turn until W1 reaches front (M8). 16 waltz steps.
Finish in longways set, diagonally towards front R, with M8 and W1 at fron, and M1 and W8 at back. All hold inside hands. |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Lines of 4: Starting on L foot, swinging R foot, all dance 4 step swings, moving slightly backwards on each step.
On the 5th step-swing, M1 and W8 cross over (W in front) and begin to move individually along outside of the set (W to the R of the set and M to the L of the set as seen from the front) towards the front to join inside hands with W1 and M8 respectively, facing front. On the 6th step-swing M2 and W7 cross over and follow M1 and W8, followed in turn on each successive step-swing by M3 and W6, and M4 and W5. Finish in 4 lines of 2 couples in each line, facing front, holding hands in the lines. The front row consists of (from L to R as seen from the front): M1, W1, M8, and W8. 16 step-swings total. |
| |:1-8:| | 7 (a) | Advance,retire,dos-á-dos: All drop hands and face partner. Dance 1 waltz-draw step towards partner, and 1 waltz-draw step away from partner.
Dos-á-dos with partner. 4 waltz steps. Repeat (7 (a)). Total 16 waltz measures. Finish facing partner. M-lines holding hands. W-lines hands are free. |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Arches: M-lines make arches, swinging joinged hands up backwards and down forwards in semi-circular motion. Meanwhile W-lines pass under the arches, 1 W per arch, passing to R of partner. Repeat.
As each line reaches end of set (ie no oncoming line), each person turns CW on the spot, 2 waltz steps, and the line begins to move back through the set in the opposite direction. Lines moving from L to R (as seen from the front) always make the arches; lines moving from R to L (as seen from the front) always pass under the arches. Continue until all lines have returned to their position at the beginning of this sequence. Drop hand hold. 16 waltz steps. |
| |:1-8:| | 8 (a) | Circle to lines: M turning CW and W turning CCW, all move towards front, 2 waltz steps per full turn. 4 full turns.
As each couple reaches the front of the set, they merge into a line. Ie, the rightmost two lines merge into 1 line (W in front of own partner) which moves back through the line of oncoming couples and in a curve towards back L. Meanwhile, the leftmost two lines merge into 1 line (M in front of own partner) which moves back through the oncoming couples and in a curve towards back R. Total 16 waltz measures. Finish facing partner. M-lines holding hands. W-lines hands are free. |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Interleave: At the back, the lines meet and pass through the opposite line (one person at a time, W first) and curve around towards the front.
The line containing M1 and W1 continues to circle around CW inside the other line (containing M8 and W8) which circles CCW, until couples 1 and 8 meet at the back. 16 waltz steps. All finish in 1 closed circle. |
| |:1-8:| | 9 (a) | W roll:All W turn past each M in turn (see 6 (a) above) until each reaches own partner. 16 waltz steps. |
| |:9-16:| | (b) | Waltz:Take waltz hold with partner, W facing LOD, M facing RLOD in the corcle.
Dance 4 waltz steps in LOD (M moving forwards, W moving backwards). All dance 12 turning waltz steps, turning CW and moving in LOD. On the last waltz measure, W turns under MR/WL arms into a curtsey in centre of the circle facing partner. |
See videos from/with
Helsingin pitäjän tanhuujat ja spelarit 2013,
Vääksyssä 2013,
Lappajärven pelimannit & Väkitukko Lokakuun 2013,
Katrilli at FinnFest 2011 (at 9:07)
Provenance: choreographed by Helvi Jukarainen circa 1994.
Source: taught by Martti Vanhapelto in Portland 1987-10-10 to 11, and in Vancouver 1988-03-26 to 27.
Description: Laine Ruus, Portland, 1987-10.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2012-06-23, rev. 2023-04-20.
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