For about 15 years this style Ida started would be done by many dancers in American Vaudeville and even on the Broadway stages from 1911 to 1925 and was even portrayed this way in many Hollywood movies and Television shows even today. These 'Kazotsky's where done long before her but after this one performance, and her improvisations of it, she would be hailed (incorrectly) as the greatest Russian dancer of all time as she traveled the world for nine years without a break. Ida Forsyne was one of the first American woman to do these ' Kazotsky's' at the end of her performance in her Moscow program. Altho this was an already established Hungarian dance called Czardas and it was not Russian, most Americans would not know the difference and still today see it as Russian dancing. In America, the Russian dance was usually performed with what they called ' Kazotskys', where the dancer squats down, crosses their arms across their chest and Kicks their legs out alternately. Many people in the United States see this dance as a Russian Dance, however it is not. The male and female dancers will also clap and snap their fingers to create a mood to the rhythm of the music.

The male will leap, jump, squat and use kneeīends etc. The males steps again are similar to the Flamenco but uses his heels to create ' Sharkazni' or a stomping sound. Their outfits ( wide skirts) are used to accent the turning and twirling they do

Important while at the same time using their hands around the body in a shimmering type motion. The female does steps that are similar to Flamenco but the sounds she makes are not The tárogató instrument, ( similar in timbre) to that of the clarinet, provides much colour, in parts making everything sound traditionally Russian.

There are still performing troupes who do this dance today. The dance starts off slow, easy and sedate then ends up in a fast whirling and turning pace. Czardas means 'Innkeeper' and is of Gypsy origin which is done in duple time (2/4). The dance originally derived from the Magya Kor ( Hungarians, c.9th century to present) and Pa lotás peoples and later became popular in the early 1800's.

The fast paced Czardas ( chär-däsh) whose correct spelling is Csárdás is the National dance and music style of Hungary. Streetswings Dance History Archives: Czardas

Diane pearson csardas