Miserlou (Never on Sunday)
Formation: One large broken circle, hands joined, lead dancers at right end of line.
Music: “Never on Sunday” (Look for this on YouTube.)
Download RTF file: Miserlou
Description:
Part 1: Basic Sequence (Each Bar is four counts)
Bar 1 Step Right and Arc: Beginning right, step in place (count 1). Hold (count 2). Pointing left toe in front of right, swing left foot in an half circle arc to left toward right heel (counts 3 and 4).
Bar 2 Behind, Side, Cross: Step left behind right (count 1). Step right to side (count 2). Step left across in front of right (count 3). Pivot counter-clockwise a half turn on left to face reverse line of dance (count 4).
Bar 3 Three steps to reverse: Beginning right and moving clockwise, take three steps and pause with knee lift.
Bar 4 Back up three: Step back on left (count 1). Close right next to left (count 2). Step backwards on left (count 3), pause (count 4)
Part 2: Threes
Bars 1-3 Same as the Bars 1-3 of Part 1.
Bar 4 Swinging Left foot around in front of right and turning to face line of dance, step left (count 1). Close right next to left (count 2). Step left towards line (count 3). Pause (count 4).
Bar 5 Same as Bar 3 from Part 1 (3 steps towards reverse)
Bar 6 Same as Bar 4 from Part 1 (back up 3)
Part 3: Crisscross
Bars 1-2 Same as Bars 1-2 of Part 1.
Bar 3 Facing center cross right over left (count 1 and 2). Cross left over right (count 3 and 4).
Bars 4-5 Same as Bars 3-4 of Part 1:
Notes: This dance originated at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a dance group learning several Greek dances. The steps from Kritikos were adapted to a slower piece of music, “Miserlou”. It was taught by Monty Mayo, at Oglebay Folk Dance Camp, Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1948. It is danced all over the world now, and by Greeks too!
Choreography by: An adaptation of a Greek folk dance called Kritikos
Source: Printed in CD Journal, March 2019
Usage: The three variations are memorized. The leader announces or signals which of the three sequences is to be danced next. Use only Part 1 for a quick teach. The leader also leads the dancers in a circle or serpentine fashion.
This page from http://dances.callerlab.org (CALLERLAB Dance Resource)