Kaşık Oyunları.

           Wooden spoons used for spoon dancing.

        A male dance group performing a spoon dance (in traditional costume).

This week I have taken on two extra dance classes, Zeybek technique and Kaşık Oyunları (spoon dancing). Having a technique class where a prop is vital, is a completely new experience for me as this isn't done in contemporary dance. Of course I have performed in works where props are used as part of the choreography, but with spoon dancing, the spoons are a necessity (hence the name).

We first learnt how to hold and play the spoons with one set in each hand. Then we were taught a tune to play. This was later added to a hopping leg sequence, and finally the arm movements were added which was is opposition. Each of the elements alone were relatively simple, although playing the spoons proved quite difficult as my hands weren't big enough to hold the spoons correctly. However, when all of the elements were put together it became pretty complicated! There was so much to think about and everything was in opposition, this made it extremely hard for me to pick up. Also, it was the last class in a very long day of dance which probably added to the difficulty.

The class was very enjoyable although it isn't my favourite of the Turkish dances to watch. I think that other styles, such as Zeybek, have a lot more to offer in the sense of enriching the contemporary movement vocabulary, so this is where my main interest lies. However, I will continue attending these classes as I think there is much more that can be learnt and taken from spoon dancing.