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For further information about Litooma and its programs contact:
LITOOMA
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Note: All movements are coordinated with either the Inupiat or Yupik two beat.
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TRAVEL ··············· |
HAND WALKING: Palms down at waist and stepping forward with hands rigid and alternating in front as if feet. Performer walks forward with a measured pace. Neck movement with beat.
EASY WALK: As in Hand Walking, hands forward at waist, but hands are limp like a duck paddling. Performer walks forward with a measured pace. Neck movement with beat.
POLAR BEAR TRAVEL: Palms down and in front, as with Hand Walking, but raising and lowering hands top above shoulder level as if taking large steps forward. Performer walks likewise with large steps forward as a polar bear across the ice. Large neck movement with beat.
HIGH STEPS: Similar to above but with large, exaggerated steps. Knees high as if traveling through deep snow; arm movements alternate but rather than high an large they reach forward.
BIG WALK: An exaggerated and playful walk. Arms swinging to either side of the body and up and down with a forward motion. Upper body and neck reflects the beat. Performer moves forward with exaggerated, but not necessarily large steps. Meant to be a character or comic attitude walk.
GENEROUS WALKING: Palms up, as if giving. Movement sweeps with large movement to alternating sides to give. The performer moves forward with a measured pace; the head alternates to either side in coordination with the beat.
HAPPY TRAVEL (The Jumbo Walk): Arms at either side, palms down, rising above and below the waist alternating; the hands float with happiness. The performer moves in a measured pace forward. Neck movement with the beat.
HAPPY TRAVEL, TOO: Same as above but with palms up.
STORY TRAVEL: One hand extended forward in a specific direction, pointing. Other arm cocked at hip or brought tight to chest. Extended hand reflects the beat. High extension of hand signifies distant travel; chest level extension of hand signifies local travel. Extended hand moving in front and across the performer signifies travel. Arms may alternate to signify two different travelers (human or animals) for dance story telling. Performed in place. Neck movement accents the beat.
STALKING: Leading forward with one side of the body on a diagonal, one arm outstretched and attention/eyes focused on imagined prey. The outstretched hand signifying the location of the prey. Other arm cocked at side or close to chest. Performer moves with a shuffle step. Neck alternates with beat either side-to-side or forward and back.
UNCERTAIN TRAVEL: Palms pushing outward with cautious arms in front and sweeping alternately across the face as if trying to clear away the darkness, fog, brush, or to protect from harm. Performer hunches over at waist and moves with a more cautiously with small forward movement. Neck and shoulder movement with the beat are likewise more cautious.
DIFFICULT TRAVEL: Same as Uncertain Travel but with performer hunched lower down and bent at knees, as moving slowly forward. Neck and shoulder movements are a with every other beat rather than with the beat.
TRAVEL TURN AROUND: Can be used in combination with many of the above walks. Arms outstretched in front at waist, palms down, then one hand steps over the other as the performer turns around.
TRAVEL & CARRY: Both hands are held close together (but not touching) at the abdomen. Performer moves forward with neck and shoulder accenting the beat.
WALKING IN PLACE: Arms bent at elbow, palms down and hands rigid. Alternate opposite up-down movement and coordinate with up and down leg movement. Performer walks in place. Neck and shoulders with the beat.
WALKING ON ICE: Arms and hands low and close to body, palms down. Legs slightly bent. With the beat the performer moves forward with an uncertain shuffle as if walking on thin ice. Neck and shoulders reflect the beat and uncertainty.
AKIMBO WALKS (four attitude variations):
1) Arms akimbo, palms on hips, forward movement with head beat
forward-back. Forward movement of performer.
2) Arms akimbo, back of hand on hips, forward movement with head beat
forward-back.
3) Arms akimbo at ribs, thumbs forward, forward movement with head beat
forward-back.
4) Arms akimbo at ribs, back of hands at ribs, palms outward, with head
beat forward-back.
FACING DESTINY: One arm outstretched and diagonal, palm upwards, other arm cocked with hand close to chest; both hands are straight. Alternate outstretched arms/hands and combine with forward motion. Maintain beat in arms or hands. Attitude of facing with courage what is ahead.
OLD PERSON TRAVEL: Hands behind back, back slightly hunched over as if old. Performer take small, fragile steps forward. Neck accents the beat forward-back.
SEAL TRAVEL ON ICE: Hands together, alternating to either side of body at waist as if clawing forward. Variation: both hands in front of body.
BIRD TRAVEL: Arms (chest level) to sides wide, as if wings then into chest as moving forward; chest expands outward as arms are to the sides. Performer moves forward with light steps and beat is accented in shoulders and neck.
ADD: combine or separate from Bird Travel: arms above head, palms
outward, back of hands touching, then to sides. Variation of bird
flapping wings.
ADD: Increase speed of the above and add head beat to either
side; arms and feet go wider and higher.
CARIBOU TRAVEL (three variations):
1) Arms above head and slightly to either side of the body, slight bend at
elbow. Hands spread wide and bent downward and rigid perpendicular to
arms and as antlers (hands are not limp.) Hands alternated up and down to
accent the beat. Performer moves with a shuffle step as if foraging.
2) Fists up, turned inwards towards forehead. Elbows down as if hooves
moving forward alternating, walking, stomping, scratching the ground
foraging.
3) Arms extended, bent at elbow with hands outstretched (fingers wide as
if antlers) with one hand in front of the other. Spread wide hands pulse
with the beat as performer moves forward.
HIGH FLYING BIRD: Arms outstretched wide to sides, slight beat movement in arms or head; as if a bird riding the high air currents. Generally used for story telling and performed in place.
GOOSE LANDING: Arms wide to sides below the waist. As if wings, slightly bent at the elbows and moving with the beat. Arms push forward as if a bird landing. Performer moves slowly forward or performed in place.
DUCK DIVING and SWIMMING: Head stoops low as if diving underwater then hands clap as hitting the water. The hands then go to behind the back to become the feet of the bird as it paddles forward, with hands alternating behind back. Performer moves with a waddle step. Hands with neck accent the beat.
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TRANSFORMATIONS ····································· |
BIRD TRANSFORMATION: Pointing to a bird in the sky with one finger or full hand, then arms outstretch wide to move as a bird flying.
ZIG ZAG TRANSFORMATION: Transition from animal or bird, with both hands flat and in front of body, elbows slightly cocked, begin upper right (slightly above head) then zig-zag across the body to left (neck level), then right (chest level), then left (stomach level). As if coming from the spirit world and entering the human world again.
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ANIMALS ················· |
WALRUS: Arms close to body, cocked at elbow, hands at face with fingers pointed straight down as if walrus tusks. Emphasis and beat with the hands. Performed in place.
WALRUS or SEAL LOOKING: Hands at diagonal in front of the body and below the waist as if seal or walrus flippers. Stretching, looking upward and leaning slightly back with head as if to see better above the surface of the water. Entire torso moves with the beat of the drum. Performed in place.
EAGLE-WOLF DANCE: Arms down in front, body slightly bent at waist. Beat expressed in the shoulders with an up and down movement of arms. The arms alternate, moving up and down towards the ground.
RAVEN DANCE: For two people facing each other. All moves to the beat and
with comic enthusiasm.
1) Knees bent, arms outward as if wings flapping and dancing for one
another.
2) Raven hop: performers hop towards one another and pass one another.
3) Turning, with arms wide, hop turn on one leg. Raven sound of Kaw Kaw.
4) Raven hop for one another.
5) Hands together at lower back as if a tail feathers.
6) Raven hop for one another with Raven sounds of Kaw or Calup.
7) Hands behind back as if tail feathers. Neck and upper body undulate with beat.
8) Hop and pass one another with the beat undulation.
9) Raven hop-dance with "Kaw-Kaw" sound.
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HUMAN ACTIVITIES ··································· |
LOOKING: Straight hand to forehead (left and right alternate), looking into the distance and with beat in the hand and neck. Performed standing in place.
EATING: One hand or both hands are brought to the mouth. The fingers move with beat, as if eating; (mouth movement optional).
TALKING: One hand, with first two fingers together. Bring close to mouth, circle with the two fingers then extend hand outward to a another performer, a spirit, element or animal, as if the two fingers are holding and passing the words.
HEARING (two options):
1) One hand at one side of the head at the ear. Fingers move with the
beat. Head tilts and moves with the beat as if listening.
2) Begin with either hand open at ear as if hearing, then extend arm on a
diagonal into the opposite direction giving full attention and pointing in
that direction as if hearing of a bird or something in the distance.
Performed in place.
HEARING BOTH SIDES: Arm and hand "carry" words from each side of the head then combines the words in front of the face. As if hearing an argument and bringing the two opposite sides together at the middle. Performed in place.
POINTING (three variations) : Either arm extended; pointing with:
1) one finger.
2) full hand with fingers straight palm down.
3) full hand, fingers straight palm upward.
IN THE DISTANCE (two variations):
1) Either arm in front, hand flat, palm down, arm rises and falls as if
tracing mountains and landscape in the distance.
2) As above, but using both hands/arms, with one on top of the other.
Performed in place.
BLINDED: Both hands about 6 inches from eyes and moving with the beat. Palms inward. Performed in place.
DENIAL: Like blinded, but with palms outward as if ignoring, avoiding, refusal, or denial of what is seen. Performed in place.
DISCOVERY: Hands in front of eyes, palms inward and moving with beat, then hands separate to either side simultaneously with fingers going wide with discovery. Performed in place.
BIG SURPRISE: Moving down slowly into a haunch then holding there, then with a signal or impulse, a big surprise up and out. Arms wide and emphatic. Performed in place.
COME HERE: Either arm, slightly cocked, using either finger or full hand to beckon someone or something to come. Beat in hand.
NAGGING: Pointing with one finger and emphasizing beat with foot and finger. Performed in place.
MOURNING: Beginning with a standing position, arms cross the torso, legs bend and sink into a slight haunch. Move with the beat.
THINKING: Using the beat, one arm, with hand into a fist, is brought up underneath, but not touching the chin. Head and neck hold the beat.
A THOUGHT: Neutral face then full shows a discovery of a thought. Performed in place.
FACE POINTING: Using mouth and/or eyes only point in a specific direction. Performed in place. Beat is shown in the mouth or neck.
BOO: Pull face and head back with beat then push face gently out as if making faces to an infant.
PATIENCE: Kneeling as if at a seal hole. Beat in the neck.
WAITING: Sitting on heels, beat in the neck and waiting as if for a seal to surface.
BAD NEWS: Head averts to one side simultaneous with extended arms clapping in the direction of aversion.
STOPPING: Hand stiff, arm fully extended in front of body to stop self or something/someone. Beat in the hands.
SHAKING HANDS: Extended hand, using beat, to indicate shaking hands at waist level. Performed in place.
DESCENDING or ASCENDING:
Ascending: Both arms above head, shoulder width apart, hands are shaped to
identify a hole opening. Arms move back and forth slightly all the way
down the body as if ascending up into a hole.
Descending: Opposite movement of the above, beginning at the knees and
working way up the body.
PADDLE: Arms cocked in front of body, hands shaped as if holding a paddle, movement to either side of the body. Paddle with the beat. Emphasis and beat in the hands and the shoulders. Performed in place or moving with knees slightly bent.
KAYAKING: Hands in front of body, arms slightly cocked, then with beat and as if kayaking. Movement to each side of the body. Move forward with knees slightly bent.
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SUBSISTENCE ACTIVITIES ··············································· |
GATHERING: Arms wide to either side (one side at a time) bringing in and forward to stomach as if gathering. Performed in motion or in place.
SHARING: Combine with Gathering or by itself. Two hand in a circular movement in front of stomach then opening of hands (palms upward) and extending arms forward to give. Performed in place. Beat in the neck and hands.
PULLING IN: To either side of the body. Arms extended with hands gripping as if rope or net line in hand. Pulling (starting from away then to the body) in with the beat. Emphasis of beat in shoulders.
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NATURE and EARTH ····································· |
NORTHERN LIGHTS: Looking upwards, either arm extended upwards and pointing with one finger to tracing the dancing of the northern lights. Performed in place with beat in the finger and neck.
WIND AND CLOUDS: Both arms/hands upwards and swaying with the beat as if moving with the wind; emphasis on floating of hands. Performed in place with beat in the hands.
PRAISE: Both arms upwards and moving slightly upward with beat in praise of the universal being; emphasis on hands.
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For further information about Litooma and its programs contact:
LITOOMA
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