Social dance in Zaizung

Social dance was originally brought to Zaizung from Ekuosia during the Qonklese Olboros Dynasty in the 18th Century. In the 20th C, it started producing its own native social dances.

Not-cha

Based on a beat similar to the Yàłurał, which has a 2+2+3 beat. This dance may have originated in the tail end of the Olboros Era, but didn't gain international recognition until after Zaizung gained independence in 1903.

The dance consists of steps on beats 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7, or slow slow quick quick quick. The lead starts on the left foot, the follow on the right foot. From the lead's perspective, the basic is a step to the left on 1, a step to the right on 3, and then three quick steps to the right on 5,6,7, and then repeat on the right side.

On the north coast, it is common to keep the shoulders always squared and for both leads and follows to cross in front on beat 5 and 7. The hold is a bit farther out than other styles.

On the south coast, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, it is common to square the shoulders on steps 1 and 3, and turn them slightly clockwise on the triple step. On the triple step, both partners also always cross the right in front of the left, or left behind right. This allows for a more dynamic couple and closer hold.

In the highlands, the traditional convention is to square the shoulders on steps 1 and 3, for the lead to always cross in front and the follow to always cross behind, and the shoulders to turn to the direction of the crossing.

Main style

After the Pangyeoun War, a new style of music and dance emerged that shifted the beats from the Yàłurał, so the breakdown was 2+3+2. It kept the basics of the not-cha, but flipped them to suit it into two different "flows." The counts are a step on 1, a triple step on 3,4,5, and another step on 6, or a hold.

Counter Flow

For the lead, the step the left foot steps out to the left on 1, the triple step is to the right, and the left crosses over the right on 6. Same for the other side. The triple step is a chassé, with no crossing. On the cross steps, it is common for both lead and follow to cross in front. Some dancers have stylized this into both turning their shoulders and dropping the dance frame to emphasize this. Going to the right, you might see a quick drop or opening of the leader's arm on the follow's back, and on the left, a loosening of the hand hold.

Driving flow

In a less traditional move, the driving flow starts on feet counter to the rest of social dancing on Sahar, and the lead starts on the right. It is a stomp to the right, a triple step where the left crosses behind the right on 3 and in front of the right on 5, and the final step, the right goes right on 6, and repeat on the other side. This has a loosening of the hold on the triple step, but shoulders are always squared.

Switching between flows

To switch between flows, just hold on the last step (beat 6) instead of stepping. Some dancers do this to such an extent that they dance starting counter on the left, going right, and then driving on the left to go left. Since the driving flow travels more, this slowly turns the circle of dancers to the left.

Kick dance

Out of the same music as the main dance, in the highlands, another social dance developed out various folk dances. This involves sweeping the right foot into a side kick on 1 with a hop on the left foot, doing a very small sweeping motion with the feet on 3,4,5, and a side kick starting with a sweep to the right with a little hop on 6, and then repeating on the other side. Because of the energy required, this rarely is done more than once per set. Some dancers put these into the main dance, either from driving flow or counter flow.

The side to side sweeps are reminiscent of the Muhist section of the Zaizung Raft Dance, performed at the X festival, where the sweeps are used to keep the dancer's balance while making the raft mildly unstable. The hop side kick also is a common move.

There is a front to back variant, frequently called the "Qonk Killer," perhaps from a perception that it requires great coördination between both partners. In it, the dancers kick back when doing a sweep on the right foot, and forward when doing a sweep with the left foot. This variant has the legs interspersed on kicks, which is why it is considered a bad idea to tempt beginners to try.